Body

Breaking the barrier: Discovery of anti-resistance factors and novel ocean drugs

Antibiotic resistance: A rising concern in marine ecosystems

A team of scientists, speaking today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, called for new awareness of the potential for antibiotic-resistant illnesses from the marine environment, and pointed to the marine realm as a source for possible cures of those threats.

Molecular motors in cells work together, study shows

Even within cells, the left hand knows what the right hand is doing.

Molecular motors, the little engines that power cell mobility and the ability of cells to transport internal cargo, work together and in close coordination, according to a new finding by researchers at the University of Virginia. The work could have implications for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.

British journal publishes inorganic chemistry research of NJIT professor

Long-range solid-state ordering and high geometric distortions induced in phthalocyanines by small fluoroalkyl group," by lead author Sergiu M. Gorun, PhD, (http://chemistry.njit.edu/people/gorun.php) an associate professor in the department of chemistry and environmental science at NJIT, will be the cover article and artwork published in the Feb. 21, 2009 print edition of Dalton Transactions, An International Journal of Inorganic Chemistry.

Study provides additional evidence that potato chips should be eaten in moderation

A new study published in the March 2009 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition by Marek Naruszewicz and colleagues from Poland suggests that acrylamide from foods may increase the risk of heart disease. Acrylamide has been linked previously to nervous system disorders and possibly to cancer.

Social support during breast-feeding helps humans have more children

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The fact that human mothers have support from family while they're breast-feeding may be a key strategy that enables humans to reproduce more rapidly than other primates, new research suggests.

Social support helps mothers conserve energy in a way that allows their bodies to prepare for their next pregnancy.

"Humans out-produce other primates. So we are examining to what degree this is related to our cultural flexibility," said Barbara Piperata, assistant professor of anthropology at Ohio State University and principal investigator of the research.

Device aims to decrease wait period for patients needing immunotherapy

HOUSTON - Researchers from the Children's Cancer Hospital at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have created a device that significantly decreases the time needed to produce genetically manipulated T cells in preclinical tests for leukemia.

Unrelated and mismatched cord blood transplantation can still help children with deadly conditions

DURHAM, N.C. -- An unrelated cord blood transplant, even from a mismatched donor, can be effective in treating children with a host of life-threatening diseases and disorders including cancer, sickle cell anemia, and other genetic diseases, according to researchers in the Duke Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program. Unrelated cord blood may be easier to obtain than adult bone marrow, allowing for the treatment of more patients.

Nanogenerators produce electricity from running rodents and tapping fingers

The demonstrations of harnessing biomechanical energy to produce electricity were reported February 11 in the online version of the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters. The research was supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Air Force, and the Emory-Georgia Tech Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence.

Stronger effort needed to prevent mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders in young people

WASHINGTON -- The federal government should make preventing mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders and promoting mental health in young people a national priority, says a new report from the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. These disorders -- which include depression, anxiety, conduct disorder, and substance abuse -- are about as common as fractured limbs in children and adolescents. Collectively, they take a tremendous toll on the well-being of young people and their families, costing the U.S. an estimated $247 billion annually, the report says.

Are people smarter than pigeons? AAAS Annual Meeting speakers report on animals with 'social smarts'

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Poly wants a pigment

CHICAGO – "What you see is what you get" often is the mantra in the highly competitive life of birds, as they use brilliant displays of color to woo females for mating. Now researchers are finding that carotenoids -- the compounds responsible for amping up red, orange, and yellow colors of birds -- also may play a role in color perception and in a bird's ability to reproduce, making it a cornerstone in birds' vitality.

Findings raise new questions about evolution of hormones in mammals

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 13, 2009 – New techniques used to examine hormones in feces and urine of mammals in the wild are yielding surprising results about hormones and evolution. The new techniques allow scientists to examine the social structure of a broader range of mammals.

Strength through diversity

Good ideas are not hard to find. But only those ideas that can be implemented into new, unprecedented applications become innovations. Those wanting to develop innovative products must therefore be able to think outside the box of their own area of expertise. "Fraunhofer's strength lies in interaction. When the Institutes pool their competencies, the result is enormous potential for innovation," as Dr. Michael Popall from the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg, Germany knows.

Tiny details in three dimensions

They are borne by ticks and can cause acute and chronic symptoms in joints, muscles and the nervous system – the bacteria that cause Lyme borreliosis, which 80,000 people in Germany contract every year. Heidelberg researchers have now succeeded in identifying their structure more accurately. Using a cryo-tomography microscope, the previously unknown detailed structure of the spirochete bacteria can be shown in three dimensions.