Body

Most organisms on Earth, from bacteria to humans, possesses a circadian clock--a biological mechanism that synchronizes activities such as rest or growth to daily changes in a 24-hour day. Although commonly thought to be tied to the day-night cycle, the circadian clock actually appears to be set by metabolic rhythms, according to a new study by scientists from the University of Chicago. By genetically reengineering cyanobacteria to be able to feed on sugar, the team discovered that the cyanobacterial clock was unaffected by light or dark, but responded only to metabolism.

A discovery into the mechanisms which lead to degeneration and loss of communication among neuron cells - the cells controlling function in the brain and nervous system - could potentially lead to future therapies for neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered that a small molecule called nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) causes a chain reaction of destruction within the neuron cell processes, called axons.

As dragonflies are good indicators of water quality, knowledge of these insects is important. The discoveries were published by three odonatologists (dragonfly experts) led by guest researcher KD Dijkstra of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in a 230-page issue of the journal Odonatologica on December 1st 2015.

December 10, 2015, San Francisco, CA--Scientists looking at the antiviral mechanisms of two previously identified human monoclonal antibodies have found they potently inhibit chikungunya virus (CHIKV) at multiple stages of infection.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (December 10, 2015) -Whitehead Institute researchers have created a map of the DNA loops that comprise the three dimensional (3D) structure of the human genome and regulate gene expression in human embryonic stem (ES) cells and adult cells. The location of genes and regulatory elements within this chromosomal framework could help scientists better navigate their genomic research, establishing relationships between mutations and disease development.

The simplicity of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing will soon make studying the genes of any organism, from the simplest slime mold to the octopus, as easy as it now is to study the genes controlling development in standard lab animals such as nematodes, fruit flies, frogs and mice.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- A group of researchers has shown for the first time in cells and in a mouse model that a drug used to treat cancer can neutralize the toxic RNA that causes the prolonged muscle contractions and other symptoms of myotonic dystrophy type 1, the most common form of adult-onset muscular dystrophy. The researchers report their findings today Dec. 10, 2015 in the journal Cell Reports.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - December 10, 2015 - Researchers have been working for years to develop an artificial pancreas in the lab to help the millions of people with type 1 diabetes. But what if the answer is to "recycle" the more than 300 human pancreata from organ donors that aren't currently being used?

For more than 20 years, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test has been used to help screen for prostate cancer, but in recent years, some task forces have called for this blood test to be abandoned because it leads to many unnecessary biopsies. Now, a new study from The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa shows that simply repeating abnormal PSA tests dramatically reduces unnecessary biopsies.

The association between survival and the time to surgery and chemotherapy for patients with breast cancer is examined in two original investigations published by JAMA Oncology, along with a related editorial and an audio interview with the authors.

Postponing the start of adjuvant chemotherapy for more than 90 days following surgery may significantly increase risk of death for breast cancer patients, particularly those with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), according to a new study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Further, the researchers found that factors such as socio-economic status, insurance coverage and ethnicity were associated with delayed treatment.

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. - Researchers at Nova Southeastern University (NSU's) Genome Bioinformatics Center the announced the release of a reference genome sequence of the African cheetah, (Acinonyx jubatus,) a critically endangered species that informed, even empowered, the field of conservation genetics. Working with collaborators at Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, St.

MANHATTAN, KANSAS -- If you've ever lived in a cockroach-infested dwelling, you know that if you see one of the pesky insects, many more are hiding just out of sight.

New research from a team including Kansas State University's Ludek Zurek, professor of entomology, is helping explain how German cockroaches, a particularly nasty species, know to gather in a certain area. Their communication system is mediated, at least in part, by the presence of certain gut microbes.

A team of Virginia Tech researchers have discovered fossils of kinorhynch worms - commonly known as mud dragons - dating back more than 530 million years.

The historic find - made in South China - fills a huge gap in the known fossil record of kinorhynchs, small invertebrate animals that are related to arthropods, featuring exoskeletons and segmented bodies, but not jointed legs.

The first specimen was unearthed in rocks in Nanjiang, China, in 2013 and more fossils were found later that year and in 2014.

TAMPA, Fla. (Dec. 10, 2015) - Moffitt Cancer Center researchers have found that a protein called TBK1 plays an important role in the process of cell division, especially at a stage called mitosis.

Cells go through a highly regulated, ordered process to divide and multiply, called the cell cycle. After the parental cell DNA is replicated, the duplicated DNA and cellular organelles are separated into two daughter cells during mitosis. Proper control of the cell cycle is necessary to ensure that the resulting daughter cells inherit identical copies of the DNA.