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Blogs from the the world of biology.

1102944
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Friday, November 21, 2008 - 3:58am

pKeeping germs from cooperating can delay the evolution of drug resistance more effectively than killing germs one by one with traditional drugs such as antibiotics, according to new research from The University of Arizona in Tucson. /pdiv a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=ty5Qn"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=ty5Qn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=Ui9CN"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=Ui9CN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=gWCBn"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=gWCBn" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~r/biologynews/headlines/~4/460334204" height="1" width="1"/
1102945
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Friday, November 21, 2008 - 3:58am

pA virus that causes cold-like symptoms in humans originated in birds and may have crossed the species barrier around 200 years ago, according to an article published in the December issue of the IJournal of General Virology/I. Scientists hope their findings will help us understand how potentially deadly viruses emerge in humans./pdiv a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=onqrn"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=onqrn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=sGEWN"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=sGEWN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=fjIVn"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=fjIVn" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~r/biologynews/headlines/~4/460334203" height="1" width="1"/
1102946
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Friday, November 21, 2008 - 3:58am

pIn decisions about where to eat, baboons don't all have an equal say, according to a report in the November 20th issue of ICurrent Biology/I, a Cell Press publication. Rather, most baboons in a group will follow their leader to a dining spot of his choosing, even if it means a considerably more meager meal for themselves than they could have had otherwise./pdiv a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=iSqQn"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=iSqQn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=GufoN"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=GufoN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=4DsCn"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=4DsCn" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~r/biologynews/headlines/~4/460334207" height="1" width="1"/
1102947
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Friday, November 21, 2008 - 3:58am

pSingapore researchers have developed an unlimited number of pure insulin-producing cells from mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). /pdiv a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=Ojz5n"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=Ojz5n" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=rsUXN"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=rsUXN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=VC2Cn"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=VC2Cn" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~r/biologynews/headlines/~4/460334205" height="1" width="1"/
1102948
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Friday, November 21, 2008 - 3:58am

pA recent study appearing in the November issue of IJournal of American Geriatrics Society/I revealed that centenarian offspring (children of parents who lived to be at least 97 years old) retain important cardiovascular advantages from their parents compared to a similarly-aged cohort. The study is the first to assess the health of centenarian offspring over time and could be important for future research, as the subjects may be used as a model of healthy aging./pdiv a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=RVpIn"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=RVpIn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=fqf8N"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=fqf8N" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=Xxfnn"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=Xxfnn" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~r/biologynews/headlines/~4/460334206" height="1" width="1"/
1102949
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Friday, November 21, 2008 - 3:58am

pA new discovery challenges one of the strongest arguments in favor of the idea that animals with bilateral symmetry—those that, like us, have two halves that are roughly mirror images of each other—existed before their obvious appearance in the fossil record during the early Cambrian, some 542 million years ago. In the November 25th issue of ICurrent Biology/I, a Cell Press publication, researchers report the first evidence that trace fossils interpreted by some as the tracks of ancient bilaterians could have instead been made by giant deep-sea protists, like those that can still be found at the seafloor to this day. /pdiv a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=LEcqn"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=LEcqn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=xIT7N"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=xIT7N" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=NyxOn"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=NyxOn" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~r/biologynews/headlines/~4/460334209" height="1" width="1"/
1102950
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Friday, November 21, 2008 - 3:58am

pThe DNA in our cells is constantly under assault from oxygen, the sun's radiation and environmental stresses. Most of the time, our cells can repair the damage before it gets copied into a permanent mutation that could lead to cancer./pdiv a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=ZD2wn"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=ZD2wn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=9dEFN"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=9dEFN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=kUchn"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=kUchn" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~r/biologynews/headlines/~4/460334211" height="1" width="1"/
1102951
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Friday, November 21, 2008 - 3:58am

pFor the first time it is now possible to get a comprehensive overview of which alien species are present in Europe, their impacts and consequences for the environment and society. More than 11,000 alien species have been documented by DAISIE (Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventory for Europe), a unique three year research project with more than 100 European scientists, funded by the European Union that provides new knowledge on biological invasions in Europe. Biological invasions by alien species often result in a significant loss in the economic value, biological diversity and function of invaded ecosystems./pdiv a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=g8Y2n"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=g8Y2n" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=ofkQN"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=ofkQN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=MsEln"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=MsEln" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~r/biologynews/headlines/~4/460334210" height="1" width="1"/
1102952
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Friday, November 21, 2008 - 3:58am

pScientists report the discovery of a new species of Ebola virus, provisionally named Bundibugyo ebolavirus, November 21 in the open-access journal IPLoS Pathogens/I. The virus, which was responsible for a hemorrhagic fever outbreak in western Uganda in 2007, has been characterized by a team of researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia the Uganda Virus Research Institute; the Uganda Ministry of Health; and Columbia University./pdiv a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=1MZun"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=1MZun" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=qul3N"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=qul3N" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=J4bLn"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=J4bLn" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~r/biologynews/headlines/~4/460334212" height="1" width="1"/
1102953
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Friday, November 21, 2008 - 3:58am

pA team of researchers at Duke University Medical Center and the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) has found that lactic acid is an important energy source for tumor cells. In further experiments, they discovered a new way to destroy the most hard-to-kill, dangerous tumor cells by preventing them from delivering lactic acid. /pdiv a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=Rjlsn"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=Rjlsn" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=njaSN"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=njaSN" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?a=UbXon"img src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~f/biologynews/headlines?i=UbXon" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.biologynews.net/~r/biologynews/headlines/~4/460334213" height="1" width="1"/
1102051
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Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 5:45pm

Invitrogen Corporation (NASDAQ:IVGN), a provider of essential life science technologies for research, production and diagnostics, today announced the introduction of its Invivofectamine™ delivery reagent which enables short interference ribonucleic acid (siRNA) experiments in vivo. The study of RNA interference (RNAi) has revolutionized biology by allowing researchers to directly observe the effects of the loss of function of specific genes in mammalian systems.
1101918
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Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 4:45pm

A study published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE highlights how the exploration of the ocean depths can benefit humankind. This is the story of a voyage of discovery, starting with marine animals that glow, the identification of the molecules responsible and their application as marker in living cells. Many marine organisms such as sea anemones and corals produce fluorescent proteins, which come in a variety of dazzling hues.
1101919
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Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 4:45pm

They've made electronics that can bend. They've made electronics that can stretch. And now, they've reached the ultimate goal -- electronics that can be subjected to any complex deformation, including twisting.
1101920
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Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 4:45pm

Imagine yourself swimming in a pool: It's the movement of your arms and legs, not the viscosity of the water, that mostly dictates the speed and direction that you swim. For tiny organisms, the situation is different. Microbes' speed and direction are subjected more to the physical vagaries of the fluid around them. "For bacteria to swim in water," explained Jay Tang, associate professor of physics at Brown University, "it's like us trying to swim through honey.
1101921
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Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 4:45pm

Microcapsules act as "roach motel" to kill harmful bacteria Researchers in New Mexico and Florida are reporting development of microscopic particles that act as chemical booby traps for bacteria. The traps attract and kill up to 95 percent of nearby bacteria, including microbes responsible for worrisome hospital-based infections. The scientists describe their discovery as micro-sized "roach motels" for harmful bacteria.
1101692
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Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 2:45pm

Scientists at the Buck Institute for Age Research have identified for the first time biomarkers of aging which are highly predictive of both chronological and physiological age. Biomarkers are biochemical features that can be used to measure the progress of disease or the effects of treatment. The research involves nematode worms, microarrays which measure changes in gene expression, and complex computer algorithms.
1101693
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Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 2:45pm

A Queen's University study sheds new light on the way one of our cell enzymes, implicated in causing tissue damage after heart attacks and strokes, is normally kept under control. Led by Biochemistry professor Peter Davies, the research team's discovery will be useful in developing new drug treatments that can aid recovery in stroke and heart disease, as well as lessen the effects of Alzheimer's and other neurologically degenerative diseases.
1101591
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Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 1:45pm

The UK National Stem Cell Network (UKNSCN) has announced that Professor Janet Rossant, one of the world's foremost developmental biologists from The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, will deliver the second annual Dame Anne McLaren Memorial Lecture. The Lecture is the principal keynote address of the UKNSCN's annual research conference, being next year in Oxford, 6-8 April.
1100865
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Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 1:00pm

The fate of the world's few remaining western grey whales now rests on the outcome of appeals to Russian authorities and courts following the refusal of an oil consortium to consider alternatives to a proposal to lay an oil pipeline through a shallow lagoon crucial to the whales' food supplies.
1101471
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Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 11:45am

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have gained new insights into regulation of one of the body's enzyme workhorses called calpains. As the cell's molecular overachievers, calpains function in many cellular processes, including the movement of cells in tissues, the death of damaged cells, insulin secretion, and brain cell and muscle function.
1100866
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Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 7:00am

The Fraser fir is gaining popularity among American consumers looking for beautiful, long-lasting Christmas trees. Consumers favor Fraser fir for its conical shape, dark green foliage, pleasant aroma and excellent needle retention.
1101588
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Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 5:00am

A virus that causes cold-like symptoms in humans originated in birds and may have crossed the species barrier around 200 years ago, according to an article in the Journal of General Virology. Scientists hope their findings will help us understand how potentially deadly viruses emerge in humans.
1101967
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Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 5:00am

Evolutionary theory points to a new approach to combat drug resistance in disease-causing organisms and in cancer, according to new research. Keeping germs from cooperating can delay the evolution of drug resistance more effectively than killing germs one by one with traditional drugs such as antibiotics.
1102126
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Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 5:00am

While global-warming-induced coastal flooding moves populations inland, the changes in sea level will affect the salinity of estuaries, which influences aquatic life, fishing and recreation.
1102241
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Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 5:00am

Groove-like tracks on the ocean floor made by giant deep-sea single-celled organisms could lead to new insights into the evolutionary origin of animals, according to biologists.