biologists

Sex Life Of Killer Fungus Finally Revealed

admin — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:45:20 -0600

Biologists have announced a major breakthrough in our understanding of the sex life of a microscopic fungus which is a major cause of death in immune deficient patients and also a cause of severe asthma.

Global Warming Link To Amphibian Declines In Doubt

admin — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:15:02 -0600

Evidence that global warming is causing the worldwide declines of amphibians may not be as conclusive as previously thought, according to biologists. The findings, which contradict two widely held views, could help reveal what is killing the frogs and toads and aid in their conservation.

Biologists Spy On The Secret Inner Life Of A Cell

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:30:13 -0600

The transportation of antibodies from a mother to her newborn child is vital for the development of that child's nascent immune system. Antibodies help shape a baby's response to foreign pathogens and may influence the later occurrence of autoimmune diseases. Images from Caltech biologists reveal for the first time the complicated process by which antibodies are shuttled from mother's milk, through her baby's gut and into the bloodstream -- offering new insight into the mammalian immune system.

Transplantation: 'Molecular Miscegenation' Blurs The Boundary Be...

admin — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:15:04 -0500

A new discovery by London biologists may yield new ways of handling transplant rejection. Scientists confirm the two-way transfer of a molecule that instructs the immune system to tell "self" from "non-self." By disrupting the transfer of this molecule, newly transplanted organs should become "invisible" to the host's immune system. Such an advance would be considered a major medical breakthrough.

Predicting Boom And Bust Ecologies

admin — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:45:05 -0500

While scholars may be a long way from predicting the ins and outs of the economy, biologists have uncovered fundamental rules that may govern population cycles in many natural systems.

Synthetic Biology: Coming Up Fast!

admin — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies) Synthetic biology is being touted by scientists and venture capitalists as "the next big thing." Researchers claim to be on the brink of creating artificial life in a laboratory and making the worlds first synthetic microbes. The first blockbuster synbio drug -- an affordable cure for malaria -- is expected on the market by 2010. And a whole new biofuels industry spawned by synthetic biologists that promises to conquer the globe's energy problems seems just around the corner.

Gene That May Contribute To Improved Rice Yield Identified

admin — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:15:08 -0500

Biologists have identified a gene in rice that controls the size and weight of rice grains. The gene may prove to be useful for breeding high-yield rice and, thus, may benefit the vast number of people who rely on this staple food for survival.

When cells go bad

admin — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(University of Utah) When a cell's chromosomes lose their ends, the cell usually kills itself to stem the genetic damage. But University of Utah biologists discovered how those cells can evade suicide and start down the path to cancer. The new study of fruit flies is the first to show in animals that losing just one telomere -- the end of a chromosome -- can lead to many abnormalities in a cell's chromosomes.

Study asks: Are fall colors, climate linked?

admin — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:31:01 -0500

Might temperature affect fall colors in trees, with the warming climate muting them? Vermont biologists are testing trees to find out.

Maths model helps to unravel relationship between nutrients and ...

admin — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(Imperial College London) The level of nutrients in soil determines how many different kinds of plants and trees can thrive in an ecosystem, according to new research published by biologists and mathematicians today in Nature.