Microbiology

How Do Animal Bodies Know How Many Appendages To Grow Back?

Cut off one finger from a salamander and one will grow back. Cut off two and two will grow back. It sounds logical, but how the salamander always regenerates the right number of fingers is a biological mystery. The salamander isn't the only animal wit ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 28 2008 - 9:07am

Shaping The Artistic Symmetry Of Cells

Cells are intrinsically artistic. When the right signals tell a cell to divide, it usually splits down the middle, resulting in two identical daughter cells, though stem cells are the exception to the rule. This natural symmetry is visible on the macroscop ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 28 2008 - 8:48am

Mouse Has Cartilage That Repairs Itself

A strain of mice with the natural ability to repair damaged cartilage may one day lead to significant improvements in treatment of human knee, shoulder and hip injuries. Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered males from a str ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 30 2008 - 5:19pm

Gene Expression In Suicides

Autopsies usually point to a cause of death but now a study of brain tissue collected from people who committed suicide may explain an underlying cause of major depression and suicide. The international research group, led by Dr. Michael O. Poulter of Roba ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 30 2008 - 5:35pm

Antibody Discovery May Lead To Immunization Against Cardiovascular Disease- Study

Low levels of naturally occurring antibodies may represent an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, particularly stroke in men. This discovery, published in Atherosclerosis, has now led to attempts to develop an immunization against cardiova ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 31 2008 - 9:48pm

IGF-1: The Secret Of The Enlarged Hearts In Elite Rowers

Scientists have unravelled a potential mechanism for how top-level rowers develop enlarged strengthened hearts as a result of long-term intensive training. The research in the August edition of Clinical Endocrinology suggests a causal link between naturall ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 8 2008 - 12:53am

What Hermaphrodite Melons Can Teach Us About The Evolution Of Sex

A newly discovered function for a hormone in melons suggests it plays a role in how sexual systems evolve in plants. Scientists from several French institutions, led by Abdel Bendahmane of the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), isolated t ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 9 2008 - 11:21am

International Journal Of Systematic And Evolutionary Microbiology (IJSEM) Puts Archive Online For Free

Did you find a new bacterium and want recognition for it? For it to be recognized its name must be recorded in IJSEM, which is the single official international forum for the publication of new bacterial species names. The journal publishes research papers ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 10 2008 - 1:29pm

Mouse Blood Circulation Restored Using Menstrual Stem Cells

Cells obtained from menstrual blood, termed 'endometrial regenerative cells' (ERCs), are capable of restoring blood flow in an animal model of advanced peripheral artery disease, according to a study published today in Journal of Translational Me ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 18 2008 - 9:23pm

BMP-7 Protein Produces Brown Fat (That's The Good Kind)

A study by researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center has shown that a protein known for its role in inducing bone growth can also help promote the development of brown fat, a "good" fat that helps in the expenditure of energy and plays a role in ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 20 2008 - 1:43pm