Latest and Breaking Biology News

Global extinction: Gradual doom is just as bad as abrupt
3 February 2012, 5:00 am
(University of Cincinnati) Around 250 million years ago, most life on Earth was wiped out in an extinction known as the "Great Dying." A team led by University of Cincinnati geologist Thomas J. Algeo finds that the end came slowly from thousands of centuries of volcanic activity.

Parasites or not? Transposable elements in fruit flies
3 February 2012, 5:00 am
(University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna) The problem of parasitism occurs at all levels right down to the DNA scale. Genomes may contain up to 80 percent "foreign" DNA but details of the mechanisms by which this enters the host genome and how hosts attempt to combat its spread are still the subject of conjecture. Important new information comes from the group of Christian Schlötterer at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna. The findings are published in the prestigious journal PLoS Genetics.

Why 2 new studies represent important breakthrough in Alzheimer's disease research
3 February 2012, 5:00 am
(AHAF-American Health Assistance Foundation) Two separate research findings have the potential to give us a much more sophisticated understanding of what goes wrong in Alzheimer's disease and what can be done to prevent or repair damage in the brain.

New technology to tackle treatment-resistant cancers
3 February 2012, 5:00 am
(Institute of Physics) Free-flowing cancer cells have been mapped with unprecedented accuracy in the bloodstream of patients with prostate, breast and pancreatic cancer, using a brand new approach, in an attempt to assess and control the disease as it spreads in real time through the body, and solve the problem of predicting response and resistance to therapies.

Gene related to fat preferences in humans found
3 February 2012, 5:00 am
(Penn State) A preference for fatty foods has a genetic basis, according to researchers, who discovered that people with certain forms of the CD36 gene may like high-fat foods more than those who have other forms of this gene.

Discovery of extremely long-lived proteins may provide insight into cell aging
3 February 2012, 5:00 am
(Salk Institute) One of the big mysteries in biology is why cells age. Now scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies report that they have discovered a weakness in a component of brain cells that may explain how the aging process occurs in the brain.

Whole exome sequencing identifies cause of metabolic disease
3 February 2012, 5:00 am
(Emory University) Sequencing a patient's entire genome to discover the source of his or her disease is not routine, but geneticists are getting close. A case report shows how researchers can combine a simple blood test with an "executive summary" scan of the genome to diagnose a severe glycosylation disorder.

Dieting with the denomination, determination
3 February 2012, 5:00 am
(SAGE Publications) According to a new study, those starting new weight loss programs may be surprised to find out that both location and level of experience may influence their success. A recent article published in the Journal of Black Psychology (a journal from the Association of Black Psychologists, published by SAGE) finds that African-American women beginning a new group weight loss program are more successful if they are less experienced with weight management and if the program meets in a church.

New procedure repairs severed nerves in minutes, restoring limb use in days or weeks
3 February 2012, 5:00 am
(Wiley-Blackwell) American scientists believe a new procedure to repair severed nerves could result in patients recovering in days or weeks, rather than months or years. The team used a cellular mechanism similar to that used by many invertebrates to repair damage to nerve axons. Their results are published today in the Journal of Neuroscience Research.

Study published in Neuro-Oncology shows brain tumor eradication and prolonged survival
3 February 2012, 5:00 am
(Canale Communications) Tocagen Inc. today announced the publication of data showing the company's investigational treatment for high grade glioma eradicates brain tumors and provides a dramatic survival benefit in mouse models of glioblastoma. Almost all mice receiving the top dose of Toca 511 followed by 5-FC were still alive at 180 days, which was the termination date for the experiment, whereas all control mice died by day 43. The article was published today in the February issue of the Neuro-Oncology journal.