Archive for March 2007
Autistic children can read mental state of others through their eyes
Posted by: Derya on: March 31, 2007
- In: Biology | Brain | Cognitive Science | Consciousness
- 27 Comments
Autistic children are able to interpret the mental state of others by looking at their eyes, contrary to previous research, a new University of Nottingham study has found. In findings that contradict previous studies, psychologists found that autistic children can ‘read’ a stranger’s mental state based on that person’s eyes. Autistic children have long been [...]
Scientists identify critical gene factor in heart development
Posted by: Derya on: March 31, 2007
- In: Biology | Biomedical | Biotechnology | Developmental Biology | heart | RNA | Science
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Researchers at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) announced they have identified a critical genetic factor in the control of many aspects of heart form and function. As reported in the journal Cell, scientists in the lab of Deepak Srivastava, MD, have successfully deleted a genetic factor, called a microRNA, in animal models to [...]
Cells Selectively Absorb Short Nanotubes
Posted by: Derya on: March 31, 2007
- In: DNA | health | Nanotech | Nanotechnology | Nanotubes | technology
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DNA-wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) shorter than about 200 nanometers readily enter into human lung cells and so may pose an increased risk to health, according to scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Nanotube length threshold: NIST experiments using human lung cells demonstrate that DNA-wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes longer than about [...]
Despite significantly raising HDL, torcetrapib failed to slow the progression of coronary plaques
Posted by: Derya on: March 27, 2007
Investigators reported today that torcetrapib, a drug that substantially raises high-density lipoprotein cholesterol or HDL (the “good” cholesterol), did not slow the progression of plaque buildup in the coronary arteries as measured using an ultrasound probe (IVUS). All development of this drug was terminated on December 2, 2006 after the safety board monitoring a separate [...]
Blueberries contain chemical that may help prevent colon cancer
Posted by: Derya on: March 25, 2007
- In: Antioxidant | Cancer | Diet | Fruits | health | Supplements
- 5 Comments
A compound found in blueberries shows promise of preventing colon cancer in animals, according to a joint study by scientists at Rutgers University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The compound, pterostilbene, is a potent antioxidant that could be developed into a pill with the potential for fewer side effects than some commercial drugs that [...]
Fantastic voyage: From science fiction to reality?
Posted by: Derya on: March 24, 2007
- In: Bioengineering | Cancer | Imaging | Robotics | technology
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Some 40 years after the release of the classic science fiction movie Fantastic Voyage, researchers in the NanoRobotics Laboratory of École Polytechnique de Montréal’s Department of Computer Engineering and Institute of Biomedical Engineering have achieved a major technological breakthrough in the field of medical robotics. They have succeeded for the first time in guiding, in [...]
Scientists unlock mystery of embryonic stem cell signaling pathway
Posted by: Derya on: March 24, 2007
A newly discovered small molecule called IQ-1 plays a key role in preventing embryonic stem cells from differentiating into one or more specific cell types, allowing them to instead continue growing and dividing indefinitely, according to research performed by a team of scientists who have recently joined the stem-cell research efforts at the Keck School [...]
New technique developed for tracking cells in the body
Posted by: Derya on: March 24, 2007
- In: Biomedical | Biotechnology | Imaging | technology
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Scientists’ inability to follow the whereabouts of cells injected into the human body has long been a major drawback in developing effective medical therapies. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed a promising new technique for noninvasively tracking where living cells go after they are put into the body. The new technique, which uses genetically [...]
Synthetic production of potential pharmaceuticals dramatically simplified
Posted by: Derya on: March 24, 2007
Chemists are currently able to synthetically produce almost any compound, but they must typically resort to expensive, complex processes that can require dozens of individual steps. Such natural product syntheses have traditionally relied on the ubiquitous use of “protecting groups,” which are extra compounds chemists use to shield reactive portions of a molecule during specific [...]
Scientists create mice with enhanced color vision
Posted by: Derya on: March 24, 2007
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and their colleagues have found that mice simply expressing a human light receptor in addition to their own can acquire new color vision, a sign that the brain can adapt far more rapidly to new sensory information than anticipated. This work, appearing March 23 in Science, also [...]
Top Ten Cybernetic Upgrades Everyone Will Want
Posted by: Derya on: March 17, 2007
- In: Brain | cybernetics | Life Extension | Nanotech | Nanotechnology | technology
- 3 Comments
Science fiction, computer games, anime… cyborgs are everywhere. Transhumanists are philosophers who believe that one day, cybernetic upgrades will be so powerful, elegant, and inexpensive that everyone will want them. Michael Anissimov lists ten fascinating major upgrades that he thinks will be adopted by 2050 in his blog. Image credit: Edot-studios.
Dietary copper may ease heart disease
Posted by: Derya on: March 10, 2007
- In: Diet | health | heart | Heart Disease | Supplements
- 1 Comment
Including more copper in your everyday diet could be good for your heart, according to scientists at the University of Louisville Medical Center and the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center. Their studies show that giving copper supplements to mice eased the stress on their over-worked hearts by preventing heart enlargement. The study will be published [...]
In obesity, brain becomes ‘unaware’ of fat
Posted by: Derya on: March 10, 2007
- In: Brain | health | Obesity | Weight loss
- 2 Comments
Critical portions of the brain in those who are obese don’t really know they are overweight, researchers have reported in the March issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, published by Cell Press. These findings in obese mice show that a sensor in the brain that normally detects a critical fat hormone—causing a cascade of events [...]
Tiny particles pave way for new bedside diagnostics
Posted by: Derya on: March 10, 2007
- In: Biotechnology | DNA | Microscopy | technology
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MIT researchers have created an inexpensive method to screen for millions of different biomolecules (DNA, proteins, etc.) in a single sample-a technology that could make possible the development of low-cost clinical bedside diagnostics. The work, based on tiny customizable particles, could also be used for disease monitoring, drug discovery or genetic profiling. Even though the [...]
Novel salamander robot crawls its way up the evolutionary ladder
Posted by: Derya on: March 10, 2007
- In: Evolution | Robotics | technology
- 2 Comments
A group of European researchers has developed a spinal cord model of the salamander and implemented it in a novel amphibious salamander-like robot. The robot changes its speed and gait in response to simple electrical signals, suggesting that the distributed neural system in the spinal cord holds the key to vertebrates’ complex locomotor capabilities.
3D Animation of HIV Replication
Posted by: Derya on: March 4, 2007
- In: Animation | HIV | Video | Viruses
- 60 Comments
This is an outstanding 3D animation of HIV replication cycle. I especially loved the entry part, which is like watching a science fiction movie. The animation is fairly accurate representation of what we know about the this viruses life cycle today, except the part on entry of viral DNA into nucleus. Based on our current [...]
Nanoparticle Research Offers Hope of Artificial Retinas, Prostheses
Posted by: Derya on: March 4, 2007
The world’s first direct electrical link between nerve cells and photovoltaic nanoparticle films has been achieved by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) and the University of Michigan. The development opens the door to applying the unique properties of nanoparticles to a wide variety of light-stimulated nerve-signaling devices — including [...]
Scientists Make Major Discovery to Advance Regenerative Medicine
Posted by: Derya on: March 4, 2007
Scientists at Forsyth may have moved one step closer to regenerating human spinal cord tissue by artificially inducing a frog tadpole to re-grow its tail at a stage in its development when it is normally impossible. Using a variety of methods including a kind of gene therapy, the scientists altered the electrical properties of cells [...]
Whole-grain breakfast cereal associated with reduced heart failure risk
Posted by: Derya on: March 3, 2007
- In: Diet | health | heart | Heart Disease | Life Extension | Longevity
- 2 Comments
Eating whole-grain breakfast cereals seven or more times per week was associated with a lower risk of heart failure, according to an analysis of the observational Physicians’ Health Study. Researchers presented findings of the study today at the American Heart Association’s 47th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention. For the present study, breakfast [...]
Biologically Inspired Vision Systems
Posted by: Derya on: March 3, 2007
- In: Biotechnology | Brain | Neurons | Neuroscience | technology
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Neuroscientists at MIT have developed a computer model that mimics the human vision system to accurately detect and recognize objects in a busy street scene, such as cars and motorcycles. Such biologically inspired vision systems could soon be used in surveillance systems, or in smart sensors that can warn drivers of pedestrians and other obstacles. [...]
Deconstructing brain wiring, one neuron at a time
Posted by: Derya on: March 2, 2007
- In: Biology | Biotechnology | Brain | Neural | Neurons | Neuroscience | technology
- 2 Comments
Researchers have long said they won’t be able to understand the brain until they can put together a “wiring diagram” – a map of how billions of neurons are interconnected. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have jumped what many believe to be a major hurdle to preparing that chart: identifying all [...]
Green tea and COX-2 inhibitors combine to slow growth of prostate cancer
Posted by: Derya on: March 2, 2007
Drinking a nice warm cup of green tea has long been touted for its healthful benefits, both real and anecdotal. But now researchers have found that a component of green tea, combined with low doses of a COX-2 inhibitor, could slow the spread of human prostate cancer. In the March 1 issue of Clinical Cancer [...]
Light wine intake is associated with longer life expectancy in men
Posted by: Derya on: March 1, 2007
- In: Biomedical | Cardiovascular | Diet | health | heart | Heart Disease | Life Extension | Longevity
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Drinking a little alcohol every day, especially wine, may be associated with an increase in life expectancy. That’s the conclusion of Dutch researchers who reported the findings of their study today at the American Heart Association’s 47th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention. The researchers found that a light intake of alcohol (on [...]
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Is The United States Trying to Cede its Lead in Biomedical Research?
Posted by: Derya on: March 25, 2007
I feel the future of biological research in the U.S. is now in grave danger. NIH has been the jewel of American innovation in medicine and biological research. The health of most people are affected by the research done through NIH grants. Rapid advance in medical research is also the best way to save the [...]