A storm does not have to be especially powerful in terms of its winds to be deadly. Such is the case with Tropical Cyclone 01B (TC 01B) in the Bay of Bengal. Despite only reaching minimal tropical storm intensity just this morning at 06 UTC 18 May 2016, the system has been responsible for dumping heavy rains in and around Sri Lanka and southern Indian over the past few days as it tried to organize itself in the southwestern Bay of Bengal. This set the stage for two massive landslides, which buried 3 villages in south central Sri Lanka.
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By detecting semantic inconsistencies in content, researchers have developed a new technique for identifying promotional infections of websites operated by government and educational organizations. Such attacks use code embedded in highly-ranked sites to drive traffic to sketchy websites selling fake drugs, counterfeit handbags and plagiarized term papers - or installing drive-by malware.
In a Hanoi, Vietnam, hotel conference room, Mike Coble led a group of scientists through a series of calculations. Coble's presentation was heavy on the statistics, and this created a lot of work for the translators. It took two of them, working tag-team, to keep up.
An early-stage HIV vaccine clinical trial in South Africa has determined that an investigational vaccine regimen is safe and generates comparable immune responses to those reported in a landmark 2009 study showing that a vaccine can protect people from HIV infection. Consequently, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and its partners have decided to advance the experimental HIV vaccine regimen into a large clinical trial.
Porto Alegre, May 12th, 2016 - Porto Alegre, Brazil - Researchers at the Children's Cancer Institute (Instituto do Câncer Infantil, ICI), the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), the Cancer and Neurobiology Laboratory, and the Pediatric Oncology Service at the university hospital (Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, HCPA) have obtained evidence suggesting that proteins known to regulate neuronal development and plasticity may be useful biomarkers and therapeutic targets in childhood cancers.
In the bird world, the color red has special significance. Many species use red signals to attract mates or deter rivals, adding the color to their beaks, feathers, or bare skin. Generally speaking, as far as many birds are concerned, redder is better. Now, two teams of researchers have independently identified an enzyme-encoding gene that allows some bird species to convert yellow pigments from their diets into that remarkable red. Their findings are reported on May 19 in Current Biology.
Mitochondrial replacement therapy, where a nucleus from a mother's egg cell is transferred into a donor egg containing healthy mitochondria, shows promise for preventing the inheritance of mitochondrial DNA diseases. However, small amounts of mitochondrial DNA can sometimes hitch a ride with the transferred nucleus, and a study publishing May 19 in Cell Stem Cell shows that this DNA can override the mitochondria in the donor cell. The findings may call into question the beneficial effect of nuclear transfer for mitochondrial replacement therapy.
Flaviviruses--such as Zika, dengue, and yellow fever--have emerged as human (and other primate) pathogens because of their ability to specifically overcome our anti-viral defenses. In the case of Zika, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai report May 19 in Cell Host & Microbe that one of the virus's seven non-structural proteins (NS5) is singularly responsible for blocking the action of interferons (proteins that stop viral replication) in human cells, while mouse cells are unaffected.
Stem cells are typically thought to have the intrinsic ability to generate or replace specialized cells. However, a team of biologists at NYU showed that regenerating plants can naturally reconstitute their stem cells from more mature cells by replaying embryogenesis.
"Paradoxically, this means that, in this system, stem cells don't immediately generate the plant's tissue, but, rather, tissues make stem cells," explains Kenneth Birnbaum, an associate professor in New York University's Department of Biology and the study's senior author.
If he ever gives a TED talk, Jeremy Sanford may have to come up with a better name for the protein he's been studying, which appears to play an important role in driving the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells. For now, it's known as IGF2BP3, which stands for "insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 3."
A new USC-led study identified a "sunscreen" gene that may help stave off skin cancer.
The researchers found that the "UV radiation Resistance Associated Gene" is a tumor suppressor for skin cancer, which is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Melanoma is the deadliest skin cancer. In fact, melanoma rates have doubled over the last three decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For many birds, just like for many people, red is the color of love. And, as with so many things, there is science behind the color.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and colleagues have discovered the gene that produces the brilliant red color in male birds that is so attractive to females.
LA JOLLA--A new technique developed by Salk Institute scientists for rapidly mapping regions of DNA targeted by regulatory proteins could give scientists insight into what makes some plants drought tolerant or disease resistant, among other traits.
La Jolla, Calif., May 19, 2016 (embargoed until 12:00 P.M. EST) -- An international collaborative study led by scientists at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) has identified a malicious form of a protein that drives the formation of melanoma. The findings, published today in Cell Reports, reveal unexpected insight into how this lethal skin cancer develops and progresses, and may help understand and develop novel therapies against these aggressive tumors.
A large proportion of cancer cases and deaths among U.S. individuals who are white might be prevented if people quit smoking, avoided heavy drinking, maintained a BMI between 18.5 and 27.5, and got moderate weekly exercise for at least 150 minutes or vigorous exercise for at least 75 minutes, according to a new study published online by JAMA Oncology.
Cancer is a leading cause of death in the United States.