DURHAM, N.C. -- Researchers have demonstrated the exceptional specificity of a new way to switch sequences of the human genome on or off without editing the underlying genetic code.
Originally discovered as an antiviral system in bacteria, CRISPR/Cas9 is one of the hottest topics in genetic research today. By engineering a version of that system, researchers can both edit DNA sequences and control which genes are used.
Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey and key academic partners including the University of Colorado Boulder have quantified how rapidly ancient permafrost decomposes upon thawing and how much carbon dioxide is produced in the process.
SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 26, 2015 - University of Utah scientists deciphered maternal genetic material from two babies buried together at an Alaskan campsite 11,500 years ago. They found the infants had different mothers and were the northernmost known kin to two lineages of Native Americans found farther south throughout North and South America.
A new study reveals that in the past large land animals, whales, seabirds and fish played a vital role in recycling nutrients from the ocean depths, spreading them far and wide across the globe and taking them deep inland. However, the paper says massive declines in their populations coupled with the extinction of most of Earth's large mammals have disrupted this efficient system of recycling important nutrients, particularly phosphorous.
Scientists call them toxins.
But these bacterial proteins don't poison us, at least not directly.
Instead, they restrain the growth of the bacteria that make them, establishing a dormant "persister cell" state that is tolerant to antibiotics.
Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have obtained precise pictures showing how a toxin protein, called HigB, recognizes and rips up RNA as part of its growth-inhibition function. Their findings could lead to a better understanding of the formation of persister cells and how they maintain themselves.
In a novel use of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, which can be deployed to switch genes off, researchers from Germany, the UK and Spain have developed a multiplexed screening approach to study and model cancer development in mice. The scientists mutated genes in the adult mouse liver uncovering their cancer-causing roles and determining which combinations of genes cooperate to cause liver cancer.
Scientists at Columbia University, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and Harvard University have presented an alternative method to address the challenge of using significant variables to make useful predictions in areas such as complex disease.
Loud noise, trauma, infections, plain old aging--many things can destroy hair cells, the delicate sensors of balance and sound within the inner ear. And once these sensors are gone, that's it; the delicate hair cells don't grow back in humans, leading to hearing loss and problems with balance.
PULLMAN, Wash. - Washington State University researchers have developed a unique, tiny protein cage to deliver nasty chemotherapy chemicals directly to cancer cells. Direct delivery could improve treatment and lessen what can be horrendous side effects from toxic drugs.
Four tiny segments of RNA appear to play critical roles in controlling cholesterol and triglyceride metabolism. In their report receiving advance online publication in Nature Medicine, a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)-based research team describes finding how these microRNAs could reduce the expression of proteins playing key roles in the generation of beneficial HDL cholesterol, the disposal of artery-clogging LDL cholesterol, control of triglyceride levels and other risk factors of cardiovascular disease.
While there is no doubt that climate change is affecting many organisms, some species might be more sensitive than others. Reptiles, whose body temperature depends directly on environmental temperature, may be particularly vulnerable. Scientists have now shown experimentally that lizards cope very poorly with the climate predicted for the year 2100.
Maintaining a normal body mass index (BMI) is important for good cardiovascular health and blood sugar control, but maintaining it after pregnancy can also be key to preventing pelvic organ prolapse, according to a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers.
The findings are published in the journal Reproductive Sciences.
Time, money, and tens of thousands of animals could be saved if researchers replace animal-derived antibodies with modern technologies, according to a review by the PETA International Science Consortium Ltd. published today in Biotechnology Advances, a peer-reviewed journal covering developments and trends in biotechnology principles and applications.
Tempe, Ariz., (October 26, 2015) - Anyone who knows the history of the jury trial or has seen "12 Angry Men" is aware that U.S. juries were originally exclusively white and male. There have been many efforts toward making juries more diverse and representative of the population. Now that we have more women and racial minorities represented on juries the question becomes: Do they have the same opportunity to exert influence over jury decisions as do white men.
In a word, no.