Body | Page 1303 | Science Codex

A clear, molecular view of how human color vision evolved

Many genetic mutations in visual pigments, spread over millions of years, were required for humans to evolve from a primitive mammal with a dim, shadowy view of the world into a greater ape able to see all the colors in a rainbow.

Now, after more than two decades of painstaking research, scientists have finished a detailed and complete picture of the evolution of human color vision. PLOS Genetics is publishing the final pieces of this picture: The process for how humans switched from ultraviolet (UV) vision to violet vision, or the ability to see blue light.

Ibuprofen could be an anti-aging medicine

Ibuprofen, a common over-the-counter drug used to relieve pain and fever, could hold the keys to a longer healthier life, according to a study by researchers at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. Publishing in PLoS Genetics on December 18th, scientists showed that regular doses of ibuprofen extended the lifespan of yeast, worms and fruit flies.

Animals that want to survive use time management skills

Many animals may have a previously under-appreciated ability to make up for lost time with more effort, according to new research publishing this week in PLOS Computational Biology.

This capability could help scientists better understand how animals make efficient decisions in changing environments -- and ultimately help ensure the survival of a species.

antibodies from llamas might help in the fight against HIV/AIDS

Most vaccines work by inducing an immune response characterized by neutralizing antibodies against the respective pathogen. An effective HIV vaccine has remained elusive so far, but researchers have continued to make progress, often employing innovative methods. A study published on December 18th in PLOS Pathogens reports that a combination of antibodies from llamas can neutralize (destroy) a wide range of circulating HIV viruses.

Ibuprofen leads to extended lifespan, study shows

COLLEGE STATION -- Regular doses of ibuprofen extended the lifespan of multiple species, according to research published in Public Library of Science-Genetics.

"We first used baker's yeast, which is an established aging model, and noticed that the yeast treated with ibuprofen lived longer," said Dr. Michael Polymenis, an AgriLife Research biochemist in College Station. "Then we tried the same process with worms and flies and saw the same extended lifespan. Plus, these organisms not only lived longer, but also appeared healthy."

'Hairclip' protein mechanism explained

Research led by the Teichmann group on the Wellcome Genome Campus has identified a fundamental mechanism for controlling protein function. Published in the journal Science, the discovery has wide-ranging implications for biotechnology and medicine.The shape of a protein determines its function, for example whether it is able to interact with another protein or with a drug. But a protein's shape is not constant - it may change in response to different conditions, or simply as a matter of course.

Machine learning reveals unexpected genetic roots of cancers, autism and other disorders

In the decade since the genome was sequenced in 2003, scientists and doctors have struggled to answer an all-consuming question: Which DNA mutations cause disease?

A new computational technique developed at the University of Toronto may now be able to tell us.

RNA measurements may yield less insight about gene expression than assumed

The majority of RNA expression differences between individuals have no connection to the abundance of a corresponding protein, report scientists from the University of Chicago and Stanford University in Science on Dec. 18. The findings point to a yet-unidentified cellular mechanism that regulates gene expression and suggest studies that rely only on RNA measurements to characterize gene function require further analysis.

Creation of 'Rocker' protein opens way for new smart molecules in medicine, other fields

HANOVER, N.H. - Human cells are protected by a largely impenetrable molecular membrane, but researchers have built the first artificial transporter protein that carries individual atoms across membranes, opening the possibility of engineering a new class of smart molecules with applications in fields as wide ranging as nanotechnology and medicine.

Fast-changing genes help malaria to hide in the human body

A study of the way malaria parasites behave when they live in human red blood cells has revealed that they can rapidly change the proteins on the surface of their host cells during the course of a single infection in order to hide from the immune system.

The findings, which overturn previous thinking about the Plasmodium falciparum parasite's lifecycle, could explain why so many attempts to create an effective vaccine have failed and how the parasites are able to survive in the human body for such long periods of time.

'Deep learning' finds autism, cancer mutations in unexplored regions of the genome

Scientists and engineers have built a computer model that has uncovered disease-causing mutations in large regions of the genome that previously could not be explored. Their method seeks out mutations that cause changes in 'gene splicing,' and has revealed unexpected genetic determinants of autism, colon cancer and spinal muscular atrophy.

The fine-tuning of human color perception

The evolution of trichromatic color vision in humans occurred by first switching from the ability to detect UV light to blue light (between 80-30 MYA) and then by adding green-sensitivity (between 45-30 MYA) to the preexisting red-sensitivity in the vertebrate ancestor. The detailed molecular and functional changes of the human color vision have been revealed by Shozo Yokoyama et al. Emory University and is published in the journal PLOS Genetics.

RI hospital find bacterial infections differ based on geography, healthcare spending

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Where you live affects the type of bacteria that cause bloodstream infections, according to researchers at Rhode Island Hospital and an international team of investigators. The closer you live to the equator, the greater the likelihood of a bloodstream infection caused by a group of bacteria called Gram-negative bacteria, which thrive in warm and moist environments, compared to another group of bacteria referred to as Gram-positive bacteria.

Scientists identify new and beneficial function of endogenous retroviruses in immune response

DALLAS - Dec. 18, 2014 - Retroviruses are best known for causing contagious scourges such as AIDS, or more sporadically, cancer.

But researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, found that endogenous retroviruses (ERV) also play a critical role in the body's immune defense against common bacterial and viral pathogens.

Cell-associated HIV mucosal transmission: The neglected pathway

(Boston)--Dr. Deborah Anderson from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and her colleagues are challenging dogma about the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Most research has focused on infection by free viral particles, while this group proposes that HIV is also transmitted by infected cells. While inside cells, HIV is protected from antibodies and other antiviral factors, and cell-to-cell virus transmission occurs very efficiently through intercellular synapses.