Body

Bee virus spread manmade and emanates from Europe

The spread of a disease that is decimating global bee populations is manmade, and driven by European honeybee populations, new research has concluded.

A study led by the University of Exeter and UC Berkeley and published in the journal Science found that the European honeybee Apis mellifera is overwhelmingly the source of cases of the Deformed Wing Virus infecting hives worldwide. The finding suggests that the pandemic is manmade rather than naturally occurring, with human trade and transportation of bees for crop pollination driving the spread.

MyoKardia Science article demonstrates MYK-461 prevents and reverses disease in HCM mice

MyoKardia, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering a precision medicine approach for the treatment of heritable cardiovascular diseases, today announced the publication of an article in the leading medical journal Science. The article demonstrates the ability of MYK-461, the company's lead drug candidate, to prevent and reverse development of disease in multiple genetic mouse models of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).

Individuals' medical histories predicted by their noncoding genomes, Stanford study finds

Identifying mutations in the control switches of genes can be a surprisingly accurate way to predict a person's medical history, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found.

Removing race from human genetic research

A group of scientists are urging their colleagues to take a step forward and stop using racial categories when researching and studying human genetics.

"It is time for biologists to find a better way," concludes the opening passage of a recently published paper in Science, written by Drexel School of Public Health's Michael Yudell, the University of Pennsylvania's Dorothy Roberts and Sarah Tishkoff, and the American Museum of Natural History's Robert DeSalle.

John Innes Centre scientists disable infectious bacteria by removing key protein

Scientists at the John Innes Centre and the University of East Anglia have made an exciting discovery that could provide a new way to prevent bacterial infections in both humans and plants without triggering multi-drug resistance in bacteria.

When bacteria infect either a plant or a human they first have to move across the surface to a likely site of infection. Without this migration, the bacteria find it difficult to get inside the host and are far less able to cause infection.

Scientists guide gold nanoparticles to form 'diamond' superlattices

UPTON, NY-Using bundled strands of DNA to build Tinkertoy-like tetrahedral cages, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have devised a way to trap and arrange nanoparticles in a way that mimics the crystalline structure of diamond.

Bone loss associated with leukemia therapy occurs sooner than previously thought

Investigators at Children's Hospital Los Angeles have found that significant bone loss - a side effect of chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) - occurs during the first month of treatment, far earlier than previously assumed. Results of the study will be available online February 4, in advance of publication in the journal Bone.

Gambling is associated with 'risk-taking behavior' in young teens, study finds

February 4, 2016 - Gambling among young teens may be associated with increased use of alcohol, cigarettes, or marijuana according to a study that surveyed sixth- to eighth-graders in Italian schools. The research is reported in the February issue of the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, the official journal of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

Simple test allows for rapid diagnosis of preeclampsia

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Researchers have found that a simple test can rapidly detect one of the world's most deadly pregnancy-related conditions, which could have a major impact on global health.

Preeclampsia, which affects 5 to 8 percent of pregnancies worldwide, is characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine. The disorder is the number one reason physicians decide to deliver children prematurely and is responsible for approximately 18 percent of maternal deaths in the U.S.

Dogs accelerate the advance of new cancer treatments for both pets and people

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Feb. 4, 2016 -- A Science Translational Medicine review suggests integrating dogs with naturally occurring cancers into studies of new drug therapeutics could result in better treatments for our four-legged friends while helping inform therapeutic development for human cancers.

One step closer to commercial edamame production in the US

URBANA, Ill. - Edamame, touted as a healthy snack for its high protein content, is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. The soybean seeds are consumed at an immature stage, giving a sweet and slightly nutty flavor. Yet, despite the fact that grain soybean is grown on approximately 74 million acres in the U.S., the majority of edamame consumed here is imported from Asia. Part of the problem is that production practices, including weed control options, have not been well researched.

Scientists take key step toward custom-made nanoscale chemical factories

Scientists have for the first time reengineered a building block of a geometric nanocompartment that occurs naturally in bacteria. They introduced a metal binding site to its shell that will allow electrons to be transferred to and from the compartment. This provides an entirely new functionality, greatly expanding the potential of nanocompartments to serve as custom-made chemical factories.

Scientists hope to tailor this new use to produce high-value chemical products, such as medicines, on demand.

Clemson scientist's research on tropical forests featured in the journal Nature

CLEMSON - Clemson scientist Saara DeWalt is part of a collaborative study of second-growth tropical forests in Central and South America that will be published Feb. 11 in the journal Nature. DeWalt and dozens of other scientists contributed to the paper titled "Biomass Resilience of Neotropical Secondary Forests."

Bears' seasonal hibernation linked to changes in gut microbes

Each year, as bears prepare to hibernate, they gorge themselves on food to pack on fat. And yet, despite the rapid weight gain, the animals somehow avoid the health consequences so often associated with obesity in humans. Now, researchers reporting in Cell Reports on February 4 show that the bears' shifting metabolic status is associated with significant changes in their gut microbes.

Ancient wildebeest-like animal shared 'bizarre' feature with dinosaur

By poring over the fossilized skulls of ancient wildebeest-like animals (Rusingoryx atopocranion) unearthed on Kenya's Rusinga Island, researchers have discovered that the little-known hoofed mammals had a very unusual, trumpet-like nasal passage similar only to the nasal crests of lambeosaurine hadrosaur dinosaurs. The findings reported in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on February 4 offer "a spectacular example" of convergent evolution between two very distantly related taxa and across tens of millions of years, the researchers say.