tagged w/ Molecular Biology
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“Chemists have created an artificial genetic code capable of evolving to produce new genes. The code consists of six bases, rather than the standard four, and could form the basis of randomly mutating synthetic life. Steven Benner, at the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, US, credited as the man who kick-started the field of 'synthetic biology', is behind the work. Benner created two new molecules which can be slotted into DNA alongside regular adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C) and guanine (G) bases. The new bases, dubbed 'P' and 'Z,' look similar to natural ones but have orthogonal hydrogen bonding patterns”
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2011/August/23081104.asp“Chemists have created an artificial genetic code capable of evolving to produce... more
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Manipulating Neurological Behaviour "Anonymously" With Directed Sound Beams....http://www.scribd.com/doc/39607669Manipulating Neurological Behaviour "Anonymously" With Directed Sound... more
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46 fMRI Monte Carlo Methods...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Carlo_method
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An international team of researchers charted the one billion year evolutionary course that a protein family followed, finding that today's novelty and complexity came about through many small changesAn international team of researchers charted the one billion year evolutionary course... more
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Researchers announce they found a fossil virus hiding in the most unexpected place: the chromosomes of several songbird species. This ancient virus resembles human hepatitis B virus. Finding this ancient virus will catalyse new lines of inquiry that may help scientists predict and prevent future human viral pandemics that originate in birds.Researchers announce they found a fossil virus hiding in the most unexpected place:... more
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By synchronizing our clocks, we can coordinate our activities with people around the world. Now, scientists have genetically engineered bacteria to synchronize their molecular timekeepers, creating the stunning fluorescent waves that you see in this video (this video talks about new research published today in NATURE).By synchronizing our clocks, we can coordinate our activities with people around the... more
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By deleting a single gene from a mouse’s genetic makeup, researchers have created a mighty mouse with a longer, healthier life. The change mimicked the effect of keeping the mice on a calorie-restricted diet. Severely restricting the diets of yeast, bacteria, mice and primates have granted these animals unnaturally long lives. For humans, however, maintaining a diet of near starvation would be difficult at best [Discovery News]. That’s why researchers are actively pursuing drugs that could produce the same anti-aging effect.
Study coauthor Dominic Withers says the effect was striking–but for reasons not yet understood, only the female mice benefited. The mice didn’t just live longer, they also had fewer age-related ailments. “These mice were resistant to type 2 diabetes … and they also appeared to have reduced incidence of the mouse-equivalent of osteoporosis — so they had stronger bones,” Withers said. Balance, strength and coordination all improved in the [female] mice, and they were more inquisitive, suggesting their brains were healthier [Reuters].
In the study, published in Science, the researchers bred mice that had one gene disabled, the gene that produces the protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1), which is involved in regulating the body’s metabolism. Female mice lacking S6K1 lived an average of 950 days, over 160 days (or 20 percent) longer than the control group. For humans, that would be like adding 16 additional years of life [Discovery News].
It’s still not clear how the genetic change, or calorie restriction for that matter, extend lifespans. But even though the underlying mechanism isn’t understood, researchers are clearly zeroing in on an effective biochemical pathway. In July, a separate group of researchers found that a drug used to suppress the immune system extended the lifespans of middle-aged mice dramatically; that drug targeted a number of proteins including S6K1.By deleting a single gene from a mouse’s genetic makeup, researchers have... more
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Research at National Jewish Hospital in Denver indicates that increases in pulmonary infections in the United States in recent decades from so-called "non-tuberculosis" mycobacteria species like M. avium may be linked to people taking more showers and fewer baths, said Pace. Water spurting from showerheads can distribute pathogen-filled droplets that suspend themselves in the air and can easily be inhaled into the deepest parts of the lungs, he said.
The researchers used high-tech instruments and lab methods to analyze roughly 50 showerheads from nine cities in seven states that included New York City, Chicago and Denver.
They concluded about 30% of the devices harbored significant levels of Mycobacterium avium, a pathogen linked to pulmonary disease that most often infects people with compromised immune systems but which can occasionally infect healthy people, said CU-Boulder Distinguished Professor Norman Pace, lead study author
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It's not surprising to find pathogens in municipal waters, said Pace. But the CU-Boulder researchers found that some M. avium and related pathogens were clumped together in slimy "biofilms" that clung to the inside of showerheads at more than 100 times the "background" levels of municipal water.
"If you are getting a face full of water when you first turn your shower on, that means you are probably getting a particularly high load of Mycobacterium avium, which may not be too healthy," he said.
Symptoms of pulmonary disease caused by M. avium can include tiredness, a persistent, dry cough, shortness of breath, weakness and "generally feeling bad," said Pace. Immune-compromised people like pregnant women, the elderly and those who are fighting off other diseases are more prone to experience such symptoms, said Pace, a professor in the molecular, cellular and developmental biology department.
The CU-Boulder researchers sampled showerheads in homes, apartment buildings and public places in New York, Illinois, Colorado, Tennessee and North Dakota.
Although scientists have tried cell culturing to test for showerhead pathogens, the technique is unable to detect 99.9 percent of bacteria species present in any given environment, said Pace. A molecular genetics technique developed by Pace in the 1990s allowed researchers to swab samples directly from the showerheads, isolate DNA, amplify it using the polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, and determine the sequences of genes present in order to pinpoint particular pathogen types.Research at National Jewish Hospital in Denver indicates that increases in pulmonary... more
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I still remember when I learned how DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) replication occurs, and it was like a lightning bolt from the sky: it changed my view of the world and a molecular biologist was born. This video uses the latest research and technology to create an animation of how DNA is replicated in a living cell.I still remember when I learned how DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) replication occurs,... more
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Drug-resistant bacteria kills, even in top hospitals. But now tough infections like staph and anthrax may be in for a surprise. In this video, Nobel-winning chemist Kary Mullis, who watched a friend die when powerful antibiotics failed, unveils a radical new cure that shows extraordinary promise.Drug-resistant bacteria kills, even in top hospitals. But now tough infections like... more
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