Summaries | Headlines

Repressor Protein Blocks Neural Stem Cell Development (October 12, 2007) -- A protein known to repress gene transcription at the molecular level in a variety of processes also blocks embryonic neural stem cells from differentiating into neurons, according to a new ... > full story

In Biology, Polarization Is A Good Thing (October 11, 2007) -- Using a molecular cellular compass, individual cells in complex organisms know which way is up or down, in epithelial cells known as apical-basal polarity. Determining the orientation is essential ... > full story

Avian Flu -- 1918 and Today -- Protein Enhances Lethality Of Virus (October 11, 2007) -- The 1918 influenza virus pandemic was responsible for more than 40 million deaths across the globe. The incredible lethality of the 1918 flu strain is not well understood, despite having been under ... > full story

Gene Targeting Pioneers Win Nobel Prize For Discoveries In Embryonic Stem Cells And DNA Recombination (October 8, 2007) -- The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has awarded The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2007 jointly to Mario R. Capecchi, Martin J. Evans and Oliver Smithies for their discoveries of ... > full story

Ginger May Combat Deadly Infant Diarrhea In Developing World (October 4, 2007) -- The popular spice ginger shows promise as a treatment for bacteria-induced diarrhea, the leading cause of infant death in developing countries, according to a preliminary study in animals. If ... > full story

Red Wine Ingredient -- Resveratrol -- Fights Diabetes In Mice (October 4, 2007) -- Even relatively low doses of resveratrol -- a chemical found in the skins of red grapes and in red wine -- can improve the sensitivity of mice to the hormone insulin, according to a new report. As ... > full story

Of Mice And Men: New Male Contraceptives Successful In Rodents And Humans (October 3, 2007) -- Pills, sponges, IUDs, diaphragms -- women have many options for planning their fertility, none of them quite perfect. But what if men want to help out? They have only two options -- vasectomy, which ... > full story

Drink Your Milk: It May Prevent The Spread Of Breast Cancer To Bone (October 3, 2007) -- A strong skeleton is less likely to be penetrated by metastasizing cancer cells, so a fortified glass of milk might be the way to block cancer's spread, according to researchers. Using a mouse model ... > full story

New Approach To Improving Diarrhea In Infants With Probiotics (September 30, 2007) -- Each year more than half a million infants worldwide, primarily in developing countries, die from diarrhea caused by rotavirus. Even in industrialized countries management of the infection costs ... > full story

Mice Teeth Explain The Troubles With Human Wisdom Teeth (September 27, 2007) -- Mice teeth can explain human troubles with the wisdom teeth, according to scientists. For a long time scientists have suspected that genetic and developmental interactions may also influence ... > full story

Quick-burning Carbs May Cause Fatty Liver: Low-glycemic Diet Protected Mice (September 27, 2007) -- The obesity epidemic has spawned not just diabetes, but another serious public health problem: a surge in fatty liver disease, which can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure. Now, research suggests ... > full story

Stem Cells Show Promise For Treating Huntington's Disease (September 26, 2007) -- Paying close attention to how a canary learns a new song has helped scientists open a new avenue of research against Huntington's disease -- a fatal disorder for which there is currently no cure or ... > full story

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Mouse -- A mouse is a mammal that belongs to one of numerous species of small rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse. It is found in nearly all countries and, as the laboratory mouse, ... > full article

House mouse -- Mus musculus is the common house mouse. This mouse is believed to be the second most populous mammalian species on Earth, after Homo sapiens. House mice almost always live in close proximity of ... > full article

Omnivore -- An omnivore is an animal that eats both plants and meat. Omnivores lack the specialist behaviour of carnivores and herbivores, searching widely for food sources, and are thus better able to withstand ... > full article

Genetically modified organism -- A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using techniques in genetics generally known as recombinant DNA technology. Recombinant DNA technology is ... > full article

Ball python -- The Ball Python, also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa. Its name derives from its tendency to curl into a tight "ball" ... > full article

Chromosomal crossover -- Homologous recombination is the process by which two chromosomes, paired up during prophase 1 of meiosis, exchange some distal portion of their DNA. Crossover occurs when two chromosomes, normally ... > full article

Saliva -- Saliva is the watery and usually somewhat frothy substance produced in the mouths of some animals, including humans. Produced in salivary glands, saliva is 98% water, but it contains many important ... > full article

Calorie restricted diet -- Calorie restriction or Caloric restriction (CR) is the practice of limiting dietary energy intake in the hope that it will improve health and retard aging. In human subjects, CR has been shown to ... > full article

Brown Rat -- The Brown Rat or Norway Rat is one of the best-known and common rats, and also one of the largest. The Brown Rat is a true omnivore and will consume almost anything. Brown Rats can carry a number of ... > full article

Rodent -- Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously-growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing. Forty-percent of mammal ... > full article

Excitotoxicity and cell damage -- Excitotoxicity is the pathological process by which neurons are damaged and killed by the overactivations of receptors for the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, such as the NMDA receptor and ... > full article

Inbreeding -- Mammals, most other animals, and higher plants as well, have ways to minimize inbreeding. An inbred individual is likely to possess several physical and health defects, in addition to higher ... > full article

Lemming -- Lemmings are small rodents, usually found in or near the Arctic. Together with the voles and muskrats, they make up the subfamily Arvicolinae (also known as Microtinae), which forms part of the ... > full article

Adult stem cell --

Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells found throughout the body that divide to replenish dying cells and regenerate damaged tissues. Also known as somatic  stem cells, they can be found ... > full article

Seed predation -- Seed predation includes any process inflicted on a plant’s seeds by an animal that results in the inviability of the seed. Generally this refers to the consumption and digestion of the seed, but also ... > full article

Microchip implant (animal) -- A microchip is an identifying integrated circuit placed under the skin of a dog, cat, or other animal. The chips are about the size of a large grain of rice and are based on a passive RFID ... > full article

Zebrafish -- Danio rerio commonly known as the Zebrafish is a tropical fish belonging to the minnow family (Cyprinidae), commonly kept in aquaria and used for scientific research. Zebra Danios are of no economic ... > full article

Vitamin -- A vitamin is an organic molecule required by a living organism in minute amounts for proper health. In general, an organism must obtain vitamins or their metabolic precursors from outside the body, ... > full article

Mammary gland -- Mammary glands are the organs that, in the female mammal, produce milk for the sustenance of the young. These exocrine glands are enlarged and modified sweat glands and are the characteristic of ... > full article

Decomposition -- Decomposition is a phenomenon common in the sciences of biology and chemistry. In biology, decomposition refers to the reduction of the body of a formerly living organism into simpler forms of ... > full article