Diabetes- No More Needles
New methods for delivering insulin and
monitoring blood sugar may grant patients with diabetes their ultimate wish-
to be needle free. (6/22/99)
Building Bone Women
who do not want to take estrogen now have a variety of alternative treatments
to choose from for the prevention of osteoporosis associated with menopause.
(6/15/99)
Foodborne
Disease Researchers are becoming increasingly concerned about
crossover resistance associated with the food we eat and the water we drink
(6/3/99)
Dolly's
DNA Showing Its Age? When Dolly, the first mammal cloned from
an adult cell, was born, many researchers wondered what the effects of starting
life with 'old' cells might be. The scientists who cloned Dolly now report that
the famous sheep's DNA might be showing its age. (5/27/99)
Measuring
Mendacity Humans practicing mendacity, otherwise known as lying,
exhibit numerous physical and verbal cues that can be objectively measured.
(5/20/99)
Keeping
Allergy out of the Loop The discovery of a new immune mechanism
believed to be at the root of all allergies should lead to new strategies to
prevent the onset of the all too familiar sneezing, watery eyes, itchy skin
and other symptoms of allergic disease. (5/7/99)
Goats on the Clone Pharm
The successful cloning of transgenic
goats from somatic cells may soon clear the way for herds of cloned animals
producing valuable human proteins in their milk. (4/29/99)
Cellular Motor In Action
A new fluorescent microscopy technique
for the first time reveals the workings of cellular motors as they ferry their
cargo through living cells. (4/23/99)
Giant Bacteria Thiomargarita
namibiensis, a giant bacterium discovered off the coast of Namibia, has
a repertoire of survival techniques that would be the envy of any extremophile.
(4/16/99)
Jumping Jordan Genes
Put Jordan under pressure and then watch for the jump shot, say Washington University
researchers. In this case they are talking biology, not basketball. (4/9/99)
Cafe, Olé! Good
news java junkies- not only is coffee not very addictive, along with its caffeinated
cousins tea and cocoa, it appears to offer several potential health benefits.
(3/24/99)
Adenovirus a Heart Breaker
Adenovirus, one of the causes of the ubiquitous common cold, can also cause
severe heart muscle damage, say researchers. The finding offers new opportunities
for diagnosis and treatment of a disease that often afflicts young athletes
in their prime. (3/19/99)
Gene Therapy for Fatness?
The discovery of a new gene involved in appetite control and regulation of body
weight could open the way for new treatments for obesity, report two research
groups.(3/12/99)
Progress vs. Prostate Cancer
Progress in the war against prostate cancer, in the form of a newly discovered
genetic switch present in 90% of tumors, should lead to improved diagnostic
tests and treatment approaches with the potential to cure the disease. (3/4/99)
Bioterror Alarm Biological
weapons pose a growing threat around the world, a threat for which health and
civil defense authorities are ill-prepared, say leading experts in the field.
(2/25/99)
Taste Genes The first
identification of the genes underlying the molecular basis of taste has far-reaching
implication in many areas of research. (2/18/99)
Personal Antibody Profiling
A new technique based on unique individual antibody profiles offers an alternative
to current DNA fingerprinting methods. (2/11/99)
From the Horse's Mouth
A bit of scientific detective work with some 5 million year-old horse teeth
provides new information on the climate and ecology of prehistoric Florida while
calling into question current concepts of horse evolution. (2/4/99)
Joy of Soy The humble
soy bean contains potent anti-cancer and anti-pain capabilities. (1/25/99)
New Test Can Spot Mad Cow Disease in
Humans A new medical diagnostic test will for the first time
allow quick identification of a rare but devastating form of neurologic disease
transmitted from cattle to humans. (1/16/99)
Gene Therapy for Hemophilia
The apparent success of a hemophilia gene therapy experiment with dogs suggests
the chances are good for similar success in humans, report researchers. (1/6/99)
Top Ten for 1998 Guide
to the year in science. (12/21/98)
Genetic
Can of Worms Researchers expect big things from the little worm
C.elegans, now that the genome has been sequenced completely. (12/11/98)
HerpesVaccine
from Soy? The successful production of anti-herpes antibodies
in soy plants could represent a cheap and efficient method for creating vaccines,
report researchers at Johns Hopkins University. (12/5/98)
Ancient
DNA Revived Echoing the fictional science seen in Jurassic Park,
scientists have revived bacteria from the guts of bees preserved in 20 million
year old amber. (11/24/98)
Arthritis-
Good News New classes of immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory
drugs represent a new era is the treatment of arthritis, according to researchers
at the American College of Rheumatology's 62nd National Meeting. (11/12/98)
Flying
Senator John Glenn is not just going along for the ride on NASA
Shuttle Mission STS-95. The first American in orbit will be kept quite busy
working on a number of scientific projects studying everything from aerogels
and soy beans to the aging of muscle and bone.(10/27/98)
Superweeds?
Genetic engineering has already produced plants with heightened resistance to
herbicides and pesticides. But if these transgenic plants hybridize with local
weeds, could a new superweed be the result? (10/20/98)
NObel
Prize for Heart Research Three American researchers will receive
this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine for their work on nitric oxide
and the heart. (10/12/98)
X
Marks the Spot The discovery of the first major cancer gene on
the human X chromosome could be an important step in the battle against prostate
cancer(10/8/98)
Old
Worms, New Theories Trails left by worms under a shallow sea
covering what is now India suggest complex multi-celled organisms lived a half
a billion years earlier than previously believed. (9/30/98)
Archaea
in Space Studies of archaea enzymes conducted on the Space Shuttle
could help explain how these organisms survive at extreme temperatures and pressures
and could have far-ranging implications for everything from exobiology to biotechnology.
(9/17/98)
ATP
Mechanisms Revealed New X-ray crystallographic studies have revealed
the working of adenosine triphosphate synthase, the basis of energy transport
in all living organisms. (9/15/98)
Evolving
Concepts:Whoppers & Volcanos Theories of evolution continue
to evolve. One new theory suggests an alternative explanation of adaptation
of species over time, while another suggests that a major volcanic event may
have created an evolutionary bottleneck in human evolution
as little as 70,000 years ago. (9/9/98)
Martian
Biomass While the basic geological conditions on Mars could provide
the minimal requirements for life to exist, new geochemical models suggest the
biological potential of the red planet may be minimal. (8/25/98)
Hornbills
and the Rainforest As the hornbill goes, so goes the rainforest
ecosystem, suggests new research from a team of California biologists. (8/19/98)
Rock-Eating
Microbes The existence of rock-eating microbes one mile beneath
the ocean floor may enhance the search for life on other planets. (8/13/98)
Sinister
Dexterity How do developing cells know which way to turn as an
organism grows? Salk Institute researchers have discovered a gene that may explain
this fundamental mystery. (8/6/98)
Virtual
Frog The developers of a new 'virtual frog'
hope that their digital creature will help to enhance the instruction of
biological and physical sciences by making full use of emerging information
technologies. (7/10/98)
Mars
Rock Doubts New geologic analyses appear to pour cold water
on suggestions that strange crystals found on a Martian meteorite represent
bacterial fossils from the red planet.(7/10/98)
Tuning
the Immune System New biological tools for enhancing the
immune system's defense against stray HIV cells may complete the job of
eliminating the AIDS virus started by powerful antiretroviral combination
therapies (6/30/98)
New
HIV Testing Strategies Two new forms of HIV testing should
help identify infected individuals more easily and inexpensively, a key
in worldwide AIDS prevention efforts, reported researchers at the 12th
World AIDS Conference. (6/29/98)
Life
in the Deep Freeze The discovery of bacteria growing in
the one of the coldest places on Earth could help in the search for
life on other planets.(6/25/98)
New
HIV Vaccine Target A new three-dimensional map of a protein
called gp120 found on the surface of HIV cells could be an important guide
to the development of new AIDS vaccine candidates. (6/17/98)
Spinach:
Biotech Boom? Enzymes found in spinach leaves may
offer a cheap and easy way to neutralize dangerous explosives including
TNT. (6/10/98)
RNA
World News Simulating evolution in a test-tube, Yale
researchers have synthesized a DNA enzyme considered to be key to understanding
the origins of life on Earth some four billion years ago. (6/9/98)
Gene
Therapy for Deafness? A successful genetic repair job that
restored hearing to the offspring of congenitally deaf mice could offer
a new gene-therapy strategy for preventing deafness in humans. (5/29/98)
HER-2/neu
vs. Breast Cancer Favorable results with a new antibody
therapy against breast cancer, HER-2/neu (Herceptin), herald a new
era of treatment based on molecular targeting of tumor cells, report researchers
(5/18/98)
Antisense
Making Sense Antisense medical technology may be starting
to make sense, as a new drug using the technology shows promise in treatment
of a potentially blinding infection in HIV patients. (5/14/98)
Tumor
TNT Researchers believe some tumors not responsive
to conventional chemotherapy might improve after a blast of TNT. In this
case, they are not talking about explosive charges, rather, a new antibody
based approach called tumor necrosis therapy. (5/6/98)
Starving
Tumors Researchers have been working for decades to
develop treatments for cancer based on blocking tumor blood supply. Now
a series of animal and clinical studies suggest this work is starting to
pay off. (5/6/98)
New
Evolutionary Time Line New genetic detective work
putting mammals in the Cretaceous era may challenge long-held theories
of the fall of the dinosaurs and the rise of warm-blooded animals. (5/1/98)
Earth
Day for Sale? Has Earth Day, founded in the idealistic days
of the 1960's, sold its soul to the company store? (4/22/98)
Lawn
Order Eliminating the national "lawn fetish" in favor of
environmentally friendly native plant landscaping could create a quieter
world with cleaner air and water, say some researchers. (4/22/98)
Rhinovirus
on the Run? The determination of the three-dimensional structure
the receptor used by the rhinovirus could lead to the long-sought treatment
for the common cold. (4/13/98)
Evolving
Concepts A new guidebook from the National Academy of Sciences
(NAS) may help teachers introduce the concepts of evolution, particularly
if they are reluctant to teach the topic because of pressures from special-interest
groups. (4/10/98)
Bee
Nice The discovery of a "mean gene" in Africanized honey
bees could provide the basis for reducing the diaspora of these 'killer'
bees, now buzzing their way into California. (3/30/98)
Protein
Prelude A Texas researcher has tuned in to music to describe
the structure of proteins and genes. She hopes the new approach may ease
the task of teaching the complexities of cellular biology. (3/25/98)
Bird-Dino
Finds New prehistoric finds in Madagascar and the Mongolian
desert provide valuable new evidence for the dinosaur-bird link hypothesis.
(3/20/98)
Potato
Blight Returns A new variant of Phytopthora infestans,
the fungus that caused the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s, now poses
a major threat to US agriculture. (3/16/98)
Some
Like It Hot The palate-searing spices that make salsa sizzle
and Thai food tingle perform a valuable antimicrobial function in cultures
traditionally lacking refrigeration.(3/11/98)
Dengue
Approaches The combined climatologic cataclysms of global
warming and El Niño could bring more than warm winters and floods
to the Northern hemisphere, they also could be bringing dengue fever, warn
public health authorities. (3/11/98)
Europa
Update The latest pictures beamed from the Galileo spacecraft
provide further suggestions that there is ample slushy water on Jupiter's
moon Europa. Meanwhile, American and Russian astrobiologists are looking
closer to home,Antarctica, for hints on what life-forms might inhabit such
conditions. (3/5/98)
Super
Cell Sensors Two new sensor technologies allow hitherto
unimaginable access to the inside workings of the cell. One, called PEBBLEs,
represent the smallest biosensors ever developed. The other provides quick
detection of multiple compounds inside cells. (3/5/98)
New
Alzheimer's Gene The discovery of another susceptibility
gene, found in people lacking the APOE4 gene, adds another important piece
to the Alzheimer's disease puzzle. (3/1/98)
Speeding
up DNA Mapping A new gene-mapping technique promises
to speed the process of identifying the genetic basis of numerous diseases.
(3/1/98)
Biological
Agent Detector A new biosensor does its job with far
greater sensitivity and speed than anything currently in existence. The
sensor should prove useful in everything from detecting biological agents
such as anthrax, to pharmaceutical manufacturing and medical diagnostics.
(2/24/98)
Totally
Awesome Can't make it to the Southern Caribbean for
the total solar eclipse on February 26th? No problem! You can watch it
live on the Internet. (2/23/98)
Hunger
Hormones Hormones that stir hunger pangs have been
identified by researchers at the University of Texas. The discovery could
lead to a better understanding of appetite, obesity and diabetes, and possibly
to the development of new diet drugs. (2/20/98)
Pfiesteria
Hysteria When politicians clash with scientists, it is the
environment that suffers, says Dr. JoAnn Burkholder, a North Carolina State
University aquatic ecologist and recipient of the Scientific Freedom
and Responsibility Award at this year's meeting of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science. (2/17/98)
Manly
Worms The genes that determine maleness appear to be conserved
in everything from worms and flies to humans, report University of Minnesota
scientists. (2/12/98)
|