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Researchers Offer New Ecological Model for Deep-Water Oil Spills
New Genetic Mechanism of Immune Deficiency Discovered
Quantum bits can now be transmitted between two atoms in a controlled way and reversibly stored in the atoms
Scientists uncover how spindle assembly checkpoint proteins bind chromosomes
Global Estimate for Undiscovered, Technically Recoverable Conventional Oil and Gas Resources: US Geological Survey
Early Treatment Improves Outcomes in Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis
Researchers Studying Chromosomal Abnormalities Uncover New Genes Contributing to Autism and Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Key aging genes identified as potential targets for anti-ageing therapies
Identified a common surface antigen PfEMP1 in malarial parasite strains

Researchers Offer New Ecological Model for Deep-Water Oil Spills

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 12:28 PM PDT

On the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform blowout, a national panel of researchers is providing new insight into what happened in the disaster, as well as a guide for how to deal with such events in the future, and why existing tools were inadequate to predict what lay before them.

New Genetic Mechanism of Immune Deficiency Discovered

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 12:22 PM PDT

Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered a novel genetic mechanism of immune deficiency. Magdalena M. Gorska, MD, PhD, and Rafeul Alam, MD, PhD, identified a mutation in Unc119 that causes immunodeficiency known as idiopathic CD4 lymphopenia. Unc119 is a signaling protein that activates and induces T cell proliferation. The mutation impairs Unc119 ability to activate T cells. Dr. Gorska, will present her findings April 20 at Translational Science 2012, an NIH-funded conference in Washington D.C.

Quantum bits can now be transmitted between two atoms in a controlled way and reversibly stored in the atoms

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 09:10 AM PDT

The door to a completely new way of transmitting information is now open. Physicists at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching have created an elementary quantum network by transmitting quantum information between two atoms trapped in optical resonators. Quantum information has fundamentally different characteristics to the conventional information with which today’s computers operate and which is transmitted via telephone lines or fibre-optic cables.

Scientists uncover how spindle assembly checkpoint proteins bind chromosomes

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 08:49 AM PDT

The development of more effective cancer drugs could be a step nearer thanks to the discovery, by scientists at Warwick Medical School, of how an inbuilt ‘security check’ operates to guarantee cells divide with the correct number of chromosomes.

Most cells in our bodies contain 23 pairs of chromosomes that encode our individual genetic identities. The process of chromosome segregation is monitored by a system called the spindle checkpoint that ensures daughter cells receive the correct number of chromosomes.

Global Estimate for Undiscovered, Technically Recoverable Conventional Oil and Gas Resources: US Geological Survey

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 08:28 AM PDT

Excluding the United States, the world holds an estimated 565 billion barrels (bbo) of undiscovered, technically recoverable conventional oil; 5,606 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of undiscovered, technically recoverable conventional natural gas; and 167 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable natural gas liquids (NGL), according to a new assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) release.

Early Treatment Improves Outcomes in Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 08:14 AM PDT

A mysterious, difficult-to-diagnose, and potentially deadly disease that was only recently discovered can be controlled most effectively if treatment is started within the first month that symptoms occur, according to a new report by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Researchers Studying Chromosomal Abnormalities Uncover New Genes Contributing to Autism and Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 08:08 AM PDT

When chromosomes replicate, sometimes there is an exchange of genetic material within a chromosome or between two or more chromosomes without a significant loss of genetic material. This exchange, known as a balanced chromosomal abnormality (BCA), can cause rearrangements in the genetic code.

Key aging genes identified as potential targets for anti-ageing therapies

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 07:42 AM PDT

Researchers at King’s College London, in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, have identified a group of ‘ageing’ genes that are switched on and off by natural mechanisms called epigenetic factors, influencing the rate of healthy ageing and potential longevity.

Identified a common surface antigen PfEMP1 in malarial parasite strains

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 07:28 AM PDT

In malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum, the PfEMP1 family of variant surface antigens encoded by var genes are adhesion molecules that play a pivotal role in malaria pathogenesis and clinical disease. These data show that parasites with a virulence-associated adhesion phenotype share infected erythrocytes surface epitopes that can be targeted by strain-transcending antibodies to PfEMP1. The existence of shared surface epitopes amongst functionally similar disease-associated P.