science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Παρασκευή 22 Μαρτίου 2013

Science News SciGuru.com

Astronomers find the youngest known protostars yet
Implantable Telescope Lens to Treat Macular Degeneration
Wnt Signal Regulates the Geometry of Dividing Stem Cells
Study offers new way to discover HIV vaccine targets
Study Underlines Potential of New Technology to Diagnose Disease using Antigen Surrogate Technology
Study Reveals How Serotonin Receptors Can Shape Drug Effects from LSD to Migraine Medication

Astronomers find the youngest known protostars yet

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 06:30 AM PDT

A group of astronomers led by Amelia Stutz of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg have discovered the youngest known protostar yet: stellar embryos deeply embedded in unexpectedly dense dust cocoons. The discovery promises new insights into the earliest stages of star formation, and consequently into the way our home star, the Sun, came into being. The scientists used both the Herschel Space Telescope and the submillimetre telescope APEX for their observations.

Implantable Telescope Lens to Treat Macular Degeneration

Posted: 21 Mar 2013 03:03 PM PDT

Retired entrepreneur Willis "James" Hindman, 77, always enjoyed raising and watching thoroughbred race horses run on his farm in Westminster, Md. "There is nothing more beautiful than seeing a horse in motion and at full speed. It’s something very special to me," says Hindman.

But when severe age-related macular degeneration (AMD) destroyed Hindman's vision to the point where he couldn’t read, see faces of family and friends or watch his horses, he says he became depressed and a "captive of my limitations."

Wnt Signal Regulates the Geometry of Dividing Stem Cells

Posted: 21 Mar 2013 12:31 PM PDT

For organisms to develop and grow, asymmetry is essential. New research from Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists reveals how a localized source of a signaling molecule directs a dividing stem cell to produce two different cells—one identical to its parent, the other a more specialized cell type—and aligns those cells. In a developing tissue, such oriented divisions will position cells to migrate to the right place to ensure the right architecture.

Study offers new way to discover HIV vaccine targets

Posted: 21 Mar 2013 12:21 PM PDT

Decades of research and three large-scale clinical trials have so far failed to yield an effective HIV vaccine, in large part because the virus evolves so rapidly that it can evade any vaccine-induced immune response.

Study Underlines Potential of New Technology to Diagnose Disease using Antigen Surrogate Technology

Posted: 21 Mar 2013 09:41 AM PDT

Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in Jupiter, FL, have developed cutting-edge technology that can successfully screen human blood for disease markers. This tool may hold the key to better diagnosing and understanding today’s most pressing and puzzling health conditions, including autoimmune diseases.

Study Reveals How Serotonin Receptors Can Shape Drug Effects from LSD to Migraine Medication

Posted: 21 Mar 2013 09:33 AM PDT

A team including scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has determined and analyzed the high-resolution atomic structures of two kinds of human serotonin receptor. The new findings help explain why some drugs that interact with these receptors have had unexpectedly complex and sometimes harmful effects.