science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Τετάρτη 27 Μαρτίου 2013

Science News SciGuru.com

Lunar cycle determines hunting behaviour of nocturnal gulls
Study finds men benefit more than women from authority on the job
Many genes are completely new inventions and not just modified copies of old genes
Pathological thickening of the cardiac wall halted
Research Findings Contribute to Understanding Malformations of Heart
New engineering breakthrough may answer host of medical questions
Scientists Uncover New Compounds that Dynamically Alter Cell Signaling and Expand Options for Developing Breast Cancer Treatments

Lunar cycle determines hunting behaviour of nocturnal gulls

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 07:37 AM PDT

Zooplankton, small fish and squid spend hardly any time at the surface when there's a full moon. To protect themselves from their natural enemies, they hide deeper down in the water on bright nights, coming up to the surface under cover of darkness when there's a new moon instead.

Study finds men benefit more than women from authority on the job

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 07:30 AM PDT

Having more authority in the workplace comes with many rewards – including greater forms of job control and higher earnings – but University of Toronto research says those benefits are not evenly distributed for women and men.

Many genes are completely new inventions and not just modified copies of old genes

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 12:22 PM PDT

It is easier to copy something than to develop something new - a principle that was long believed to also apply to the evolution of genes. According to this, evolution copies existing genes and then adapts the copies to new tasks. However, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön have now revealed that new genes often form from scratch. Their analyses of genes from mice, humans and fish have shown that new genes are shorter than old ones and simpler in structure.

Pathological thickening of the cardiac wall halted

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 11:47 AM PDT

The heart responds to the increased stress caused by chronically raised blood pressure, for example, by thickening its wall muscle. In the late stage of this condition, a risk of heart failure arises. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research have now succeeded in identifying a key molecule in the molecular signalling cascade responsible for this growth. Based on this discovery, they managed to achieve a significant reduction in cardiac wall thickening in animal experiments. In addition, they managed to partly reduce existing thickening of the cardiac wall.

Research Findings Contribute to Understanding Malformations of Heart

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 10:48 AM PDT

Viewed from the outside, our body looks completely symmetrical. However, most internal organs – including the heart – are formed asymmetrically. The right side of the heart is responsible for pulmonary circulation; the left side supplies the rest of the body. This asymmetry allows the heart to do its job effectively. In a study on zebrafish embryos, the researchers of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch Dr. Justus Veerkamp and PD Dr. Salim Seyfried have now shown how the left and right sides of the heart develop differently.

New engineering breakthrough may answer host of medical questions

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 10:34 AM PDT

In an engineering breakthrough, a Washington University in St. Louis biomedical researcher has discovered a way to use light and color to measure oxygen in individual red blood cells in real time.

The technology, developed by Lihong Wang, PhD, the Gene K. Beare Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, could eventually be used to determine how oxygen is delivered to normal and diseased tissues or how various disease therapies impact oxygen delivery throughout the body.

The research is published March 25 in PNAS Online Early Edition.

Scientists Uncover New Compounds that Dynamically Alter Cell Signaling and Expand Options for Developing Breast Cancer Treatments

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 10:22 AM PDT

Using a broad spectrum of analytical tools, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have uncovered a class of novel compounds that can alter cell signaling activity, resulting in a variety of responses including a strong anti-inflammatory effect. These findings could lead to new strategies for treating diseases such as breast cancer.