science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Παρασκευή 2 Αυγούστου 2013

Science News SciGuru.com

Baby owls sleep like baby humans
Potential Nutritional Therapy for Childhood Neurodegenerative Disease
Researchers Develop Efficient Model for Generating Human Stem Cells

Posted: 02 Aug 2013 05:31 AM PDT

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and the University of Lausanne have discovered that the sleeping patterns of baby birds are similar to that of baby mammals. What is more, the sleep of baby birds appear to change in the same way as it does in humans. Studying barn owls in the wild, the researchers discovered that this change in sleep is strongly correlated with the expression of a gene involved in producing dark, melanic feather spots, a trait known to covary with behavioral and physiological traits in adult owls.

Potential Nutritional Therapy for Childhood Neurodegenerative Disease

Posted: 01 Aug 2013 07:35 PM PDT

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified the gene mutation responsible for a particularly severe form of pontocerebellar hypoplasia, a currently incurable neurodegenerative disease affecting children. Based on results in cultured cells, they are hopeful that a nutritional supplement may one day be able to prevent or reverse the condition.

Researchers Develop Efficient Model for Generating Human Stem Cells

Posted: 01 Aug 2013 02:22 PM PDT

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report a simple, easily reproducible RNA-based method of generating human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in the August 1 edition of Cell Stem Cell. Their approach has broad applicability for the successful production of iPSCs for use in human stem cell studies and eventual cell therapies.