science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Παρασκευή 14 Μαρτίου 2014

Science News SciGuru.com

Scientists Discover Stum Gene Essential for Sensing Joint Position
Scientists Discover a Better Way to Make Unnatural Amino Acids
Hybrid footbridge achieves superior structural performance with use of lesser-known materials and methods
Commonly Used Pain Relievers Have Added Benefit of Fighting Bacterial Infection

Scientists Discover Stum Gene Essential for Sensing Joint Position

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 07:28 AM PDT

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have discovered an important mechanism underlying sensory feedback that guides balance and limb movements.

The finding, which the TSRI team uncovered in fruit flies, centers on a gene and a type of nerve cell required for detection of leg-joint angles. “These cells resemble human nerve cells that innervate joints,” said team leader Professor Boaz Cook, who is an assistant professor at TSRI, “and they encode joint-angle information in the same way.”

Scientists Discover a Better Way to Make Unnatural Amino Acids

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:55 AM PDT

Chemists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have devised a greatly improved technique for making amino acids not found in nature. These “unnatural” amino acids traditionally have been very difficult to synthesize, but are sought after by the pharmaceutical industry for their potential medical uses.

“This new technique offers a very quick way to prepare unnatural amino acids, many of which are drug candidates or building blocks for peptide drugs,” said Jin-Quan Yu, a professor in TSRI’s Department of Chemistry.

Hybrid footbridge achieves superior structural performance with use of lesser-known materials and methods

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 04:53 AM PDT

Footbridges, also commonly known as pedestrian bridges, used to link two areas are nowadays becoming beautiful works of engineering and architecture that add visual value to a landscape. While often wondrous to look at, these small structures can come at a high price if not constructed in a key location or if designed with typical materials.

Commonly Used Pain Relievers Have Added Benefit of Fighting Bacterial Infection

Posted: 13 Mar 2014 09:07 AM PDT

Some commonly used drugs that combat aches and pains, fever, and inflammation are also thought to have the ability to kill bacteria. New research appearing online on March 13 in the Cell Press journal Chemistry & Biology reveals that these drugs, better known as NSAIDs, act on bacteria in a way that is fundamentally different from current antibiotics. The discovery could open up new strategies for fighting drug-resistant infections and ”superbugs.”