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Mice with big brains provide insight into brain regeneration and developmental disorders
Getting in Tune: Researchers Solve Tuning Problem For Wireless Power Transfer Systems
Scientists Make Breakthrough in Bile Duct Cancer with Discovery of New Gene Mutations
Genetic test identifies eye cancer tumors likely to spread
Microbe That Can Handle Ionic Liquids
NIST Contributes to Discovery of Novel Quantum Spin-Liquid
Scientists Generate Electricity From Viruses
Sundown Syndrome-like Symptoms in Fruit Flies May be Due to High Dopamine Levels
Researchers look to relatives for clues in quest to develop sources of bioenergy
Study Finds Ovulating Women Perceive Sexy Cads as Good Dads
"Dip Chip" Technology Tests Toxicity On-the-Go
Iowa State, Salk researchers make plant protein discovery that could boost bioeconomy
Study sheds new light on importance of human breast milk ingredient

Mice with big brains provide insight into brain regeneration and developmental disorders

Posted: 15 May 2012 06:56 AM PDT

Scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) have discovered that mice that lack a gene called Snf2l have brains that are 35 per cent larger than normal. The research, led by Dr. David Picketts and published in the prestigious journal Developmental Cell, could lead to new approaches to stimulate brain regeneration and may provide important insight into developmental disorders such as autism and Rett syndrome.

Getting in Tune: Researchers Solve Tuning Problem For Wireless Power Transfer Systems

Posted: 15 May 2012 06:50 AM PDT

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new way to fine-tune wireless power transfer (WPT) receivers, making the systems more efficient and functional. WPT systems hold promise for charging electric vehicles, electronic devices and other technologies.

Researchers have shown that it is possible to transmit power wirelessly by using magnetic resonance. Even minor changes in how the transmitter or receiver is tuned, however, can result in faulty power transmission.

Scientists Make Breakthrough in Bile Duct Cancer with Discovery of New Gene Mutations

Posted: 14 May 2012 04:55 PM PDT

A team of international scientists has made a significant breakthrough in understanding the cause of bile duct cancer, a deadly type of liver cancer. By identifying several new genes frequently mutated in bile duct cancers, researchers are paving the way for better understanding of how bile duct cancers develop. Their discovery is published online in Nature Genetics.

Genetic test identifies eye cancer tumors likely to spread

Posted: 14 May 2012 04:51 PM PDT

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a genetic test that can accurately predict whether the most common form of eye cancer will spread to other parts of the body, particularly the liver.

In 459 patients with ocular melanoma at 12 centers in the United States and Canada, the researchers found the test could successfully classify tumors more than 97 percent of the time.

The study will appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Ophthalmology, but is now online.

Microbe That Can Handle Ionic Liquids

Posted: 14 May 2012 04:45 PM PDT

In the search for technology by which economically competitive biofuels can be produced from cellulosic biomass, the combination of sugar-fermenting microbes and ionic liquid solvents looks to be a winner save for one major problem: the ionic liquids used to make cellulosic biomass more digestible for microbes can also be toxic to them. A solution to this conundrum, however, may be in the offing.

NIST Contributes to Discovery of Novel Quantum Spin-Liquid

Posted: 14 May 2012 01:50 PM PDT

An international team of researchers including scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has found what may be the first known example of a "spin-orbital liquid," a substance in a never-before-seen quantum mechanical state.

Scientists Generate Electricity From Viruses

Posted: 14 May 2012 12:10 PM PDT

Imagine charging your phone as you walk, thanks to a paper-thin generator embedded in the sole of your shoe. This futuristic scenario is now a little closer to reality. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a way to generate power using harmless viruses that convert mechanical energy into electricity.

Sundown Syndrome-like Symptoms in Fruit Flies May be Due to High Dopamine Levels

Posted: 14 May 2012 11:47 AM PDT

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania researchers have discovered a mechanism involving the neurotransmitter dopamine that switches fruit fly behavior from being active during the day (diurnal) to nocturnal. This change parallels a human disorder in which increased agitation occurs in the evening hours near sunset and may also be due to higher than normal dopamine levels in the brain. Sundown syndrome occurs in older people with dementia or cognitive impairment.

Researchers look to relatives for clues in quest to develop sources of bioenergy

Posted: 14 May 2012 10:58 AM PDT

Arranging DNA fragments into a genome sequence that scientists can interpret is a challenge often compared to assembling a puzzle except you don’t have the box and have no idea what the picture is supposed to be. Sometimes clues from other publicly-available DNA sequences of related organisms can be used to guide the assembly process, but its usefulness depends on how closely related any two sequences are to one another. For example, a reference genome might be so distantly related from the one being assembled, it would be akin to comparing a Model-T to a contemporary hybrid car.

Study Finds Ovulating Women Perceive Sexy Cads as Good Dads

Posted: 14 May 2012 10:53 AM PDT

Nice guys do finish last at least when it comes to procreation according to a study from The University of Texas at San Antonio that answers the question of why women choose bad boys.

Research from Kristina Durante, assistant professor of marketing at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) College of Business, finds that hormones associated with ovulation influence women's perceptions of men as potential fathers.

"Dip Chip" Technology Tests Toxicity On-the-Go

Posted: 14 May 2012 09:47 AM PDT

From man-made toxic chemicals such as industrial by-products to poisons that occur naturally, a water or food supply can be easily contaminated. And for every level of toxic material ingested, there is some level of bodily response, ranging from minor illness to painful certain death.

Iowa State, Salk researchers make plant protein discovery that could boost bioeconomy

Posted: 14 May 2012 07:59 AM PDT

Research groups from Iowa State University and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have uncovered the function of three plant proteins, a discovery that could help plant scientists boost seed oil production in crops, thereby benefitting the production of food, biorenewable chemicals and biofuels.

Study sheds new light on importance of human breast milk ingredient

Posted: 14 May 2012 07:46 AM PDT

A new University of Illinois study shows that human milk oligosaccharides, or HMO, produce short-chain fatty acids that feed a beneficial microbial population in the infant gut. Not only that, the bacterial composition adjusts as the baby grows older and its needs change.

Even though HMO are a major component of human milk, present in higher concentration than protein, many of their actions in the infant are not well understood. Furthermore, they're virtually absent from infant formula. The scientists wanted to find out what formula-fed babies were missing.