Archive for February 3rd, 2010

UF researchers: Ancient crocodile relative likely food source for

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A 60-million-year-old relative of crocodiles described this week by University of Florida researchers in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology was likely a food source for Titanoboa, the largest snake the world has …

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Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Researchers show applied electric field can significantly improve

RICHMOND, Va. (Feb. 2, 2010) — An international team of researchers has identified a new theoretical approach that may one day make the synthesis of hydrogen fuel storage materials less complicated and improve the thermodynamics and …

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Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Community hospitals offer a safe surgical option for some cancer

CHICAGO — Low-risk patients who require certain cancer surgeries can have the procedures performed with low operative mortality rates at community hospitals, according to a new study. The research showed that for 13 different kinds of …

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Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Scripps Research scientists find two compounds that lay the foundation for a …

A team of scientists at the Scripps Research Institute has identified two compounds that act on novel binding sites for an enzyme used by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. The discovery lays the foundation for the development of a new class of anti-HIV drugs to enhance existing therapies, treat drug-resistant strains of the disease, and slow the evolution of drug resistance in the virus.

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Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Mother’s exposure to bisphenol A may increase children’s chances of asthma

Mouse experiments by University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers have produced evidence that a mother’s exposure to bisphenol A may increase the odds that her children will develop asthma.

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Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Merging galaxies create a binary quasar

Astronomers have found the first clear evidence of a binary quasar within a pair of actively merging galaxies. Binary quasars, like other quasars, are thought to be the product of galaxy mergers. Until now, however, binary quasars have not been seen in galaxies unambiguously in the act of merging. But images from the Carnegie Institution’s Magellan telescope in Chile show two distinct galaxies with “tails” produced by their mutual gravitational attraction.

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Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

JDRF-funded research advances potential for regeneration as a possible cure f…

A hormone responsible for the body’s stress response is also linked to the growth of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, according to JDRF- funded researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California. The findings are the latest advances to underscore the potential for regeneration as a key component of a possible cure for type 1 diabetes.

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Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Penn biologists determine microRNA activity is suppressed in mouse ovum

Scientists studying RNA activity, the so-called dark matter of the biological world, may have found the first event in reprogramming a differentiated oocyte into pluripotent blastomeres of the embryo.

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Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Iowa State, Ames Lab chemists discover how antiviral drugs bind to and block …

A research team led by Mei Hong of Iowa State University and the Ames Laboratory has determined where an antiviral drug binds to and blocks a channel necessary for the flu virus to spread. The researchers also discovered that the drug spins in the channel, meaning there could be room for developing drugs that do a better job blocking the channel and stopping the flu. The findings are published in the Feb. 4 issue of the journal Nature.

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Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Pay it forward: Elevation leads to altruistic behavior

Seeing someone perform a virtuous deed (especially if they are helping another person), makes us feel good — a positive, uplifting emotion, known as “elevation.” New findings suggest that elevation may lead to helping behavior: participants who viewed an uplifting TV clip spent almost twice as long helping a research assistant than participants who saw a neutral TV clip or a comedy clip.

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Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010