For many organisms, including humans, the activity of certain biological processes and the expression of certain genes and proteins fluctuate predictably over a period of roughly 24 hours. These oscillations are maintained by an internal time-keeping mechanism called the circadian clock. ‘Body time’ refers to the setting of each individual’s circadian clock, which can varyContinueContinue reading “Easier estimation of an individual’s ‘body time’”
Category Archives: research news
A computational view of sea urchin development
As an embryo develops into an adult, each cell follows a genetic ‘script’ comprising an intricate network of interactions between regulatory genes. Extensive research has been done to identify these genes and their interactions in order to build a more detailed understanding of how development progresses. Sea urchin embryos are favored models for such research,ContinueContinue reading “A computational view of sea urchin development”
Ad lib feeding confounds toxicology studies
In many experimental protocols, rodents are given unlimited access to food. This allows the animals to overeat, resulting in substantial changes in their metabolism and physiology. Past studies have reported elevated levels of triglycerides and cholesterol; diet-induced obesity; kidney and heart dysfunction; and greater risks of pituitary, pancreatic, adrenal and thyroid tumors in association withContinueContinue reading “Ad lib feeding confounds toxicology studies”
Piglets offer a peek at early brain development
Stress during early life can affect human cognitive development, but characterizing these effects is challenging, in part because of a lack of appropriate research subjects. A suitable model would be one whose brain development is similar to that of humans and whose cognitive abilities can be evaluated objectively. Rodney Johnson and his colleagues at UniversityContinueContinue reading “Piglets offer a peek at early brain development”
Of mice and microgravity
In the longest animal space journey yet undertaken, three male C57BL/J10 mice flew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station and lived there for 91 days in a specially designed housing unit before returning to Earth on the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The Italian Space Agency funded and organized the project to gatherContinueContinue reading “Of mice and microgravity”
A new weapon against antibiotic-resistant bugs
Drug resistance is a growing public health concern, as new pathogens that are unaffected by current antibiotic treatments continue to emerge. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is one potentially lethal example. The resulting search for new types of antimicrobial peptides has led scientists back to nature, as many plants and animals produce peptides with intrinsic antibacterial, antiviralContinueContinue reading “A new weapon against antibiotic-resistant bugs”
Multi-Hit model for tumor development
Decades of cancer research have shown that development of most tumors requires a combination of several genetic mutations. A wide array of such combinations has been implicated in tumorigenesis, and determining which combinations are the most troublesome has been tedious. Now a new mouse model seems poised to facilitate more rapid testing of mutation combinationsContinueContinue reading “Multi-Hit model for tumor development”
Toward better management of Lyme disease
Results of a new study by researchers at Yale University School of Medicine (New Haven, CT) may point to the cause of persistent arthritis in people with Lyme disease. About 10% of Lyme sufferers will experience Lyme-related arthritis; in about 10% of these cases, the arthritis can last for months, despite antibiotic therapy. Its pathologyContinueContinue reading “Toward better management of Lyme disease”
The link between methylation and memory
Alterations in epigenetic regulation, processes that affect the availability of genes for transcription and hence their expression levels, are known to have a role in diseases such as cancer. Growing evidence suggests that epigenetic changes are also involved in aging. DNA methylation is one form of epigenetic regulation. Several studies have reported that methylation declinesContinueContinue reading “The link between methylation and memory”
New view on heart attack recurrence
After suffering one heart attack, almost 20% of people will experience a second within a year. The causes of this high recurrence rate are not well understood but could include worsening atherosclerosis (the accumulation of fatty material within arteries that frequently leads to heart attacks) or changes induced by the heart attack itself. Lab Anim.ContinueContinue reading “New view on heart attack recurrence”
Fluent in Science 