Researchers in Australia recently reported a polymorphism in ACTN3, encoding α-actinin-3, associated with sprint versus endurance performance among elite athletes. The report raises the idea that genetic differences, such as that in ACTN3, could be useful predictors of athletic performance at the elite level, although such potential has not been established. Nat. Genet. 35, 123ContinueContinue reading “In the running with ACTN3”
Category Archives: research news
Live long and prosper
Besides the long hours, low pay and chance to wear shorts to work in December, what are the perks of being a scientist? A study in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine reports that students who focused on science, medicine or engineering as undergraduates have a lower risk of ‘all-cause mortality’ than thoseContinueContinue reading “Live long and prosper”
Can a virus outsmart glioma?
Glioma is a lethal brain cancer that can resist radiation and chemotherapy. Adenovirus-based treatment has been difficult, but a new viral system has now shown unprecedented success. Juan Fueyo and colleagues genetically manipulated an adenovirus to effectively destroy a tumor from the inside out. Nat. Genet. 34, 133 (2003). view full text (login required)
Wrinkle-free
Would you rather be wrinkly or bald? Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis recently described the positional cloning of a spontaneous mutation in wrinkle-free mice (wrfr), grafted skin from which is defective in hair growth. The homozygous mutant mice have extremely thick and tight skin with no wrinkles, but don’t throw out that wrinkleContinueContinue reading “Wrinkle-free”
Shattering superstitions
We’re not saying you should start breaking mirrors or walking under ladders, but you may be able to stop fleeing black cats. Rather than being unlucky, these felines may actually be more resistant to certain diseases. Nat. Genet. 33, 443 (2003). view full text
Heads, you win
Science can be cutthroat, but a rather gruesome technique for studying the effects of blood deprivation, or ischemia, on the brain ups the ante. Researchers at Jichi Medical School in Japan decapitated infant rats and then, after a period of ischemia, grafted their heads to the thighs of adult rats. Nat. Genet. 33, 13 (2003).ContinueContinue reading “Heads, you win”
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