Robots Manipulating Animal Behaviour May 7, 2006
A pet dog sits on command, but nobody expects an insect to follow human instructions. So it may come as a surprise to learn that researchers recently succeeded in controlling cockroaches with tiny mobile robots. The results hint at a future where we can interact and communicate with many different kinds of animal.
Childhood Arthritis Raises Risk Of Broken Bones
Childhood arthritis increases the risk of fractures, particularly during adolescence, according to a large study of British patient records. The researchers say that more targeted treatments promoting bone health would benefit patients with childhood-onset arthritis throughout their lifespan. In addition to raising the risk of fracture during childhood, the researchers also found that childhood-onset arthritis potentially heightens fracture risk after age 45.
Astronomers Find Molecular Hydrogen At Edge Of Universe
Using ESO’s VLT, a team of astronomers detected the presence of molecular hydrogen in the farthest system ever, an otherwise invisible galaxy that we observe when the Universe was less than 1.5 billion years old. A similar set of observations for two other quasars allows scientists to infer that the ratio of the proton to electron masses may have changed with time. If confirmed, this would have important consequences on our understanding of physics.
Interfering RNA Silences Genes In ‘Slippery’ Immune Cells
A technical advance in laboratory techniques may provide biology researchers broader access to RNA interference, a process of blocking the activity of targeted genes. A research team from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has combined laboratory technologies in using RNA interference to manipulate human T cells — immune cells that have important roles in autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases and some cancers.
Scientists Develop Computer Program For Identifying Disease Genes
Researchers from ESAT-SCD (Engineering Sciences) and the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) connected to the Catholic University of Leuven have developed ENDEAVOUR: a computer program that compiles and processes data from a variety of databases and identifies the genes that play a key role in the origin of a disorder.
Learning The Lessons Of The World’s Oldest Ecological Experiment
Ecologists are getting ready to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the world’s oldest ecological experiment. The Park Grass Experiment was set up at Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire in 1856 — three years before Darwin published Origin of Species — to answer crucial agricultural questions of the day but has since proved an invaluable resource for studying natural selection and biodiversity. A major review of Park Grass is published today in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Ecology.
Researchers Chirping Over Discovery Of New Cricket Genus
A Northern Arizona University doctoral candidate and a National Park Service researcher have discovered a new genus of cave cricket. The still-unnamed genus of cave cricket has been confirmed by a San Diego State University entomologist.
Mutation In Deafness Gene Can Help Heal Wounds And Prevent Infection
A mutation in a gene commonly associated with deafness can play an important part in improving wound healing, a scientist told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, today (Monday 8 May 2006). Dr. Stella Man, from the Institute of Cell and Molecular Sciences, Queen Mary’s University, London, UK, said that the discovery may have implications for the treatment of a wide range of wounds, including post-surgery.
Titan’s Seas Are Sand, Cassini’s Images of Saturn’s Moon Show
Until a couple of years ago, scientists thought the dark equatorial regions of Titan might be liquid oceans. New radar evidence shows they are seas — but seas of sand dunes like those in the Arabian or Namibian Deserts, a University of Arizona member of the Cassini radar team and colleagues report in Science (May 5).
Researchers Link Novel Mutated Gene To Meal Retardation And Imbalance
Researchers at UCSD School of Medicine have identified a genetic cause for a form of pediatric brain malformation involving the cerebellum. Future research based on these findings could lead to ways of preventing or treating children with Joubert Syndrome Related Disorder (JSRD.)
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