Sorting stem cells
Researchers have demonstrated a way to easily distinguish undifferentiated embryonic stem cells from later-stage stem cells whose fate is sealed.
Jan 3rd, 2013
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Researchers develop tool to evaluate genome sequencing method
Advances in bio-technologies and computer software have helped make genome sequencing much more common than in the past. But still in question are both the accuracy of different sequencing methods and the best ways to evaluate these efforts. Now, computer scientists have devised a tool to better measure the validity of genome sequencing.
Jan 2nd, 2013
Read moreBacterial suicide: assembly of a lethal molecular machine
How can bacteria protect themselves from lethal infection by viral parasites? One extreme way is for individual cells to commit suicide when infected, thereby preventing or limiting viral replication and protecting the rest of the bacterial population from subsequent infections.
Jan 2nd, 2013
Read moreNew report on military human enhancements tackles ethical dilemmas
Questions loom for bioethics, laws of war, military operations, and broader society.
Jan 2nd, 2013
Read moreAccelerating cellular assembly lines
Insights into cellular productivity could boost generation of proteins with valuable research and medical applications.
Jan 2nd, 2013
Read moreStrange behavior: new study exposes living cells to synthetic protein
Researchers have fabricated an artificial protein in the laboratory and examined the surprising ways living cells respond to it.
Dec 27th, 2012
Read moreResearch proves bacteria to blame for obesity
Scientists have believed that microscopic organisms in the gut, microbiota, might play a crucial role in gaining weight but were never able to prove it. Groundbreaking research by a Chinese scientist has revealed a precise link.
Dec 27th, 2012
Read moreResearchers coax stem cells to diversify
Growing new blood vessels in the lab is a tough challenge, but a Johns Hopkins engineering team has solved a major stumbling block: how to prod stem cells to become two different types of tissue that are needed to build tiny networks of veins and arteries.
Dec 27th, 2012
Read moreGerman scientists seek to clone perfect Xmas trees
The hunt for the perfect Christmas tree may soon become a lot easier: just pick a nice clone.
Dec 22nd, 2012
Read more'Gold standard' cotton genome sequenced
An international consortium with representatives from most of the world's major cotton-producing countries, led by Regents Professor Andrew Paterson of the University of Georgia and including Candace Haigler, a North Carolina State University professor of crop science and plant biology, has described the first 'gold-standard' genome sequence for cotton.
Dec 21st, 2012
Read moreScientists create new approach to destroy disease-associated RNAs in cells
As proof of principle, team creates molecule that corrects myotonic dystrophy in living cells.
Dec 21st, 2012
Read moreA giant puzzle with billions of pieces
Bielefeld's Center for Biotechnology and the Joint Genome Institute, USA, decipher genetic information of microbes in biogas plants.
Dec 21st, 2012
Read moreHagfish slime as a model for tomorrow's natural fabrics
Nylon, Kevlar and other synthetic fabrics: Step aside. If new scientific research pans out, people may be sporting shirts, blouses and other garments made from fibers modeled after those in the icky, super-strong slime from a creature called the hagfish.
Dec 19th, 2012
Read moreOrdinary heart cells become "biological pacemakers" with injection of a single gene
Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute researchers have reprogrammed ordinary heart cells to become exact replicas of highly specialized pacemaker cells by injecting a single gene (Tbx18) - a major step forward in the decade-long search for a biological therapy to correct erratic and failing heartbeats.
Dec 19th, 2012
Read moreCooperation to create the first 3D design software for bioprinting
The software, which will be used to control Organovo's NovoGen MMX bioprinter, will represent a major step forward in usability and functionality for designing three-dimensional human tissues, and has the potential to open up bioprinting to a broader group of users.
Dec 19th, 2012
Read moreCell biology: Flushing out fats
A protein that contributes to cancer vulnerability also plays a surprising role in cardiovascular health and illuminates a promising target pathway for drug treatments for cardiovascular diseases.
Dec 19th, 2012
Read moreSynthetic biology to get fossil fuels from ice cream and soap
Scientists at The University of Manchester have identified a biocatalyst which could produce chemicals found in ice-cream and household items such as soap and shampoo - possibly leading to the long-term replacement of chemicals derived from fossil fuels.
Dec 18th, 2012
Read moreHybrid tunnel may help guide severed nerves back to health
Building a tunnel made up of both hard and soft materials to guide the reconnection of severed nerve endings may be the first step toward helping patients who have suffered extensive nerve trauma regain feeling and movement, according to a team of biomedical engineers.
Dec 17th, 2012
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