First cost-benefit analysis of DNA profiling vindicates 'CSI' fans
The first rigorous analysis of the crime-fighting power of DNA profiling finds substantial evidence of its effectiveness.
Jan 10th, 2013
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Stem cells found to heal damaged artery in lab study
Scientists at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute have for the first time demonstrated that baboon embryonic stem cells can be programmed to completely restore a severely damaged artery. These early results show promise for eventually developing stem cell therapies to restore human tissues or organs damaged by age or disease.
Jan 10th, 2013
Read moreRegulating single protein prompts fibroblasts to become neurons
Repression of a single protein in ordinary fibroblasts is sufficient to directly convert the cells - abundantly found in connective tissues - into functional neurons. The findings could have far-reaching implications for the development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington's, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
Jan 10th, 2013
Read moreGiant tobacco plants that stay young forever
Tobacco plants bloom when they are just a few months old - and then they die. Now, researchers have located a genetic switch which can keep the plants young for years and which permits unbounded growth. In short, an ideal source of biomass.
Jan 10th, 2013
Read moreMussels inspire innovative new adhesive for surgery
Mussels can be a mouthwatering meal, but the chemistry that lets mussels stick to underwater surfaces may also provide a highly adhesive wound closure and more effective healing from surgery.
Jan 9th, 2013
Read moreOscillating gel gives synthetic materials the ability to 'speak'
Researchers uncover a synthetic material that rebuilds itself through chemical communication.
Jan 9th, 2013
Read moreRaising awareness of the bioeconomy
The bioeconomy sector is an industry which is rapidly growing in importance on a global scale. As we continue to consume the Earth's resources, many of which are not renewable, alternatives to fossil fuels for energy and industrial raw materials are a primary focus.
Jan 8th, 2013
Read moreCheap and easy technique to snip DNA could revolutionize gene therapy
Bacterial enzyme binds with RNA to home in on genes and cut double-stranded DNA.
Jan 8th, 2013
Read moreChina to boost biotechnology industry
The Chinese government will give a boost to the biotechnology industry in order to tackle problems related to population growth, food safety, energy conservation and environmental protection, the State Council said Sunday.
Jan 8th, 2013
Read moreMateriomics: An -omics approach to biomaterials research
A new review outlines how materiomics sets the stage for a transformative change in the approach to biomaterials research to enable the design of tailored and functional materials for a variety of properties in fields as diverse as tissue engineering, disease diagnosis and de novo materials design, by combining powerful computational modelling and screening with advanced experimental techniques.
Jan 8th, 2013
Read moreEngineered bacteria make fuel from sunlight
Chemists at the University of California, Davis, have engineered blue-green algae to grow chemical precursors for fuels and plastics -- the first step in replacing fossil fuels as raw materials for the chemical industry.
Jan 8th, 2013
Read moreInnovative technique can sequence entire genome from single cell
The notion that police can identify a suspect based on the tiniest drop of blood or trace of tissue has long been a staple of TV dramas, but scientists at Harvard have taken the idea a step further. Using just a single human cell, they can reproduce an individual's entire genome.
Jan 7th, 2013
Read moreProtein production: going viral (w/video)
Architecture of essential human transcription factor revealed.
Jan 7th, 2013
Read moreWhen will genomic research translate into clinical care - and at what cost?
New study applies quantitative modeling to genomics.
Jan 5th, 2013
Read moreDelayed flowering results in up to 50 percent increase in biofuel crop yield
Researchers working on the biofuel crop Miscanthus sacchariflorus, commonly known as Asian Elephant Grass, have shown that delaying flowering in the plant can result in a 50% growth increase.
Jan 4th, 2013
Read moreIn epigenomics, location is everything
In a novel use of gene knockout technology, researchers tested the same gene inserted into 90 different locations in a yeast chromosome - and discovered that while the inserted gene never altered its surrounding chromatin landscape, differences in that immediate landscape measurably affected gene activity.
Jan 3rd, 2013
Read moreEditing the genome with high precision
New method allows scientists to insert multiple genes in specific locations, delete defective genes.
Jan 3rd, 2013
Read moreSorting 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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