Uncategorized
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Not so Silent: Mutation alters protein but not its components
A single swap in the letters of a gene's sequence could modify the protein it encodes, even if it doesn't change which amino acids make up the molecule.
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Aging Lessons: Training gives elderly practical assistance
Sessions aimed at improving memory, reasoning, or visual concentration in healthy elderly people yield notable cognitive returns, even 5 years later, a long-term study suggests. The training largely protected the participants from age-related declines in the ability to perform everyday tasks such as preparing meals, doing housework, and managing money. A handful of booster sessions […]
- Animals
No-Dad Dragons: Komodos reproduce without males
Two female Komodo dragons in zoos have startled their keepers by laying viable eggs without males, possibly as a last resort at a time when mates are in increasingly short supply.
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19773
This article seems to gloss over an important issue. With only 4,000 dragons left in the world, why was this female, one of only a thousand females remaining, not paired with a mate? I read several versions of this story, none of which touched on this topic. I believe this reveals an even more interesting […]
- Humans
Science News of the Year 2006
A review of important scientific achievements reported in Science News during the year 2006.
- Health & Medicine
Transplant reaction reversed in patients
From Orlando, Fla., at a meeting of the American Society of Hematology Patients with leukemia get a fighting chance when they receive a transplant of bone marrow cells from a healthy donor. Unfortunately, immune cells from these new arrivals can run amok in the recipient, creating a life-threatening complication called graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Last year, […]
- Health & Medicine
Experimental clot inhibitors match conventional drugs
From Orlando, Fla., at a meeting of the American Society of Hematology Two new drugs—one in pill form and another requiring only a single weekly injection—prevent dangerous blood clots in leg veins just as well as do standard treatments that require daily shots, two European research teams report. In one study, scientists in Sweden focused […]
- Health & Medicine
Drug takes a shot at leukemia cells
From Orlando, Fla., at a meeting of the American Society of Hematology A drug that targets solid tumors such as those of lung cancer might also fight blood cancers, a lab study shows. Erlotinib (Tarceva) attacks cells by blocking a receptor protein that’s abundant on the surface of some cancer cells (SN: 8/27/05, p. 139: […]
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Decoding a protein to fend off sepsis
From Orlando, Fla., at a meeting of the American Society of Hematology Sepsis is a lethal blood disorder that typically arises from bacterial infections. It’s marked by organ damage caused by inflammation and blood vessel leakage. A synthetic version of activated protein C (ACP) is the sole drug approved to specifically attack sepsis, but it […]
- Humans
European chemical legislation adopted
A groundbreaking chemical law, passed by the European Parliament on Dec. 13, is set to fundamentally change the evaluation and production of chemicals used throughout the European Union. The Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) law, which will go into effect in June 2007, takes a different approach than current U.S. policy does. It […]
- Paleontology
Mammals started flying when birds did
The first gliding mammal winged through forests at least 70 million years earlier than scientists had previously presumed, a new fossil shows. The specimen dates from about 150 million years ago, during the time when birds were developing flight. ANCIENT GLIDER. Volaticotherium antiquus was gliding through ancient forests 150 million years ago. The creature weighed […]
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Restricting calories keeps immune system young
Drastic limits on calorie consumption starting early in a monkey’s life seemed to delay aging of the animal’s immune systems in new research. Numerous studies have found that calorie restriction can extend the life span of organisms such as yeast, worms, fruit flies, and mice. However, scientists don’t know how caloric restriction lengthens life. Janko […]
