Press monitoring
Scientists can see through these rodents
29.8.2016 | Press monitoring
Seeing through objects may seem like something straight out of a comic book, but researchers have found a way to make entire animals transparent—from their brains to their bones. The method lets fluorescent proteins visibly shine through bodies, lighting up entire vascular systems (above) and other structures. To produce such light shows,...
Directly reprogramming a cell\'s identity with gene editing
26.8.2016 | Press monitoring
Researchers have used CRISPR—a revolutionary new genetic engineering technique—to convert cells isolated from mouse connective tissue directly into neuronal cells. In 2006, Shinya Yamanaka, a professor at the Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences at Kyoto University at the time, discovered how to revert adult connective tissue cells, called...
Sequencing of fungal disease genomes may help prevent banana armageddon
24.8.2016 | Press monitoring
Researchers at the University of California, Davis, and in the Netherlands have discovered how a group of three closely related fungal pathogens have evolved into a lethal threat to the world's bananas, whilst an international consortium led by scientists from Wageningen UR (University & Research Centre) has unravelled the DNA of the fungus that...
Key molecular signal that shapes regeneration in planarian stem cells discovered
22.8.2016 | Press monitoring
Researchers at the Stowers Institute have identified a key molecule that directs stem cells in the planarian flatworm to make copies of themselves. The molecule, called EGFR-3, is part of a cascade of signals that seem to control the way these cells divide and differentiate in response to near-lethal levels of radiation. The finding, which...
Engineering a better biofuel
19.8.2016 | Press monitoring
While the bacteria E. coli is often considered a bad bug, researchers commonly use laboratory-adapted E. coli that lacks the features that can make humans sick, but can grow just as fast. That same quality allows it to transform into the tiniest of factories: when its chemical production properties are harnessed, E. coli has the potential to crank...
New cancer nanomedicine reduces pancreatic tumour growth
17.8.2016 | Press monitoring
Australian cancer researchers have developed a highly promising technology to deliver gene-silencing drugs to treat pancreatic cancer – the most chemo-resistant and deadly cancer in Australia. When tested in mice, the new nanomedicine resulted in a 50 per cent reduction in the growth of tumours and reduced the spread of pancreatic cancer. Lead...
Counting genetic mutations predicts how soon you’ll get cancer
15.8.2016 | Press monitoring
How young will you be when you get cancer? The number of mutations you have in different genes can bring that date closer. We already know that mutations in cancer genes like BRCA1 and BRCA2 increase cancer risk. But now David Thomas at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney and his colleagues have shown for the first time that...
Aphrodisiac virus makes plants super-attractive to bumblebees
12.8.2016 | Press monitoring
Plants are known to emit volatile chemicals that deter herbivores or attract pollinators or seed dispersers. Some viruses can change those volatiles to attract insects, such as aphids, that damage plants but help transmit the virus between them. Now, a team of researchers lead by John Carr from the University of Cambridge has shown in greenhouse...
DNA dominos on a chip
10.8.2016 | Press monitoring
Normally, individual molecules of genetic material repel each other. However, when space is limited DNA molecules must be packed together more tightly. This case arises in sperm, cell nuclei and the protein shells of viruses. An international team of physicists has now succeeded in artificially recreating this so-called DNA condensation on a...
US agency lifts ban on funding human–animal hybrids
8.8.2016 | Press monitoring
Since September 2015, researchers have been banned from receiving funding from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) for adding human stem cells to animal embryos, creating blends called chimaeras. But a proposal by the NIH released on 4 August would lift the funding moratorium, except for certain situations. It would also set up a panel to...
