Press monitoring
Genetically modified tobacco plants as an alternative for producing bioethanol
15.4.2014 | Press monitoring
Tobacco, a high-density crop which is mown several times throughout its cycle, can produce as much as 160 tonnes of fresh matter per hectare and become a source of biomass suitable for producing bioethanol. As Jon Veramendi, head of the plant Agrobiotechnology research group, explained, "tobacco plants as a source of biomass for producing...
Enzyme micropump autonomously delivers insulin in response to glucose levels
14.4.2014 | Press monitoring
For next-generation smart devices, autonomy is key. These devices will be able to power themselves, independently respond to stimuli, and perform different kinds of work, all without human intervention. With these abilities, smart devices could potentially have very wide-reaching implications.
How plants become zombies
11.4.2014 | Press monitoring
Some plants are zombies and scientists have uncovered how bacterial parasites turn them into the living dead. "For the first time, we can reveal how this remarkable manipulation takes place," says Professor Saskia Hogenhout from the John Innes Centre.
Living organ regenerated for first time: Thymus rebuilt in mice
10.4.2014 | Press monitoring
A team of scientists at the University of Edinburgh has succeeded in regenerating a living organ for the first time. The team rebuilt the thymus - an organ in the body located next to the heart that produces important immune cells. The advance could pave the way for new therapies for people with damaged immune systems and genetic conditions that...
DNA nanobots deliver drugs in living cockroaches
9.4.2014 | Press monitoring
It's a computer – inside a cockroach. Nano-sized entities made of DNA that are able to perform the same kind of logic operations as a silicon-based computer have been introduced into a living animal. The DNA computers – known as origami robots because they work by folding and unfolding strands of DNA – travel around the insect's body and...
Exploring a microbial arms race
8.4.2014 | Press monitoring
A rapid evolutionary "arms race" between bacteria and the killer viruses they contain has been observed by a UNSW-led team of scientists in a sophisticated genetic study of the micro-organisms. Associate Professor Torsten Thomas, Dr Kerensa McElroy and colleagues from the Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation and the School of Biotechnology and...
Fighting cancer with lasers and nanoballoons that pop
7.4.2014 | Press monitoring
Chemotherapeutic drugs excel at fighting cancer, but they're not so efficient at getting where they need to go. They often interact with blood, bone marrow and other healthy bodily systems. This dilutes the drugs and causes unwanted side effects. Now, researchers are developing a better delivery method by encapsulating the drugs in nanoballoons...
Radiation able to be securely stored in nontoxic molecule, study finds
4.4.2014 | Press monitoring
Researchers have discovered that microscopic "bubbles" developed at Kansas State University are safe and effective storage lockers for harmful isotopes that emit ionizing radiation for treating tumors. The findings can benefit patient health and advance radiation therapy used to treat cancer and other diseases, said John M. Tomich, a professor...
Phage cocktail wipes out 99 percent of E. coli in meat, spinach
3.4.2014 | Press monitoring
Treating food products with select bacteriophages - viruses that target and kill bacteria - could significantly reduce concentrations of E. coli, a Purdue University study shows. An injection of bacteriophages - also known informally as "phages" - nearly eradicated a toxin-producing strain of E. coli in contaminated spinach and ground beef, in...
Self-healing engineered muscle grown in the laboratory
2.4.2014 | Press monitoring
Biomedical engineers have grown living skeletal muscle that looks a lot like the real thing. It contracts powerfully and rapidly, integrates into mice quickly, and for the first time, demonstrates the ability to heal itself both inside the laboratory and inside an animal. The study conducted at Duke University tested the bioengineered muscle by...
