Press monitoring
Radical new \'Trojan Female\' pest control approach shows great promise
31.10.2013 | Press monitoring
An innovative, non-lethal approach to pest management has the potential to become a "game-changer" in providing lasting and effective control in a wide range of insect and animal pests, according to New Zealand scientists developing the technique. The technique harnesses naturally occurring mutations in the maternally inherited...
Model Virus Structure Shows Why There Is No Cure for Common Cold
30.10.2013 | Press monitoring
In a pair of landmark studies that exploit the genetic sequencing of the “missing link” cold virus, rhinovirus C, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have constructed a three-dimensional model of the pathogen that shows why there is no cure yet for the common cold. A team led by UW-Madison biochemistry Professor Ann Palmenberg...
Unique nano carrier targets drug delivery to cancer cells
29.10.2013 | Press monitoring
A unique nanostructure developed by a team of international researchers, including those at the University of Cincinnati, promises improved all-in-one detection, diagnoses and drug-delivery treatment of cancer cells. The first-of-its-kind nanostructure is unusual because it can carry a variety of cancer-fighting materials on its double-sided...
Bioinformatics Breakthrough: High Quality Transcriptome from as Few as Fifty Cells
28.10.2013 | Press monitoring
Bioengineers from the University of California, San Diego have created a new method for analyzing RNA transcripts from samples of 50 to 100 cells. The approach could be used to develop inexpensive and rapid methods for diagnosing cancers at early stages, as well as better tools for forensics, drug discovery and developmental bio...
Gilding the Gum Tree: Scientists Strike Gold in Leaves
25.10.2013 | Press monitoring
Eucalyptus trees in the Kalgoorlie region of Western Australia are drawing up gold particles from Earth via their root system and depositing it their leaves and branches. "The eucalypt acts as a hydraulic pump -- its roots extend tens of metres into the ground and draw up water containing the gold.
Hitchhiking Virus Confirms Saga of Ancient Human Migration
24.10.2013 | Press monitoring
A study of the full genetic code of a common human virus offers a dramatic confirmation of the "out-of-Africa" pattern of human migration, which had previously been documented by anthropologists and studies of the human genome. The virus under study, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), usually causes nothing more severe than cold sores around...
Hair Regeneration Method Is First to Induce New Human Hair Growth
23.10.2013 | Press monitoring
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have devised a hair restoration method that can generate new human hair growth, rather than simply redistribute hair from one part of the scalp to another. The approach could significantly expand the use of hair transplantation to women with hair loss, who tend to have insufficient donor...
Cyborg gel implant fights diabetes with light
22.10.2013 | Press monitoring
Light can now be used to heal diabetes in mice. By implanting a transparent gel that contains genetically modified light-sensitive cells, researchers have demonstrated a new type of implant that could one day be used to treat disease and monitor toxins in people. "Light is a great tool to interface with biological systems, but there is a...
Bad news for fake pearls
21.10.2013 | Press monitoring
For the first time, a group of researchers has succeeded in isolating DNA from pearls and used their genetic material to identify the specific species of oyster that produced the pearl. In a parallel project, researchers used radiocarbon dating to analyze the age of pearls, opening up new avenues for determining the origin and age of pearl...
Bacteria-Eating Viruses \'Magic Bullets in the War On Superbugs\'
18.10.2013 | Press monitoring
A specialist team of scientists from the University of Leicester has isolated viruses that eat bacteria -- called phages -- to specifically target the highly infectious hospital superbug Clostridium difficile (C. diff). Now an exciting new collaboration between the University of Leicester, the University of Glasgow and AmpliPhi Biosciences...
