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Released: 7-Jun-2017 1:05 PM EDT
New Editor in Chief Appointed to Developmental Dynamics Journal
American Association for Anatomy (AAA)

American Association of Anatomists (AAA) is proud to announce the newest Editor-in-Chief of our leading developmental biology journal, Developmental Dynamics. Paul Trainor, Ph.D., Investigator at Stowers Institute for Medical Research was approved by the Board of Directors in April 2017, and will take over as Editor-in-Chief on January 1, 2018.

Released: 6-Jun-2017 3:05 PM EDT
Yeast Study Examines How Cells Respond and Adapt to Heat Stress
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

A University of Arkansas biologist is studying heat-stress response in yeast to help determine the role of protein acetylation in cells

Released: 6-Jun-2017 12:05 PM EDT
Mining the Data Mother Lode
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

One of the newest entities with the Penn Institute for Biomedical Informatics, the Health Language Processing Lab combines social media content with other sources of health information in a unique way aimed at understanding how people use language to communicate health needs.

   
Released: 6-Jun-2017 11:05 AM EDT
How Neurons Use Crowdsourcing to Make Decisions
Santa Fe Institute

When many individual neurons collect data, how do they reach a unanimous decision? New research from the Santa Fe Institute's collective computation group suggests a two-phase process.

   
2-Jun-2017 4:05 PM EDT
Newly Identified Gene Helps Time Spring Flowering in Vital Grass Crops
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have identified a gene that keeps grasses from entering their flowering cycle until the season is right, a discovery that may help plant breeders and engineers get more from food and energy crops.

5-Jun-2017 3:00 PM EDT
Study Reveals Small Group of Cells Within a Plant Embryo Operate in Similar Way to the Human Brain
University of Birmingham

A new study by scientists at the University of Birmingham has revealed a group of cells that function as a ‘brain’ for plant embryos capable of assessing environmental conditions and dictating when seeds will germinate.

Released: 5-Jun-2017 11:00 AM EDT
Announcement: A New Publication from the American Institute of Physics -- Bioengineering Today
American Institute of Physics (AIP)

The American Institute of Physics (AIP) and AIP Publishing are pleased to announce the launch of a new online magazine, Bioengineering Today. Bioengineering Today offers news and information about the intersection of biology, chemistry and physics with medicine. The articles cover everything from biomedical discoveries, research, new devices, new imaging technologies, engineering and applications of physics to bioengineering as well as disease detection, prevention and treatment.

Released: 2-Jun-2017 4:05 PM EDT
D-Day Invasion Was Bolstered by UW–Madison Penicillin Project
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Seventy-three years ago Tuesday, on June 6, 1944, the D-Day invasion of Normandy was bolstered by millions of doses of a precious new substance: penicillin. On the other side of the Atlantic, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and other institutions had spent the last three years pursuing advances in penicillin production.

   
Released: 2-Jun-2017 3:05 PM EDT
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Selects New Leaders
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology announced this week the election and appointment of seven new society leaders. They begin their terms July 1.

   
Released: 2-Jun-2017 10:05 AM EDT
Four Dana-Farber Researchers Awarded Prestigious “Outstanding Investigator Awards” by National Cancer Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded four Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers with Outstanding Investigator Awards (OIA) for ongoing progressive research within their respective areas of study.

   
Released: 1-Jun-2017 2:05 PM EDT
Researchers Find Chromosome Cooperation Is Long-Distance Endeavor
New York University

Multiple genomic elements work cooperatively and over long distances in order to ensure the proper functioning of chromosomes, a team of scientists has found.

   
Released: 31-May-2017 2:05 PM EDT
Newly Identified Microbial Process Could Reduce Toxic Methylmercury Levels
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

A team led by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has identified a novel microbial process that can break down toxic methylmercury in the environment, a fundamental scientific discovery that could potentially reduce mercury toxicity levels and support health and risk assessments.

Released: 31-May-2017 12:05 PM EDT
In Galapagos Islands, Doctoral Student Researches the Role of Soil Microbes in Plant Invasions with Young Explorer Grant
University of Kansas

Camille Delavaux studies mycorrhizal fungi and plant pathogens in the context of plant invasion in tropical ecosystems.

Released: 31-May-2017 11:05 AM EDT
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Names Lesley Solomon SVP, Chief Innovation Officer
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has named Lesley Solomon to the newly-created position of senior vice president for innovation and chief innovation officer. Solomon has been serving as executive director of the Brigham Innovation Hub at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and director of strategy and innovation in the Brigham Research Institute.

31-May-2017 3:05 AM EDT
Building Better Brains: A Bioengineered Upgrade for Organoids
Institute of Molecular Biotechnology

Scientists for the first time combine organoids with bioengineering. Using small microfilaments, they show improved tissue architecture that mimics human brain development more accurately and allows more targeted studies of brain development and its malfunctions, as reported in the current issue of Nature Biotechnology.

   
Released: 31-May-2017 9:05 AM EDT
What a Locust’s Nose Taught Engineers About Monkeys’ Ears
Washington University in St. Louis

A team of biomedical engineers at Washington University in St. Louis recently completed a study offering profound implications for how sensory information may be encoded in the brain.

Released: 30-May-2017 2:05 PM EDT
The Next Enchanted Ring?
Washington University in St. Louis

Using genomics, a chemistry lab has worked out the biosynthetic machinery that makes a new class of antibiotic compounds called the beta-lactones. Like the beta-lactams, they have an unstable four-member ring. The key to their kill mechanism it is also difficult to synthesize.

Released: 30-May-2017 9:05 AM EDT
Penn State Food Scientist Turns Avocado Pits Into Natural Food Coloring
Penn State Materials Research Institute

A multiyear research endeavor led a Penn State food scientist to form a natural food coloring company based on avocado pits.

   
Released: 26-May-2017 1:05 PM EDT
Improving Wheat Yields by Increasing Grain Size, Weight
South Dakota State University

As part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s International Wheat Yield Partnership Program, researchers aim to improve wheat yields by increasing grain size and weight using a precise gene-editing tool known as CRISPR/Cas9.

25-May-2017 5:00 PM EDT
Fungal Enzymes Team Up to More Efficiently Break Down Cellulose
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Cost-effectively breaking down bioenergy crops into sugars that can then be converted into fuel is a barrier to commercially producing sustainable biofuels. Enabled by DOE User Facilities, a team reports that early lineages of fungi can form enzyme complexes capable of degrading plant biomass.

Released: 25-May-2017 4:05 PM EDT
Gene Linked to Hormone That Impacts Soybean Nodule Development
South Dakota State University

Researchers have identified the SUR2 gene as playing a key role in the production of auxin, a hormone that affects soybean nodule development. The work is part of a National Science Foundation project to identify the genetic mechanisms that direct and coordinate formation of the soybean nodule.

Released: 24-May-2017 3:05 PM EDT
Penn Medicine Biochemist Awarded $2.5 Million Grant for New Microscope Technology
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Ronen Marmorstein, PhD, a professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, is one of five investigators who received a grant from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation for the creation of a state-of-the-art cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) facility. The investment supports research in chemistry and the life sciences and will also go towards maintaining the cryo-EM facilities and hiring of new faculty skilled in its uses.

Released: 24-May-2017 12:00 PM EDT
TSRI Scientists Find Simple Copper Complex Shuts Down Botulinum Neurotoxin Poisoning
Scripps Research Institute

Clostridium botulinum is the bacterium that causes the neurointoxication, which produces one of the most potent toxins on earth and is classified as a potential bioterrorism threat. While no cure exists—and botulism treatment options are limited—a serendipitous discovery by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) may provide a new therapy that can stop the neurotoxin even in its more severe, advanced stages of action.

   
Released: 24-May-2017 11:05 AM EDT
Where You Grow What You Grow
American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

A new study looks at how three varieties of camelina perform when grown in two different regions within the Great Plains. The end goal is to find the camelina variety that performs best in each location or environment--beyond the genetics involved.

Released: 24-May-2017 9:05 AM EDT
Neutrons Provide the First Nanoscale Look at a Living Cell Membrane
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

A research team from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has performed the first-ever direct nanoscale examination of a living cell membrane. In doing so, it also resolved a long-standing debate by identifying tiny groupings of lipid molecules that are likely key to the cell’s functioning.

Released: 22-May-2017 4:05 PM EDT
Researchers Suppress Fibrosis Chemical Signal to Block Haywire Healing
Mayo Clinic

ROCHESTER, Minn. ─ An injured body always seeks to heal. But that process is far from simple. A host of cells organize to restore what was damaged. Then, critically, the process tapers off. And when it doesn’t, the effects can be disastrous. Fibrosis is the thickening and scarring of tissue due to an overactive healing response.

Released: 19-May-2017 2:05 PM EDT
Triple Play Boosting Value of Renewable Fuel Could Tip Market in Favor of Biomass
University of Wisconsin–Madison

A new process triples the fraction of biomass converted to high-value products to nearly 80 percent, also tripling the expected rate of return for an investment in the technology from roughly 10 percent (for one end product) to 30 percent.

Released: 19-May-2017 11:00 AM EDT
Storing a Memory Involves Distant Parts of the Brain
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)

In studies with mice, Janelia researchers discovered that to maintain certain short-term memories, the brain’s cortex relies on connections with the thalamus.

Released: 18-May-2017 2:05 PM EDT
Insight Into Enzyme’s 3D Structure Could Cut Biofuel Costs
Los Alamos National Laboratory

Using neutron crystallography, a Los Alamos research team has mapped the three-dimensional structure of a protein that breaks down polysaccharides, such as the fibrous cellulose of grasses and woody plants, a finding that could help bring down the cost of creating biofuels.

3-May-2017 8:55 AM EDT
New Blood Test Technology Reduces False Readings, Saves Costs, and Improves Care - Live Virtual Press Briefing with Researcher May 16
Newswise

Research findings to be published about new blood test technology that will greatly reduce errors in labwork and improve care in public health and infectious disease. Press briefing scheduled for May 16, reserve press access to live virtual event now.

Released: 17-May-2017 9:00 AM EDT
Study Shows Novel Device Significantly Reduces Blood Draw Contamination, Reduces Risks to Patients
University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)

A study at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) found that a novel device can significantly reduce contamination of blood cultures, potentially reducing risky overtreatment and unnecessary use of antibiotics for many patients. This approach could also substantially reduce healthcare costs, according to the study. Thousands of U.S. patients get their blood drawn every day for blood cultures in order to diagnose serious infections such as sepsis, which can be a deadly condition. A small but significant percentage of the blood cultures are contaminated, due in part to skin fragments containing bacteria that are dislodged during a blood draw. This leads to false results that can mislead clinicians into thinking a patient has a potentially serious bloodstream infection. The consequences are costly and put patients at risk.

Released: 17-May-2017 9:00 AM EDT
Virtual Press Briefing: Novel Device Reduces Blood Sample Contamination, Could Save Billions in Health Care Costs
Newswise

Newswise hosts a virtual live press briefing on upcoming journal study with research results concerning a new blood collection technique that reduces contamination of blood samples and improves treatment outcomes.

Released: 16-May-2017 8:05 AM EDT
Mountains of Waste Could Lead to New U.S. Manufacturing, Jobs
Texas A&M AgriLife

Waste material from the paper and pulp industry soon could be made into anything from tennis rackets to cars. Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist discovers how to make good quality carbon fiber from lignin waste.

Released: 15-May-2017 3:05 PM EDT
Assembling Life’s Molecular Motor
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

As part of a project dedicated to modeling how single-celled purple bacteria turn light into food, a team of computational scientists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) simulated a complete ATP synthase in all-atom detail. The work builds on the project’s first phase—a 100-million atom photosynthetic organelle called a chromatophore—and gives scientists an unprecedented glimpse into a biological machine whose energy efficiency far surpasses that of any artificial system.

Released: 15-May-2017 2:05 PM EDT
Award Winners Recognized at the 2017 AAPS National Biotechnology Conference
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS)

The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), recognized ground-breaking research in the pharmaceutical sciences with awards presented at the 2017 National Biotechnology Conference.

Released: 12-May-2017 3:05 PM EDT
Binghamton U. Students Develop Affordable Mechanical Prosthetic Hand for Campus Employee Who Lost Her Hand at 18
Academy Communications

A group of six Binghamton University engineering students has created a functional biomechanical hand using 3D printing technology for an amputee who works on campus, as an opportunity to improve her life.

Released: 12-May-2017 10:05 AM EDT
Missouri S&T, PCRMC Partner on New Research
Missouri University of Science and Technology

Researchers from Missouri University of Science and Technology are working with physicians and clinicians from Phelps County Regional Medical Center on medical research that could lead to new treatments for cancer and traumatic brain injury, a new way to predict potential problems at childbirth, and a method to attract and capture poisonous brown recluse spiders.

   
Released: 11-May-2017 3:05 PM EDT
Knowledge of DNA Repair Mechanisms Advances with New Paper From Mayo Clinic Scientists
Mayo Clinic

We humans like to think our DNA is well-protected in the nucleus of each cell. But it’s a hard life for the hard-working genetic code.

Released: 11-May-2017 12:05 PM EDT
Why One Eye-Targeting Virus Could Make for a Useful Gene-Delivery Tool
Scripps Research Institute

In their quest to replicate themselves, viruses have gotten awfully good at tricking human cells into pumping out viral proteins. That’s why scientists have been working to use viruses as forces for good: to deliver useful genes to human cells and help patients who lack important proteins or enzymes. A team of researchers led by Associate Professor Vijay Reddy at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has now uncovered the structural details that make one virus a better tool for future therapies than its closely related “cousin.”

   
10-May-2017 12:00 PM EDT
Gene Sequencing Study Reveals Unusual Mutations in Endometriosis
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Using gene sequencing tools, scientists from Johns Hopkins Medicine and the University of British Columbia have found a set of genetic mutations in samples from 24 women with benign endometriosis, a painful disorder marked by the growth of uterine tissue outside of the womb. The findings, described in the May 11 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, may eventually help scientists develop molecular tests to distinguish between aggressive and clinically “indolent,” or non-aggressive, types of endometriosis.

Released: 10-May-2017 3:05 PM EDT
New 3D Printing Method Promises Vastly Superior Medical Implants for Millions
University of Florida

For the millions of people every year who have or need medical devices implanted, a new advancement in 3D printing technology developed at the University of Florida promises significantly quicker implantation of devices that are stronger, less expensive, more flexible and more comfortable than anything currently available.

10-May-2017 8:30 AM EDT
Connecting Brain Regions in a Dish – a New Organoid Technology to Detect Malfunctions in the Brain
Institute of Molecular Biotechnology

Scientists at IMBA (Institute of Molecular Biotechnology) describe novel organoid technology combining various brain regions for investigation of epilepsy, and other neurological diseases, as reported in the current issue of Nature Methods.

   
Released: 10-May-2017 12:05 PM EDT
3D-Printed ‘Bionic Skin’ Could Give Robots the Sense of Touch
University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering

Engineering researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a revolutionary process for 3D printing stretchable electronic sensory devices that could give robots the ability to feel their environment. The discovery is also a major step forward in printing electronics on real human skin.

Released: 10-May-2017 7:05 AM EDT
Manuel Zimmer Selected HHMI-Wellcome International Research Scholar
IMP - Research Institute of Molecular Pathology

Neuroscientist Manuel Zimmer, a group leader at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna, has been selected as HHMI-Wellcome International Research Scholar. His work on C. elegans worms aims to uncover how the brain processes information to generate behaviour.

Released: 9-May-2017 1:05 PM EDT
Three San Diego Researchers Honored by Royal Society of Chemistry
Scripps Research Institute

Three chemists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI)—Dale Boger, Jin-Quan Yu and Phil Baran—have received awards from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), a renowned professional organization for chemists based in the United Kingdom, with more than 54,000 members worldwide.

Released: 9-May-2017 6:05 AM EDT
A Molecular Rivet for Long-Range Force Transmission – From Isolation to Global Connectivity
National University of Singapore (NUS)

Researchers from the Mechanobiology Institute, Singapore at the National University of Singapore have described, for the first time, how plastin, an actin-bundling protein, acts as a molecular rivet, providing global connectivity to the cortex underlying the plasma membrane of embryonic cells to facilitate polarisation and cell division.

1-May-2017 10:30 AM EDT
Cell Replacement Could Restore Vision Lost to Neurodegeneration
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)

Scientists have demonstrated the capacity to grow specialized neurons that relay visual data to the brain, creating a source of cells for future treatments of glaucoma and other optic neurodegenerative diseases. The research is being presented during a press conference at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) in Baltimore, Md., on Monday, May 8 from 9:30 – 10:15am.

Released: 8-May-2017 10:05 AM EDT
A Slingshot to Shoot Drugs Onto the Site of an Infection
Universite de Montreal

Chemists from Italy and Canada specializing in nanotechnology create a molecular slingshot that could shoot drugs at precise locations in the human body once triggered by specific disease markers.

Released: 5-May-2017 2:05 PM EDT
Bacterial Boost for Bio-Based Fuels
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

“Electrical” bacteria are the key ingredient in a new process developed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory that recycles wastewater from biofuel production to generate hydrogen. The hydrogen can then be used to convert bio-oil into higher grade liquid fuels such as gasoline or diesel.

Released: 5-May-2017 11:05 AM EDT
Brookhaven's John Shanklin Named a Battelle 'Inventor of the Year'
Brookhaven National Laboratory

John Shanklin, a biochemist investigating the fundamental processes that underlie the production of plant oils at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, is being honored as an "Inventor of the Year" by Battelle—the global science and technology organization that, together with Stony Brook University, manages Brookhaven Lab through the company Brookhaven Science Associates.



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