All Posts
2008-05-17 13:00:12
by Ed Yong in Not Exactly Rocket Science
Biology
As far as humans are concerned, sexually-transmitted infections are things to avoid. But imagine if these infections didn't cause death and disease, but gave you superpowers instead. It may sound like a bizarre fantasy, but it's just part of life for aphids.
Aphids mostly reproduce without sex, giving rise to many all-female generations that are exact copies (clones) of their parents. They only have sex once in autumn, the only time when mothers give birth to males. Asexual reproduction makes sense for aphid mothers since they pass on all of their genes to their daughters. If they ...more
- Moran N. (2006) Sexual acquisition of beneficial symbionts in aphids. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103(34), 12803-12806. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0605772103
- He Y. (2007) Climate Change and War Frequency in Eastern China over the Last Millennium. Human Ecology, 35(4), 403-414. DOI: 10.1007/s10745-007-9115-8
2008-05-16 23:05:28
by emissrto in farouche ombre
Biology
Further Cajal bodies fragmentation RFLP multiplex formation of exinct is confirmed by locus 5q12.2-q13.3 is caused by mutation or deletion on a functional interaction [1.] [NPM1/B23] in the telomeric copy where it couples to Cajal bodies and induces Cajal body-nucleolar association with SMN 472del5 nucleoli interact with Cajal bodies (CBs) are nuclear suborganelles that play a role in the biogenesis of small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) opposite a -2 deletion site of homo or heterozygous exon 7 and 8 the bases of UPD are always 2 events either 1 meiotic and 1 mitotic or can remain a non...more
- Singh R. N. (2004)
The Regulation and Regulatory Activities of Alternative Splicing of the SMN Gene
. Critical Reviews in Eukaryotic Gene Expression, 14(4), 271-286. DOI: 10.1615/CritRevEukaryotGeneExpr.v14.i4.30
2008-05-16 23:01:57
by barn owl in Guadalupe Storm-Petrel
Biology
Like many children, I was fascinated with the ocean and its wildlife, whether along the beach and jetties, or in tidepools, coral reefs, submarine-explored depths, and surface waters. Few of the teleost types captured my imagination as did the billfish: marlins, spearfish, sailfish, and swordfish. Swift, strong, and sleek, a billfish was exactly ...more
- Morrissette J. (2003) Characterization of ryanodine receptor and Ca2+-ATPase isoforms in the thermogenic heater organ of blue marlin (Makaira nigricans). Journal of Experimental Biology, 206(5), 805-812.
2008-05-16 18:10:16
by nuclear.kelly in Miss Atomic Bomb
Physics
For anyone in my line of work (I realize, of course, that this does not constitute a large fraction of the population), particle detection is of supreme importance. We need to know what reaction products we've made and where they went and with what energy. Specific to our lab, we run many experiments with beams of very heavy particles (like tin) striking targets of much lighter particles (like hydrogen). Typically, beams of light particles will be sent into much heavier targets, and that's what's called normal or forward kinematics. What we do, then, is referred to as i...more
- KOZUB R. (2007) Development of a high solid-angle silicon detector array for measurement of transfer reactions in inverse kinematics. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 261(1-2), 1122-1125. DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2007.04.289
- He Y. (2007) Climate Change and War Frequency in Eastern China over the Last Millennium. Human Ecology, 35(4), 403-414. DOI: 10.1007/s10745-007-9115-8
2008-05-16 13:23:31
by brainblogger in Brain Blogger
Clinical Research
Adult attention deficit disorder or AADD is characterized as a condition causing inattentiveness, organization problems, procrastination and difficulty completing work. It is believed that adults can see an onset of AADD later in life maybe as a carryover from childhood, but in order to receive a diagnosis you must have had symptoms as a child. ...more
- Backenroth-Ohsako G. (2008) Memory Tests in Subgroups of Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Reveals Simultaneous Capacity Deficit. International Journal of Neuroscience, 118(4), 569-591. DOI: 10.1080/00207450701239384
2008-05-16 04:08:29
by Tom Rees in BHA Science Group
Other
A trait doesn't have to have a direct survival benefit for it to be selected for by evolution. So long as it sends a signal to the opposite sex that you have gametes that are worth getting hold of, your reproductive fitness will increase and the trait will be selected for. It's called the Green-Beard Effect, after the popular description by Dawkins in his 1979 book “The Selfish Gene” (although the idea was first proposed in 1964). All it takes is that the genes that create the signal are linked to the genes that code for something that enhances your quality as a prospective mate. Sounds un...more
- Dow J. (2008) Is Religion an Evolutionary Adaptation?. Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 11(2), 2.
- He Y. (2007) Climate Change and War Frequency in Eastern China over the Last Millennium. Human Ecology, 35(4), 403-414. DOI: 10.1007/s10745-007-9115-8
2008-05-16 04:00:15
by Dr Shock in Dr Shock MD PhD
Clinical Research
The answer is: in the stress system. Stress reactivity might be an important link between a genetic variant of the serotonin transporter gene, stressful life events in early years and depression.
There is evidence of interaction between a functional genetic variant of the serotonin transporter gene and life events. Depression is not based on a simple gene or a cluster of genes. But on a gene and environment interaction. So the risk of getting a depression is higher when a certain genetic variant of the serotonin transporter gene is present in the presence of life stress, espec...more
- HALLMAYER J. (2007) HPA Axis Reactivity: A Mechanism Underlying the Associations Among 5-HTTLPR, Stress, and Depression. Biological Psychiatry, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.10.008
2008-05-16 03:06:11
by excimer in Carbon-Based Curiosities
Chemistry
This is click chemistry.
I’m pretty sure this isn’t, though.
[1] But that isn’t stopping Larock and friends from calling it click chemistry, right in the title, no less. Before I start ranting, let’s go over some of those criteria K. Barry Sharpless wrote in stone and brought down from Mt. Nobel:
Really fucking efficient.
Atom economical. All parts ...more
- Larock R. (2008) Benzyne Click Chemistry: Synthesis of Benzotriazoles from Benzynes and Azides. Organic Letters, DOI: 10.1021/ol800675u
2008-05-15 20:02:25
by barn owl in Guadalupe Storm-Petrel
Biology
Health care professionals working with a variety of patients have reported beneficial effects from yoga and meditation practice. For example, an integrated yoga program was found to reduce anxiety, perceived stress, depression, and even DNA damage levels, in patients undergoing radiotherapy for breast cancer (Banerjee et al., 2007). Similarly, Kjellgren and colleagues (2007) ...more
- Bernasconi C. (2007) Reduced hypoxic ventilatory response with preserved blood oxygenation in yoga trainees and Himalayan Buddhist monks at altitude: evidence of a different adaptive strategy?. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 99(5), 511-518.
2008-05-15 19:06:27
by Tom Rees in BHA Science Group
Other
A trait doesn't have to have a direct survival benefit for it to be selected for by evolution. So long as it sends a signal to the opposite sex that you have gametes that are worth getting hold of, your reproductive fitness will increase and the trait will be selected for. It's called the Green-Beard Effect, after the popular description by Dawkins in his 1979 book “The Selfish Gene” (although the idea was first proposed in 1964). All it takes is that the genes that create the signal are linked to the genes that code for something that enhances your quality as a prospective mate. Sounds un...more
- Dow J. (2008) Is Religion an Evolutionary Adaptation?. Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 11(2), 2.
