- June 19, 2013
- 09:29 AM
- 2 views
Scientists Model Biofuel Production After Ants’ Fungus Gardens
by dailyfusion in The Daily Fusion
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Bacteriology are studying the colonies of leaf-cutter ants as they cultivate thriving communities of fungi and bacteria using freshly cut plant material. While these fungi provide nutrients for the ants, researchers are hoping to replicate the process and apply it for better biofuel production.... Read more »
Aylward, F., Burnum-Johnson, K., Tringe, S., Teiling, C., Tremmel, D., Moeller, J., Scott, J., Barry, K., Piehowski, P., Nicora, C.... (2013) Leucoagaricus gongylophorus Produces Diverse Enzymes for the Degradation of Recalcitrant Plant Polymers in Leaf-Cutter Ant Fungus Gardens. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 79(12), 3770-3778. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.03833-12
- June 19, 2013
- 09:11 AM
- 3 views
Video Tip of the Week: ENCODE ChIP-Seq Significance Tool
We’ve been doing training and workshops on the UCSC Genome Browser for 10 years now. It’s a tremendous tool that has to be a foundational item in your toolkit in genomics. But–there may be times when you want to examine some of the data that you can find there in another way, with a different [...]... Read more »
Auerbach, R., Chen, B., & Butte, A. (2013) Relating Genes to Function: Identifying Enriched Transcription Factors using the ENCODE ChIP-Seq Significance Tool. Bioinformatics. DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btt316
- June 19, 2013
- 08:10 AM
- 4 views
When your neighbour wins the lottery
by Jason Collins in Evolving Economics
I’m not sure if the format of the Dutch postcode lottery is common, but it certainly creates some interesting incentives. In this lottery, a random postcode is drawn from the 430,000 postcodes in the Netherlands, with each postcode having, on average, 19 households. Each person in that postcode who has purchased a ticket in the [...]The post When your neighbour wins the lottery appeared first on Evolving Economics.... Read more »
Kuhn, P., Kooreman, P., Soetevent, A., & Kapteyn, A. (2011) The Effects of Lottery Prizes on Winners and Their Neighbors: Evidence from the Dutch Postcode Lottery. American Economic Review, 101(5), 2226-2247. DOI: 10.1257/aer.101.5.2226
- June 19, 2013
- 08:00 AM
- 4 views
The Roots Of Our Animal Family Tree
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
Research continues on what is the most basal animal on Earth and if that animal is representative of the earliest metazoaon. A 2013 report says that it isn’t time to rewrite the books, but even if we tried to do just that, what would we place at the bottom of the tree? Recent studies argue for different groups. A 2009 study says it is the placozoans. A 2012 study gives the award to the sponges. And several studies in the 2000’s wanted to nominate the comb jellies. The biggest differe........ Read more »
Dohrmann, M., & Worheide, G. (2013) Novel Scenarios of Early Animal Evolution--Is It Time to Rewrite Textbooks?. Integrative and Comparative Biology. DOI: 10.1093/icb/ict008
Schierwater, B., Eitel, M., Jakob, W., Osigus, H., Hadrys, H., Dellaporta, S., Kolokotronis, S., & DeSalle, R. (2009) Concatenated Analysis Sheds Light on Early Metazoan Evolution and Fuels a Modern “Urmetazoon” Hypothesis. PLoS Biology, 7(1). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1000020
- June 19, 2013
- 06:45 AM
- 5 views
Rotten America - Big Prison, Arrest Quotas, and What Education Really Pays For
America is being eroded by greed. More schools are being closed, more prisons are being built, and money is changing hands in all the wrong places. From limiting the potential of the future generations, to arresting innocent people for personal gain, America has become rotten.
Like a rat in a Skinner box, when you give the right incentives, they're motivated to get the cheese. But unlike in the Skinner box, the cheese taken in America is at the expense of others.
This article explains........ Read more »
Lochner, L., & Moretti, E. (2004) The Effect of Education on Crime: Evidence from Prison Inmates, Arrests, and Self-Reports. American Economic Review, 94(1), 155-189. DOI: 10.1257/000282804322970751
- June 19, 2013
- 06:34 AM
- 7 views
Immune reactivity to gluten in autism
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
When I first saw the paper from Nga Lau and colleagues* (open-access) looking for markers of gluten sensitivity and/or coeliac (celiac) disease in children with autism I have to admit to raising a smile. I smiled because in a previous post on this blog I talked about a 'wish-list' for autism research specifically focused on the gluten and casein-free dietary intervention**. Part of that wish list was some further inquiry into why, biochemically, some people on the autism spectrum might benefit f........ Read more »
Lau, N., Green, P., Taylor, A., Hellberg, D., Ajamian, M., Tan, C., Kosofsky, B., Higgins, J., Rajadhyaksha, A., & Alaedini, A. (2013) Markers of Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity in Children with Autism. PLoS ONE, 8(6). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066155
- June 19, 2013
- 05:02 AM
- 14 views
Are you really at risk of attack by someone with schizophrenia?
by Rebecca Syed in United Academics
A violent attack by someone who is mentally ill quickly grabs the headlines. And it’s usually implied that mental illnesses are a preventable cause of violent crime. Tackle that and we can all sleep safer in our beds. But by pressuring mental health services to focus on the risk of violence we are in danger of actually increasing it.
Most of the debate around risk and offending has centred around schizophrenia – the bread and butter of community psychiatry. But what is the evidenc........ Read more »
Fazel, S. (2009) Schizophrenia, Substance Abuse, and Violent Crime. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 301(19), 2016. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2009.675
Short, T., Thomas, S., Mullen, P., & Ogloff, J. (2013) Comparing violence in schizophrenia patients with and without comorbid substance-use disorders to community controls. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. DOI: 10.1111/acps.12066
- June 19, 2013
- 12:54 AM
- 10 views
We like turtles ('s genomes)
by zacharoo in Lawn Chair Anthropology
June 2013, Volume 45 No 6 pp 579-714Jonathan the zombie isn't the only one who likes turtles. These heroes-in-a-half-shell adorn the cover of the current Nature Genetics, as two species of turtle have just joined the Genome Club (Wang et al. 2013; paper's free!).This definitely not one of those genome sequencing studies alluded to recently by John Hawks, that's "too boring for journals." Wang and colleagues didn't just sequence the genomes of soft-shell and green sea tur........ Read more »
Wang Z, Pascual-Anaya J, Zadissa A, Li W, Niimura Y, Huang Z, Li C, White S, Xiong Z, Fang D.... (2013) The draft genomes of soft-shell turtle and green sea turtle yield insights into the development and evolution of the turtle-specific body plan. Nature genetics, 45(6), 701-6. PMID: 23624526
- June 18, 2013
- 06:25 PM
- 44 views
I WILL FEAR NO EVIL: the first head transplant on human
by Eugenio Maria Battaglia in Semanto.me
In 2008, doctor Sergio Canavero, an italian neurosurgeon based in Turin, IT, have awakened a 20 years old lady from a permanent post-traumatic vegetative state, by means of a bifocal extradural cortical electro-stimulation. Today, while Science still find it hard to explain consciousness and embodied cognition – the world-class neurosurgeon made a shock announcement: “I’m ready for the first head transplant on a man.”
In the manuscript published on Surgical Neurology I........ Read more »
Canavero, S. (2013) HEAVEN: The head anastomosis venture Project outline for the first human head transplantation with spinal linkage (GEMINI). Surgical Neurology International, 4(2), 335. DOI: 10.4103/2152-7806.113444
- June 18, 2013
- 06:11 PM
- 18 views
Quantum-Dot Microscopy Method Allows to Improve Solar Cells
by dailyfusion in The Daily Fusion
Researchers working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new microscopy technique that uses a process similar to how an old tube television produces a picture—cathodoluminescence—to image nanoscale features. Combining the best features of optical and scanning electron microscopy, the fast, versatile, and high-resolution technique allows scientists to view surface and subsurface features potentially as small as 10 nanometers in size.... Read more »
Yoon, H., Lee, Y., Bohn, C., Ko, S., Gianfrancesco, A., Steckel, J., Coe-Sullivan, S., Talin, A., & Zhitenev, N. (2013) High-resolution photocurrent microscopy using near-field cathodoluminescence of quantum dots. AIP Advances, 3(6), 62112. DOI: 10.1063/1.4811275
- June 18, 2013
- 05:57 PM
- 24 views
Psychology At the Movies: Essentialist Musings in Man of Steel
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
www.imdb.com
Yesterday, my spouse and I dropped our newborn daughter off with Grandma and then popped over to the local theater to see this summer's much anticipated comic-book blockbuster Man of Steel. By any standard, Man of Steel is exceptionally light when it comes to philosophical musings: The plot is predictably linear--good guys fight bad guys who are trying to kill them. At first glance, it may seem like a stretch to write an entire blog entry (for a psychology blog) about the fil........ Read more »
Kraus MW, & Keltner D. (2013) Social Class Rank, Essentialism, and Punitive Judgment. Journal of personality and social psychology. PMID: 23713698
- June 18, 2013
- 03:31 PM
- 20 views
June 18, 2013
by Erin Campbell in HighMag Blog
The study of how cells move in development is not just about development. Understanding cell migration can also help researchers understand how tumors spread and invade other tissues. So, the next time you see someone roll their eyes at your fruit fly egg chambers (or worm vulva, or culture dishes), take pity at their ignorance and explain to them how they should thank you instead.The movement of cells during development drives the shape changes and organization of an embryo. I........ Read more »
Lucas, E., Khanal, I., Gaspar, P., Fletcher, G., Polesello, C., Tapon, N., & Thompson, B. (2013) The Hippo pathway polarizes the actin cytoskeleton during collective migration of Drosophila border cells. originally published in the Journal of Cell Biology, 201(6), 875-885. DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201210073
- June 18, 2013
- 03:06 PM
- 17 views
Nanog protein promotes the growth of cancer stem cells in head and neck cancer
by beredim in Stem Cells Freak
A new study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center -- Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James) has identified a biochemical pathway in cancer stem cells that is essential for promoting head and neck cancer.The study shows that a protein called Nanog, which is normally active in embryonic stem cells, promotes the growth of cancer stem cells in head and neck cancer. The findings provide information essential for de........ Read more »
Xie, X., Piao, L., Cavey, G., Old, M., Teknos, T., Mapp, A., & Pan, Q. (2013) Phosphorylation of Nanog is essential to regulate Bmi1 and promote tumorigenesis. Oncogene. DOI: 10.1038/onc.2013.173
- June 18, 2013
- 03:05 PM
- 18 views
Life After Recovery for Men with Eating Disorders
by Andrea in Science of Eating Disorders
While there is growing recognition that (surprise, surprise!) men are not immune to eating disorders, men are still underrepresented in the literature about eating disorders. We know comparatively little about what it is like to be a man with an eating disorder, and less still about recovery and life after recovery for these individuals. Recently, Björk, Wallin, & Pettersen (2012) conducted a qualitative study that asked men who had been diagnosed with an eating disorder and completed........ Read more »
Björk T, Wallin K, & Pettersen G. (2012) Male experiences of life after recovery from an eating disorder. Eating Disorders, 20(5), 460-8. PMID: 22985242
- June 18, 2013
- 12:09 PM
- 21 views
Even ‘environmentally protective’ levels of pesticide devastate insect biodiversity
by Anouk Vleugels in United Academics
Pesticide levels considered environmentally friendly in Europe and Australia are, in fact, having a devastating effect on invertebrate insect biodiversity in nearby creeks and streams, a new study has found, showing the need for an urgent overhaul of the way pesticide risk is assessed. Water-dwelling invertebrates like worms, snails, crustaceans, mites and insects play a crucial role in regional ecosystems because they provide food for fish, birds and platypuses.... Read more »
Beketov, M., Kefford, B., Schafer, R., & Liess, M. (2013) Pesticides reduce regional biodiversity of stream invertebrates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1305618110
- June 18, 2013
- 08:00 AM
- 47 views
Bombs and Brains
by Caitlin Kirkwood in The Synaptic Scoop
Great minds met to conceive the first atomic bomb. Now the atomic bomb has helped researchers confirm some long-held suspicions about the human brain.... Read more »
Spalding Kirsty L., Bergmann Olaf, Alkass Kanar, Bernard Samuel, Salehpour Mehran, Huttner Hagen B., Boström Emil, Westerlund Isabelle, Vial Céline, & Buchholz Bruce A. (2013) Dynamics of Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Adult Humans. Cell, 153(6), 1219-1227. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2013.05.002
- June 18, 2013
- 06:16 AM
- 50 views
Peter Suber’s Open Access book is now available under an #OpenAccess license
by Duncan Hull in O'Really?
If you never got around to buying Peter Suber‘s book “for busy people” about Open Access (OA) publishing [1], you might be pleased to learn that it’s now available under an Open Access license.... Read more »
Clair, K. (2013) Kevin Michael Clair reviews Open Access, by Peter Suber. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 39(1), 94. DOI: 10.1016/j.acalib.2012.11.017
- June 18, 2013
- 05:35 AM
- 35 views
New ‘embryonic’ subduction zone found
by Perikis Livas in Tracing Knowledge
A new subduction zone forming off the coast of Portugal heralds the beginning of a cycle that will see the Atlantic Ocean close as continental Europe moves closer to America.... Read more »
Media Release Monash University. (2013) New 'embryonic' subduction zone found. Monash University. info:/
- June 18, 2013
- 04:42 AM
- 37 views
"Undruggable" cancers may by druggable
by beredim in Stem Cells Freak
Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers have identified in the most aggressive forms of cancer a gene known to regulate embryonic stem cell self-renewal, beginning a creative search for a drug that can block its activity.The gene, SALL4, gives stem cells their ability to continue dividing as stem cells rather than becoming mature cells. Typically, cells only express SALL4 during embryonic development, but the gene is re-expressed in nearly all cases of acute myeloid leukemia and 10 to 30 ........ Read more »
Yong, K., Gao, C., Lim, J., Yan, B., Yang, H., Dimitrov, T., Kawasaki, A., Ong, C., Wong, K., Lee, S.... (2013) Oncofetal Gene in Aggressive Hepatocellular Carcinoma . New England Journal of Medicine, 368(24), 2266-2276. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1300297
- June 18, 2013
- 04:15 AM
- 32 views
NYSCF researchers generate beta cells from MODY patients
by beredim in Stem Cells Freak
A team from the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute and the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Centre of Columbia University has generated patient-specific beta cells, or insulin-producing cells, that accurately reflect the features of maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY).The researchers used skin cells of MODY patients to produce induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, from which they then made beta cells. Transplanted into a mouse, the stem cell-derived beta cells secreted insulin........ Read more »
Hua, H., Shang, L., Martinez, H., Freeby, M., Gallagher, M., Ludwig, T., Deng, L., Greenberg, E., LeDuc, C., Chung, W.... (2013) iPSC-derived β cells model diabetes due to glucokinase deficiency. Journal of Clinical Investigation. DOI: 10.1172/JCI67638
topics
join us!
Do you write about peer-reviewed research in your blog? Use ResearchBlogging.org to make it easy for your readers — and others from around the world — to find your serious posts about academic research.
If you don't have a blog, you can still use our site to learn about fascinating developments in cutting-edge research from around the world.
