All posts; Tags Include "Chemical Biology"
- October 28, 2016
- 05:00 AM
- 33 views
Friday Fellow: Sun Beetle
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll Who says beetles cannot be cute? Take a look at those guys: These little fellows are beetles of the species Pachnoda marginata, commonly known as sun beetle or taxi cab beetle. Native from Africa, they reach up … Continue reading →... Read more »
Larsson, M. C., Stensmyr, M. C., Bice, S. B., & Hansson, B. S. (2003) Attractiveness of Fruit and Flower Odorants Detected by Olfactory Receptor Neurons in the Fruit Chafer Pachnoda marginata. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 29(5), 1253-1268. DOI: 10.1023/A:1023893926038
Stensmyr, Marcus C., Larsson, Mattias C., Bice, Shannon, & Hansson, Bill S. (2001) Detection of fruit- and flower-emitted volatiles by olfactory receptor neurons in the polyphagous fruit chafer Pachnoda marginata (Coleoptera: Cetoniinae). Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 187(7), 509-519. info:/
- August 3, 2016
- 09:13 AM
- 404 views
Do we need a doping Olympics? The ethics of doping in sports
by gdw in FictionalFieldwork
There is only her and the track. The people standing on her left and right do not matter now. She has only one adversary: time. In her head she plays how the future might…will unfold. Forty seven strides. That’s all she needs. All things on the periphery disappear. Her world, her universe becomes a single […]... Read more »
Savulescu J, Foddy B, & Clayton M. (2004) Why we should allow performance enhancing drugs in sport. British journal of sports medicine, 38(6), 666-70. PMID: 15562155
Gaviglio CM, Osborne M, Kelly VG, Kilduff LP, & Cook CJ. (2015) Salivary testosterone and cortisol responses to four different rugby training exercise protocols. European journal of sport science, 15(6), 497-504. PMID: 25743223
Smith AC, & Stewart B. (2015) Why the war on drugs in sport will never be won. Harm reduction journal, 53. PMID: 26556215
Park HY, Hwang H, Park J, Lee S, & Lim K. (2016) The effects of altitude/hypoxic training on oxygen delivery capacity of the blood and aerobic exercise capacity in elite athletes - a meta-analysis. Journal of exercise nutrition , 20(1), 15-22. PMID: 27298808
- July 13, 2016
- 07:28 AM
- 542 views
An equation for life
by gdw in FictionalFieldwork
Water churns. Earth moves. Molecules jostle and chemicals mix. Between heaven and hell, a young planet finds itself in full flux. Developing. Forming. Star stuff rains down and forged elements bubble up. Then it happens. It seems as if it’s just another chemical match-up, another reaction in the vast library of possibilities. But it would […]... Read more »
Scharf C, & Cronin L. (2016) Quantifying the origins of life on a planetary scale. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. PMID: 27382156
- May 31, 2016
- 11:30 PM
- 567 views
42: the answer to life, the universe and everything (i.e., consciousness)
by Piter Boll in Earthling Nature
by Piter Kehoma Boll In his work “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, Douglas Adams defined that the answer to life, the universe and everything is 42. Now a group of scientists measured glucose metabolism in brains in a resting … Continue reading →... Read more »
Stender, J., Mortensen, K., Thibaut, A., Darkner, S., Laureys, S., Gjedde, A., & Kupers, R. (2016) The Minimal Energetic Requirement of Sustained Awareness after Brain Injury. Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.04.024
- May 11, 2016
- 06:50 AM
- 545 views
Viva La Evolution
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
In our continuing story of how being sick can save you, how about three genetic diseases and a genetic condition that can save you from malaria. The genetic diseases might kill you, but usually after you procreate, and that is better for the species than being killed by malaria as a child. Evolution is an emotionless mistress.... Read more »
Chootong P, Panichakul T, Permmongkol C, Barnes SJ, Udomsangpetch R, et al. (2012) Characterization of Inhibitory Anti-Duffy Binding Protein II Immunity: Approach to Plasmodium vivax Vaccine Development in Thailand. PLoS ONE , 7(4). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0035769
- February 3, 2016
- 08:45 AM
- 899 views
Plants That Don’t Sleep Will Take The Dirt Nap
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
If you don't let your plants sleep at night, they die....really! Several species of plants fold their leaves up and reduce their activity at night, every night. If kept from doing that, they turn brown and shrivel up. It's called nyctinasty, and it is different from tropic movements that are directed against specifically positioned stimuli. And what directs their movements? Water! - plants are hydraulic machines.... Read more »
Ueda, M., & Nakamura, Y. (2006) Metabolites involved in plant movement and ?memory?: nyctinasty of legumes and trap movement in the Venus flytrap. Natural Product Reports, 23(4), 548. DOI: 10.1039/b515708k
- January 29, 2016
- 12:25 AM
- 618 views
European killer whales face extinction due to banned pollutants
by TakFurTheKaffe in Tak Fur The Kaffe
Levels of the toxic compound PCBs in the marine environment are now so high that they threaten the very existence of some of Europe’s top sea predators, suggests new research. ... Read more »
Jepson, P., Deaville, R., Barber, J., Aguilar, �., Borrell, A., Murphy, S., Barry, J., Brownlow, A., Barnett, J., Berrow, S.... (2016) PCB pollution continues to impact populations of orcas and other dolphins in European waters. Scientific Reports, 18573. DOI: 10.1038/srep18573
- December 9, 2015
- 08:05 AM
- 1,165 views
Snow Saves Lives
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
It may be warm for December, but the snow is coming. Recent studies are showing the unique ways that organisms depend on and use snow in order to survive. An antifreeze protein from snow fleas may lengthen the time that organs can be stored for transplant. More amazing, reindeer use the UV rays that bounce of the snow to see predators – they are the only mammals that can see in the UV range.... Read more »
Hogg C, Neveu M, Stokkan KA, Folkow L, Cottrill P, Douglas R, Hunt DM, & Jeffery G. (2011) Arctic reindeer extend their visual range into the ultraviolet. The Journal of experimental biology, 214(Pt 12), 2014-9. PMID: 21613517
Kondo H, Hanada Y, Sugimoto H, Hoshino T, Garnham CP, Davies PL, & Tsuda S. (2012) Ice-binding site of snow mold fungus antifreeze protein deviates from structural regularity and high conservation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109(24), 9360-5. PMID: 22645341
Pentelute BL, Gates ZP, Dashnau JL, Vanderkooi JM, & Kent SB. (2008) Mirror image forms of snow flea antifreeze protein prepared by total chemical synthesis have identical antifreeze activities. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 130(30), 9702-7. PMID: 18598026
Kuwabara C, Takezawa D, Shimada T, Hamada T, Fujikawa S, & Arakawa K. (2002) Abscisic acid- and cold-induced thaumatin-like protein in winter wheat has an antifungal activity against snow mould, Microdochium nivale. Physiologia plantarum, 115(1), 101-110. PMID: 12010473
- November 18, 2015
- 07:04 AM
- 1,166 views
Give Thanks For The Cranberry
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
Here comes Thanksgiving! The cranberry is an amazing fruit on its own for several reasons. Its cultivation and botany are unusual, as is its seed dispersal mechanism and structure. However, a major push has been on to understand the medicinal uses of the cranberry. Much debate is taking place as to the usefulness of cranberry compounds, anthocyanidins and polyphenols, in the prevention of urinary tract infections. Cranberry is even having some success in type II diabetes and as an anti-viral age........ Read more »
Burleigh AE, Benck SM, McAchran SE, Reed JD, Krueger CG, & Hopkins WJ. (2013) Consumption of sweetened, dried cranberries may reduce urinary tract infection incidence in susceptible women -- a modified observational study. Nutrition journal, 12(1), 139. PMID: 24139545
McCall J, Hidalgo G, Asadishad B, & Tufenkji N. (2013) Cranberry impairs selected behaviors essential for virulence in Proteus mirabilis HI4320. Canadian journal of microbiology, 59(6), 430-6. PMID: 23750959
Lorenzo AJ, & Braga LH. (2013) Use of cranberry products does not appear to be associated with a significant reduction in incidence of recurrent urinary tract infections. Evidence-based medicine, 18(5), 181-2. PMID: 23416416
Ruel G, Lapointe A, Pomerleau S, Couture P, Lemieux S, Lamarche B, & Couillard C. (2013) Evidence that cranberry juice may improve augmentation index in overweight men. Nutrition research (New York, N.Y.), 33(1), 41-9. PMID: 23351409
Shidfar F, Heydari I, Hajimiresmaiel SJ, Hosseini S, Shidfar S, & Amiri F. (2012) The effects of cranberry juice on serum glucose, apoB, apoA-I, Lp(a), and Paraoxonase-1 activity in type 2 diabetic male patients. Journal of research in medical sciences : the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 17(4), 355-60. PMID: 23267397
- August 19, 2015
- 06:30 AM
- 1,265 views
Epigenetics And The Evil Twin
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
Monozygotic twins share 100% of their genes. Does this make them identical? Not by a long shot. Epigenetics is the field of study that looks at how environment can change how something looks or works without changing its genes. Is epigenetics responsible for evil twin syndrome in American television?... Read more »
Spannhoff, A., Kim, Y., Raynal, N., Gharibyan, V., Su, M., Zhou, Y., Li, J., Castellano, S., Sbardella, G., Issa, J.... (2011) Histone deacetylase inhibitor activity in royal jelly might facilitate caste switching in bees. EMBO reports, 12(3), 238-243. DOI: 10.1038/embor.2011.9
Kahn, H., Graff, M., Stein, A., Zybert, P., McKeague, I., & Lumey, L. (2008) A fingerprint characteristic associated with the early prenatal environment. American Journal of Human Biology, 20(1), 59-65. DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.20672
Zwijnenburg, P., Meijers-Heijboer, H., & Boomsma, D. (2010) Identical but not the same: The value of discordant monozygotic twins in genetic research. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics. DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.31091
Thacker, D., Gruber, P., Weinberg, P., & Cohen, M. (2009) Heterotaxy Syndrome with Mirror Image Anomalies in Identical Twins. Congenital Heart Disease, 4(1), 50-53. DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-0803.2008.00229.x
- July 15, 2015
- 03:03 PM
- 896 views
Journal Club: Starlings on Prozac: How pharmaceuticals may affect wildlife
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: Recent research suggests that the commonly prescribed psychiatric drug, Prozac, occurs at environmentally relevant concentrations that can significantly alter behaviour and physiology in wild birds .. Read more... Read more »
Bean, T., Boxall, A., Lane, J., Herborn, K., Pietravalle, S., & Arnold, K. (2014) Behavioural and physiological responses of birds to environmentally relevant concentrations of an antidepressant. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 369(1656), 20130575-20130575. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0575
Crockett, M., Siegel, J., Kurth-Nelson, Z., Ousdal, O., Story, G., Frieband, C., Grosse-Rueskamp, J., Dayan, P., & Dolan, R. (2015) Dissociable Effects of Serotonin and Dopamine on the Valuation of Harm in Moral Decision Making. Current Biology, 25(14), 1852-1859. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.05.021
Markman, S., Müller, C., Pascoe, D., Dawson, A., & Buchanan, K. (2011) Pollutants affect development in nestling starlings Sturnus vulgaris. Journal of Applied Ecology, 48(2), 391-397. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01931.x
- June 26, 2015
- 12:06 PM
- 851 views
Oak bump medicine
by Rosin Cerate in Rosin Cerate
I own a couple of neat old medical books. One was published in 1935 and is entitled The Canadian Formulary. It's essentially a cookbook for pharmacists, particularly ones who plied their trade at the military hospital in Kingston, Ontario (there's a stamp on the inside cover). The book contains some interesting recipes, to say the least, which is what you get when your ingredient list includes arsenic, lead, mercury, strychnine, and chloroform.One recipe in particular that recently caught my eye........ Read more »
Latifi, A., Nabavi, S., Mirzaei, M., Tavalaei, M., Ghafurian, H., Hellio, C., & Nabavi, S. (2012) Bioremediation of toxic metals mercury and cesium using three types of biosorbent: bacterial exopolymer, gall nut, and oak fruit particles. Toxicological , 94(9), 1670-1677. DOI: 10.1080/02772248.2012.728603
Shrestha, S., Kaushik, V., Eshwarappa, R., Subaramaihha, S., Ramanna, L., & Lakkappa, D. (2014) Pharmacognostic studies of insect gall of Quercus infectoria Olivier (Fagaceae). Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 4(1), 35-39. DOI: 10.1016/S2221-1691(14)60205-7
- June 24, 2015
- 08:00 AM
- 733 views
The CPU In Your Head
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
It’s hard to believe, but part of your brain – the part that controls your body systems – actually comes from your mouth! What’s more, that same part of the brain talks to cells in your lungs that can smell what you breathe in and may have something to do with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.... Read more »
Gu, X., Karp, P., Brody, S., Pierce, R., Welsh, M., Holtzman, M., & Ben-Shahar, Y. (2014) Chemosensory Functions for Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Cells. American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, 50(3), 637-646. DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2013-0199OC
Song, H., Yao, E., Lin, C., Gacayan, R., Chen, M., & Chuang, P. (2012) Functional characterization of pulmonary neuroendocrine cells in lung development, injury, and tumorigenesis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(43), 17531-17536. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1207238109
Porzionato A, Macchi V, Parenti A, Matturri L, & De Caro R. (2008) Peripheral chemoreceptors: postnatal development and cytochemical findings in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Histology and histopathology, 23(3), 351-65. PMID: 18072092
- March 20, 2015
- 03:55 AM
- 999 views
How chemistry affects the evolution of life
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: In this fascinating video, Professor Ros Rickaby from Oxford chats with Professor Simon Conway-Morris at Cambridge about how Earth’s changing chemistry has affected evolution, and how this can sometimes lead to evolutionary convergence... Read more »
Williams R. J. P. (1981) The Bakerian Lecture, 1981: Natural Selection of the Chemical Elements. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 213(1193), 361-397. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.1981.0071
Cook L. M., I. J. Saccheri, & J. Mallet. (2012) Selective bird predation on the peppered moth: the last experiment of Michael Majerus. Biology Letters, 8(4), 609-612. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2011.1136
Dhingra A., & H. Daniell. (2004) Enhanced translation of a chloroplast-expressed RbcS gene restores small subunit levels and photosynthesis in nuclear RbcS antisense plants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 101(16), 6315-6320. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0400981101
- March 18, 2015
- 06:43 PM
- 1,248 views
How alien cell membranes could form in methane seas
by This Science is Crazy in This Science Is Crazy!
Scientist identify 'azotosomes' - short carbon chains with a nitrogen terminus native to the atmosphere of Titan which can potentially self-assemble into bilayers in liquid methane.... Read more »
Stevenson, J., Lunine, J., & Clancy, P. (2015) Membrane alternatives in worlds without oxygen: Creation of an azotosome. Science Advances, 1(1). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1400067
- March 13, 2015
- 02:20 AM
- 1,007 views
How photosynthesis is inspiring solar power research
by GrrlScientist in Maniraptora
SUMMARY: To meet humanity’s growing energy demands, scientists are taking lessons from plants, which perfected the process of capturing the sun’s rays and transforming that into starch. Might scientists be able to adapt the photosynthetic process pioneered by plants and adapt it to meet human demands? ... Read more »
Barber James. (2007) Biological solar energy. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 1007-1023. DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2006.1962
Porter G. (1950) Flash Photolysis and Spectroscopy. A New Method for the Study of Free Radical Reactions. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 200(1061), 284-300. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1950.0018
Porter G. (1966) Studies of Triplet Chlorophyll by Microbeam Flash Photolysis. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 295(1440), 1-12. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1966.0222
Porter G. (1978) The Bakerian Lecture, 1977: In Vitro Models for Photosynthesis. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 362(1710), 281-303. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1978.0134
Tyndall J. (1861) The Bakerian Lecture: On the Absorption and Radiation of Heat by Gases and Vapours, and on the Physical Connexion of Radiation, Absorption, and Conduction. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 1-36. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstl.1861.0001
Cogdell R. J., P. I. Molina, & L. Cronin. (2013) The use and misuse of photosynthesis in the quest for novel methods to harness solar energy to make fuel. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 371(1996), 20110603-20110603. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2011.0603
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- December 30, 2014
- 08:00 AM
- 1,290 views
Turning New Year’s On Its Head
by Mark E. Lasbury in The 'Scope
The popular phrase is, “It’s not the years in your life, but the life in your years.” Many organisms get to have both. We can learn a lot from studying old organisms, but perhaps the biggest question to answer is what constitutes a single life. Many living things seem to cheat; they have more than one life.... Read more »
Munro D, Pichaud N, Paquin F, Kemeid V, & Blier PU. (2013) Low hydrogen peroxide production in mitochondria of the long-lived Arctica islandica: underlying mechanisms for slow aging. Aging cell, 12(4), 584-92. PMID: 23566066
Seim I, Ma S, Zhou X, Gerashchenko MV, Lee SG, Suydam R, George JC, Bickham JW, & Gladyshev VN. (2014) The transcriptome of the bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus reveals adaptations of the longest-lived mammal. Aging, 6(10), 879-99. PMID: 25411232
Holland, H., Schöne, B., Marali, S., & Jochum, K. (2014) History of bioavailable lead and iron in the Greater North Sea and Iceland during the last millennium – A bivalve sclerochronological reconstruction. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 87(1-2), 104-116. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.08.005
- November 11, 2014
- 10:50 AM
- 1,251 views
A Four Billion Mile Road Trip to Grandma’s
by Mark Lasbury in The 'Scope
Mankind is about to take a huge step in understanding himself and his universe. The Rosetta orbiter has traveled 3.8 billion miles to catch comet 67P/C-G. Traveling at more than 24,000 miles per hour, the Philae Lander is now going to land on the comet. A visitor from deep space and from deep time, 67P/C-G contains clues about the solar system, water, and perhaps life itself.... Read more »
Evans, A., Meinert, C., Giri, C., Goesmann, F., & Meierhenrich, U. (2012) Chirality, photochemistry and the detection of amino acids in interstellar ice analogues and comets. Chemical Society Reviews, 41(16), 5447. DOI: 10.1039/c2cs35051c
- October 15, 2014
- 08:00 AM
- 1,175 views
Frankenstein Meets Genetic Modification
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
Halloween conjures up monsters, like Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein. Her story is just as applicable for us today – the story of science being responsible for what it creates. The so-called Frankenfoods are called dangerous – but why? Studies that label them dangerous have been retracted or are merely correlative. New studies have shown that genetically modified crops are safe for livestock and humans. However, there are valid concerns, so every GMO must be tested rigorously.... Read more »
Goldstein, D. (2014) Tempest in a Tea Pot: How did the Public Conversation on Genetically Modified Crops Drift so far from the Facts?. Journal of Medical Toxicology, 10(2), 194-201. DOI: 10.1007/s13181-014-0402-7
Tufarelli V, & Laudadio V. (2013) Genetically Modified Feeds in Poultry Diet: Safety, Performance and Product Quality. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition. PMID: 24915369
Van Eenennaam AL, & Young AE. (2014) Prevalence and impacts of genetically engineered feedstuffs on livestock populations. Journal of animal science, 92(10), 4255-78. PMID: 25184846
Snell C, Bernheim A, Bergé JB, Kuntz M, Pascal G, Paris A, & Ricroch AE. (2012) Assessment of the health impact of GM plant diets in long-term and multigenerational animal feeding trials: a literature review. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association, 50(3-4), 1134-48. PMID: 22155268
McCall WV, Andrade C, & Sienaert P. (2014) Searching for the mechanism(s) of ECT's therapeutic effect. The journal of ECT, 30(2), 87-9. PMID: 24755719
- October 14, 2014
- 09:30 AM
- 1,084 views
Zombies And The Loss of Free Will
by Mark E. Lasbury in The 'Scope
Nature is rife with examples of how one organism can rob another of its free will, turning them into zombies so to say. Who would have guessed that Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds was really a zombie movie.... Read more »
House PK, Vyas A, & Sapolsky R. (2011) Predator cat odors activate sexual arousal pathways in brains of Toxoplasma gondii infected rats. PloS one, 6(8). PMID: 21858053
Banks CN, & Adams ME. (2012) Biogenic amines in the nervous system of the cockroach, Periplaneta americana following envenomation by the jewel wasp, Ampulex compressa. Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology, 59(2), 320-8. PMID: 22085538
Herzner G, Schlecht A, Dollhofer V, Parzefall C, Harrar K, Kreuzer A, Pilsl L, & Ruther J. (2013) Larvae of the parasitoid wasp Ampulex compressa sanitize their host, the American cockroach, with a blend of antimicrobials. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110(4), 1369-74. PMID: 23297195
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