Science & Technology
US - An unknown pathogen isolated from infected pigs at two midwestern swine production facilities in 2006 has proved to be a new strain of H2 influenza virus.
A new mathematical and statistical method allows the virus population in a diseased organism to be determined quickly and economically. Using this method, medicines and vaccines against diseases caused by viral infections could be developed and deployed in a more targeted way in the future.
Tumor cells living in the cross hairs of radiation or chemotherapy may be able to escape death because their self-destruct mechanisms are jammed, say University of Florida scientists writing in a recent issue of Developmental Cell.
Los Angeles, CA -- Stem cell researchers continue to make progress with induced pluripotent stem cells or iPS cells, which are embryonic-like stem cells that don't require the destruction of human life to obtain. After their discovery last year, pro-life groups hailed the cells as an ethical alternative to embryonic stem cell research.
The UCLA researchers that have advanced the use of the iPS cells before were able progress further and grow functioning heart and blood cells.
The UCLA researchers that have advanced the use of the iPS cells before were able progress further and grow functioning heart and blood cells.
The practice of cloning should not be regarded without scepticism, said Dr Roel Veerkamp, researcher at the Animal Sciences Group (ASG) of Wageningen University and Research Centre.
"Before a clone is made of a good bull three years have passed," Veerkamp said.
"Using the conventional route, that period of time would yield better bulls than the original one that would be cloned. In addition, cloning is expensive. Genetic improvement is lost when old clones are being used instead of other bulls."
"Before a clone is made of a good bull three years have passed," Veerkamp said.
"Using the conventional route, that period of time would yield better bulls than the original one that would be cloned. In addition, cloning is expensive. Genetic improvement is lost when old clones are being used instead of other bulls."
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These puppies are really sweet-looking, aren't they? According to the South Korean Customs Service, the seven Labs you see here are all very good-natured dogs, highly trainable, and exceptionally good at sniffing out drugs. They should be; they've been cloned from Korea's best drug sniffing dog.
Rome -- The world's first cloned horse Prometea has given birth to a foal in Italy's northern city Cremona, Italian News Agency ANSA reported Tuesday.
Italian animal-cloning pioneer Cesare Galli, who created the foal's mother Prometea in 2003, said both parent and child were doing well, according to ANSA.
Italian animal-cloning pioneer Cesare Galli, who created the foal's mother Prometea in 2003, said both parent and child were doing well, according to ANSA.
Canada is preparing to launch the first space mission ever to search for asteroids between Earth and the sun - the type of asteroid most likely to slam into our planet.
Neandertals had big mouths that they were able to open unusually wide, new research has determined.
A recent study found that a combination of facial structure, forward-positioned molars, and an unusually large gap between the vertical parts of the back of the jaw allowed Neandertals (also spelled Neanderthals) to gape widely.
Modern humans and our direct ancestors don't have these traits, the researchers note.
But the team was unable to measure exactly how far Neandertals could open their mouths.
"This ability is connected to the length of the muscle fibers, which, of course, we don't have," said study co-author Yoel Rak, a professor of anatomy at Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine.
A recent study found that a combination of facial structure, forward-positioned molars, and an unusually large gap between the vertical parts of the back of the jaw allowed Neandertals (also spelled Neanderthals) to gape widely.
Modern humans and our direct ancestors don't have these traits, the researchers note.
But the team was unable to measure exactly how far Neandertals could open their mouths.
"This ability is connected to the length of the muscle fibers, which, of course, we don't have," said study co-author Yoel Rak, a professor of anatomy at Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine.
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| ©Yoel Rak |
| A Neandertal skull found in the Lower Galilee region of Israel displays a wide gap between the vertical part of the jaw and the wisdom teeth.
This gap, combined with other unique facial structures, allowed Neandertals to open their mouths very wide, although researchers are still not sure why they had this ability. |
This release is available in Spanish.
A research on the bone health of one of the oldest persons in the world, who recently died at the age of 114, reveals that there were no genetic modifications which could have contributed to this longevity. The research team, directed by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona professor Adolfo Díez Pérez, pointed out a healthy lifestyle, a Mediterranean diet, a temperate climate and regular physical activity as the reasons for his excellent health.
The research team studied the bone mass and analysed the genetics of a man with enviable health who at the time of the study was 113 years old. The research was carried out with four other members of his family: a 101-year-old brother, two daughters aged 81 and 77, and a nephew aged 85, all of them born and still living in a small town of the island of Menorca. The research findings were recently published in the Journal of Gerontology and reported that the man's bones were in excellent conditions: his bone mass was normal, there were no anomalous curvatures and he had never sustained a fracture.
A research on the bone health of one of the oldest persons in the world, who recently died at the age of 114, reveals that there were no genetic modifications which could have contributed to this longevity. The research team, directed by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona professor Adolfo Díez Pérez, pointed out a healthy lifestyle, a Mediterranean diet, a temperate climate and regular physical activity as the reasons for his excellent health.
The research team studied the bone mass and analysed the genetics of a man with enviable health who at the time of the study was 113 years old. The research was carried out with four other members of his family: a 101-year-old brother, two daughters aged 81 and 77, and a nephew aged 85, all of them born and still living in a small town of the island of Menorca. The research findings were recently published in the Journal of Gerontology and reported that the man's bones were in excellent conditions: his bone mass was normal, there were no anomalous curvatures and he had never sustained a fracture.
