When bees sting, they pump poison into their victims. Now the toxin in bee venom has been harnessed to kill tumor cells. Researchers attached the major component of bee venom to nano-sized spheres that they call nanobees.
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Scientists have developed a new molecular sensor that can reveal the amount of zinc in cells, which could tell us more about a number of diseases, including type 2 diabetes. The research opens the door to the hidden world of zinc biology by giving scientists an accurate way of measuring the concentration of zinc and [...]
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A new study details how sandfish — small lizards with smooth scales — move rapidly underground through desert sand. In this first thorough examination of subsurface sandfish locomotion, researchers found that the animals place their limbs against their sides and create a wave motion like snakes to propel themselves through granular media.
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New tools are now available for generating specifically targeted genetic mutations in bacteria, mammalian cells and mice. The new recombinase, Dre, is similar to its predecessor, Cre, but targets unique sites within DNA for recombination. It may be used in combination with currently available methods to produce more complex mouse models to understand disease.
Computer scientists have developed an inexpensive solution for diagnosing networking delays in data center networks as short as tens of millionths of seconds — delays that can lead to multi-million dollar losses for investment banks running automatic stock trading systems.
One of the long standing problems in the drinks industry is how to prevent chemical processes in the drinks compromising their taste, quality and shelf life. In particular, riboflavin (vitamin B2) is responsible for driving photooxidation reactions that affect the flavour of many drinks and so they often have to be packaged in light-shielded containers. [...]
Researchers have reached a new milestone in laser physics by creating the world’s smallest semiconductor laser, capable of generating visible light in a space smaller than a single protein molecule.
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Scientists have identified cells in the stomach that time the release of a hormone that makes animals anticipate food and eat even when they are not hungry. The finding, which has implications for the treatment of obesity, marks a landmark in the decades-long search for the timekeepers of hunger. The work reveals what the stomach [...]
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Scientists have a better understanding of what causes an abnormal number of chromosomes in offspring, a condition called aneuploidy that encompasses the most common genetic disorders in humans, such as Down syndrome, and is a leading cause of pregnancy loss.
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New light has been shed on the toll that neglected tropical diseases take on sub-Saharan Africa, with an estimated 500 million people suffering from these debilitating and sometimes deadly diseases. Helminth infections account for approximately 85 percent of the NTD burden. Overall, the NTD burden may be equivalent to more than double that caused by [...]