Researchers have designed “biologically inspired” artificial cells capable of self-organizing into independent groups that can communicate and cooperate, behaving like complex natural organisms.

Continue reading about Artificial cells communicate and cooperate like biological cells, ants

Investigators at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Regenerative Medicine have confirmed that induced pluripotent stem cells retain some characteristics of the cells from which they were derived, something that could both assist and impede potential clinical and research uses, and find that these cellular “memories” fade and disappear as cell lines are cultured through [...]

Continue reading about Reprogrammed cells ‘remember,’ retain characteristics of their cells of origin

admin on July 20th, 2010

‘Super hemoglobin’ allows moles to thrive underground. Researchers have made the first identification of an adaptation in the blood of Eastern moles which allows more efficient transport of carbon dioxide, facilitating the moles’ burrowing behavior.

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Researchers have found that combining novel optical technologies with a common colon cancer screening test may allow doctors to more accurately detect the presence of colon cancer, particularly in women. The study combined a polarization-gating optical probe alongside traditional flexible sigmoidoscopy to measure the early increase in blood supply in rectal tissue as a marker [...]

Continue reading about Bridging the gender gap: Combined technologies offer promise for detecting colon cancer in women

A team of students is using bioinformatics to implement federal guidance on synthetic genomics. The students’ work will help gene synthesis companies and their customers better detect the possible use of manufactured DNA as harmful agents for bioterrorism.

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Soldiers who receive traumatic brain injuries during war may be at a higher risk of epilepsy even decades after the brain injury occurred, according to new research.

Continue reading about Soldiers with brain injuries at higher risk of epilepsy decades later, study finds

A new study has found that implementing cool roofs and cool pavements in cities around the world can not only help cities stay cooler, they can also cool the world, with the potential of canceling the heating effect of up to two years of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions.

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admin on July 20th, 2010

Women who fail to become pregnant after undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment often grapple with the decision of whether to try IVF again. It’s a difficult one to make: The procedure carries hefty financial, physical and emotional costs, and there are no guarantees it will work.

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admin on July 20th, 2010

Microbes boast a broader and more diverse array of metal-driven chemical processes than scientists imagined. In fact, most have yet to be discovered, according to a first-of-its-kind technique that catalogs all of the metals in a microbe. The method could lead to innovative clean energy and bioremediation technologies.

Continue reading about Microbial world’s use of metals mostly unmapped

People with a larger waistline and high triglyceride levels are at increased risk of coronary heart disease, according to a new study.

Continue reading about Increased waistline and high triglyceride levels indicate risk of coronary heart disease, study finds