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Many light smokers meet the criteria for nicotine addiction

Even people who consider themselves to be casual cigarette smokers may be addicted, according to current diagnostic criteria. Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine and Duke University found that many light smokers -- those who smoke one to four cigarettes per day or fewer -- meet the criteria for nicotine addiction and should therefore be considered for treatment.

24 Dec 2020

40-year study helps better understand the effects of climate change on bunchgrass prairies

Over 40 years of monitoring, an endangered bunchgrass prairie became hotter, drier and more susceptible to fire annually--but dramatic seasonal changes (not annual climate trends) seem to be driving the biggest changes in plant production, composition, and summer senescence.

24 Dec 2020

Scientists discover new class of compounds for combating antimicrobial resistance

Wistar Institute scientists have discovered a new class of compounds that uniquely combine direct antibiotic killing of pan drug-resistant bacterial pathogens with a simultaneous rapid immune response for combatting antimicrobial resistance (AMR). These finding were published today in Nature.

24 Dec 2020

Triple drug combination keeps people with metastatic colon cancer disease free for longer time

Researchers from SWOG Cancer Research Network, a cancer clinical trials group funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, have shown that a triple drug combination - of irinotecan, cetuximab, and vemurafenib - is a more powerful tumor fighter and keeps people with metastatic colon cancer disease free for a significantly longer period of time compared with patients treated with irinotecan and cetuximab.

24 Dec 2020

Genomic study of weedy seadragons reveals significantly distinct populations

Charismatic, iconic and Instagram-friendly, the weedy seadragon is a favourite with divers and snorkellers. The first genomic study of east coast Australian seadragon populations can now reveal "weedies" from NSW, Victoria and Tasmania are significantly different.

24 Dec 2020

New project to study origin and major pathways of pollutants into coastal lagoons

A scientific project led by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena will study the major pathways delivering nutrients, trace metals and pollutants.

24 Dec 2020

Transporter protein likely played a crucial role in vertebrate evolution

A transporter protein that regulates cell membrane cholesterol likely played an important role in vertebrate evolution, according to a review published by iCeMS researchers in the journal FEBS Letters.

24 Dec 2020

Study shows how the brain navigates places and tracks someone else in the same location

As COVID cases rise, physically distancing yourself from other people has never been more important. Now a new UCLA study reveals how your brain navigates places and monitors someone else in the same location.

24 Dec 2020

Scientists identify new weapon to fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria

As scientists around the globe wage war against a novel, deadly virus, one University of Colorado Boulder lab is working on new weapons to battle a different microbial threat: a rising tide of antibiotic-resistant bacteria which, if left unchecked, could kill an estimated 10 million people annually by 2050.

24 Dec 2020

Study uncovers how shattered chromosomes make cancer cells more aggressive

Cancer is one of the world's greatest health afflictions because, unlike some diseases, it is a moving target, constantly evolving to evade and resist treatment.

From UC San Diego 24 Dec 2020

Study reveals lower transfer of protective SARS-CoV-2 antibodies via the placenta

Recent analyses indicate that pregnant women and newborns may face elevated risks of developing more severe cases of COVID-19 following SARS-CoV-2 infection.

24 Dec 2020

Researchers report a potential cancer drug that targets mitochondrial function

A newly developed compound starves cancer cells by attacking their "power plants" - the so-called mitochondria. The new compound prevents the genetic information within mitochondria from being read.

23 Dec 2020

Researchers analyze the variation in song frequency of passerine bird species

An analysis of the songs of most of the world's passerine birds reveals that the frequency at which birds sing mostly depends on body size, but is also influenced by sexual selection.

23 Dec 2020

Researchers use different colors of light to control gut bacteria genes

Baylor College of Medicine researcher Meng Wang had already shown that bacteria that make a metabolite called colanic acid (CA) could extend the lifespan of worms in her lab by as much as 50%, but her collaboration with Rice University synthetic biologist Jeffrey Tabor is providing tools to answer the bigger question of how the metabolite imparts longer life.

23 Dec 2020

Scientists discover molecular defects associated with rare genetic disorder in children

Damien D'Amours and his team at the Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology needed three years to discover the molecular defects associated with the LIC Syndrome, a serious genetic disorder that affects young children and result in acute respiratory distress, immune deficiency and abnormal chromosomes.

23 Dec 2020

Scientists find master switch that adjusts gene activity to match nutrient levels in roundworms

Transforming a fertilized egg into a fully functional adult is a complicated task. Cells must divide, move, and mature at specific times. Developmental genes control that process, turning on and off in a choreographed way.

23 Dec 2020

New computational tool can segment and analyze cell images of C. elegans

A joint research team co-led by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has developed a novel computational tool that can reconstruct and visualise three-dimensional (3D) shapes and temporal changes of cells, speeding up the analysing process from hundreds of hours by hand to a few hours by the computer.

23 Dec 2020

New tantalum-laced composite hydrogel controls excessive bleeding in the body

There are many different events that may lead to excessive and uncontrolled bleeding within the body. This can occur as a result of inflammation and ulcerations, abnormalities in the blood vessels or trauma-related injuries.

23 Dec 2020

Anti-diarrhea drug could be used to induce cell death in glioblastoma cell lines

The research group led by Dr Sjoerd van Wijk from the Institute of Experimental Cancer Research in Paediatrics at Goethe University already two years ago found evidence indicating that the anti-diarrhea drug loperamide could be used to induce cell death in glioblastoma cell lines.

23 Dec 2020

Advanced methodology reveals structures of Arp2/3 complex within cells

The cells in our body are in motion. Some migrate from A to B to heal wounds or fight pathogens. They do so with the help of small "feet" at the leading edge of migrating cells, so-called lamellipodia.

22 Dec 2020

Life Science News

Many light smokers meet the criteria for nicotine addiction

40-year study helps better understand the effects of climate change on bunchgrass prairies

Scientists discover new class of compounds for combating antimicrobial resistance

Triple drug combination keeps people with metastatic colon cancer disease free for longer time

Genomic study of weedy seadragons reveals significantly distinct populations

New project to study origin and major pathways of pollutants into coastal lagoons

Transporter protein likely played a crucial role in vertebrate evolution

Study shows how the brain navigates places and tracks someone else in the same location

Scientists identify new weapon to fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Study uncovers how shattered chromosomes make cancer cells more aggressive

Study reveals lower transfer of protective SARS-CoV-2 antibodies via the placenta

Researchers report a potential cancer drug that targets mitochondrial function

Researchers analyze the variation in song frequency of passerine bird species

Researchers use different colors of light to control gut bacteria genes

Scientists discover molecular defects associated with rare genetic disorder in children

Scientists find master switch that adjusts gene activity to match nutrient levels in roundworms

New computational tool can segment and analyze cell images of C. elegans

New tantalum-laced composite hydrogel controls excessive bleeding in the body

Anti-diarrhea drug could be used to induce cell death in glioblastoma cell lines

Advanced methodology reveals structures of Arp2/3 complex within cells

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