Archive for April, 2006



New Research Demonstrates Bone-marrow Derived Stem Cells Can Reverse Genetic Kidney Disease

Friday, April 28th, 2006
The discovery that bone-marrow derived stem cells can regenerate damaged renal cells in an animal model of Alport syndrome provides a potential new strategy for managing this inherited kidney disease and offers the first example of how stem cells may be useful in repairing basement membrane matrix defects and restoring organ function.
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New Evidence Suggests The Need To Rewrite Bronze Age History

Friday, April 28th, 2006
The Santorini volcanic eruption occurred about 100 years earlier than previously thought, which means Bronze Age history needs to be rewritten, according to a radiocarbon study led by Cornell’s Sturt Manning, published in Science.
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African American Men Paradoxically Have Fewer, Less Severe Coronary Obstructions Than White Males

Friday, April 28th, 2006
While African American men are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease, they paradoxically have fewer cases of coronary obstruction than clinically similar white men, according to a new national study led by a Medical College of Wisconsin researcher.
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Have Constants Of Nature Have Changed Since The Dawn Of The Universe?

Friday, April 28th, 2006
Physicists at JILA have performed the first-ever precision measurements using ultracold molecules, in work that may help solve a long-standing scientific mystery — whether so-called constants of nature have changed since the dawn of the universe.
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Infants Can Organise Visual Information At Just Four Months

Friday, April 28th, 2006
Research investigating attention in infancy has revealed that, at just four months old, babies are able to organise visual information in at least three different ways, according to brightness, shape, and how close the visual elements are together (proximity). These new findings mean that very young infants are much more capable of organising their visual world than psychologists had previously thought. The study also has implications for understanding certain developmental disorders such as Williams syndrome.
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Cod In A Sweat: Some Like It Hot!

Friday, April 28th, 2006
Wild cod are much less restricted by environmental temperature than previously thought. Researchers recently presented data that shows that while some fish prefer deeper cooler waters, others tagged at the same time prefer to swim in shallower habitats where summer temperatures are consistently above 17ºC.
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Keeping Amyloid — And Alzheimer’s — In Check

Friday, April 28th, 2006
Researchers have identified a protein that reins in the rogue activity of the molecules that make amyloid-beta protein — which may prevent normal brain function in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Their findings reveal a potentially powerful tool for designing novel Alzheimer’s treatments.
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NIST Gears Up To Verify Short Range 3-D Imaging

Friday, April 28th, 2006
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently established an indoor, artifact-based facility to create new test protocols and performance measures to evaluate 3-D imaging systems used for measurment and inspection in the manufacturing, construction and transportation sectors. The new facility is part of a larger effort to provide standard test protocols and associated facilities for evaluating and calibrating these instruments.
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Probiotics Ease Gut Problems Caused By Long Term Stress

Friday, April 28th, 2006
Probiotics may help to reduce gut symptoms caused by long term stress, indicates research published ahead of print in the journal Gut.
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Neurons Find Their Place In The Developing Nervous System With The Help Of A Sticky Molecule

Friday, April 28th, 2006
The brain, that exquisite network of billions of communicating cells, starts to take form with the genesis of nerve cells. Most newborn nerve cells, also called neurons, must travel from their birthplace to the position they will occupy in the adult brain. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified a molecule expressed on the surface of certain migrating neurons that helps them find their correct position along on the way.
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