Biology

The ‘surprisingly simple’ arithmetic of smell

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Adding and subtracting certain neurons tells researchers whether or not a locust can smell an odor

Smell a cup of coffee.

Smell it inside or outside; summer or winter; in a coffee shop with a scone; in a pizza parlor with pepperoni – even at a pizza parlor with a scone! – coffee smells like coffee.

Why don’t other smells or different environmental factors “get in the way,” so to speak, of the experience of smelling individual odors? Researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis turned to their trusted research subject, the locust, to find out. [Read more…] about The ‘surprisingly simple’ arithmetic of smell

Scientists make ‘breakthrough’ discovery into the cause of male infertility

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Scientists at Newcastle University say they have identified a new genetic mechanism that can cause severe forms of male infertility.

This breakthrough in understanding the underlying cause of male infertility offers hope of better treatment options for patients in the future.

The study, published today in Nature Communications, shows that new mutations, not inherited from father or mother, play a major role in this medical condition. [Read more…] about Scientists make ‘breakthrough’ discovery into the cause of male infertility

Surgeons transplant pig’s heart into human patient

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In a first-of-its-kind surgery, a 57-year-old patient with terminal heart disease received a successful transplant of a genetically-modified pig heart and is still doing well three days later.

It was the only currently available option for the patient. The historic surgery was conducted by University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) faculty at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), together known as the University of Maryland Medicine.

This organ transplant demonstrated for the first time that a genetically-modified animal heart can function like a human heart without immediate rejection by the body. [Read more…] about Surgeons transplant pig’s heart into human patient

New research shows gene exchange between viruses and hosts drives evolution

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The first comprehensive analysis of viral horizontal gene transfer (HGT) illustrates the extent to which viruses pick up genes from their hosts to hone their infection process, while at the same time hosts also co-opt useful viral genes.

The first comprehensive analysis of viral horizontal gene transfer (HGT) illustrates the extent to which viruses pick up genes from their hosts to hone their infection process, while at the same time hosts also co-opt useful viral genes.

HGT is the movement of genetic material between disparate groups of organisms, rather than by the “vertical” transmission of DNA from parent to offspring. Previous studies have looked at HGT between bacteria and their viruses and have shown that it plays a major role in the movement of genes between bacterial species. [Read more…] about New research shows gene exchange between viruses and hosts drives evolution

‘Simple’ bacteria found to organize in elaborate patterns

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Genetic mechanism found that enables communities of bacterial cells to organize into surprisingly sophisticated segments, revealing a similarity to how plants and animals develop

Over the past several years, research from University of California San Diego biologist Gürol Süel’s laboratory has uncovered a series of remarkable features exhibited by clusters of bacteria that live together in communities known as biofilms.

Biofilms are prevalent in the living world, inhabiting sewer pipes, kitchen counters and even the surface of our teeth. A previous research study demonstrated that these biofilms employ sophisticated systems to communicate with one another, while another proved biofilms have a robust capacity for memory. [Read more…] about ‘Simple’ bacteria found to organize in elaborate patterns

Antibiotic breakthrough: Scientists finally figure out how penicillin kills bacteria

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The mechanism which allows β-lactam antibiotics, including penicillin, to kill MRSA has been revealed for the first time.

An international team of researchers led by the University of Sheffield discovered that β-lactam antibiotics kill MRSA (Methicillin Resistant S. aureus) by creating holes in the cell wall which enlarge as the cell grows, eventually killing the bacteria.

The growth of these holes leads to failure of the cell wall and death of the bacteria, something which the scientists now plan to exploit in order to create new therapeutics for antibiotic-resistant superbugs. [Read more…] about Antibiotic breakthrough: Scientists finally figure out how penicillin kills bacteria

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Gut and heart signals affect how we see ourselves

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New research has discovered that the strength of the connection between our brain and internal organs is linked to how we feel about our appearance.

Published in the journal Cortex, the study is the first to investigate, and first to identify, the association between body image and the brain’s processing of internal signals that occur unconsciously.

Carried out by a team of psychologists and neuroscientists at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), the study found that adults whose brains are less efficient at detecting these internal messages are more likely to experience body shame and weight preoccupation. [Read more…] about Gut and heart signals affect how we see ourselves

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When humans disturb marine mammals, it’s hard to know the long-term impact

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From seismic surveys and Navy sonar to fisheries and shipping, many human activities in the ocean environment cause short-term changes in the behaviors of marine mammals.

A longstanding challenge for scientists and regulatory agencies alike has been to understand the biological significance of those changes in terms of their overall impact on affected populations of animals.

A new study led by scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, provides a comprehensive framework for conducting this type of assessment. Published August 25 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the paper synthesizes a huge amount of knowledge about marine mammals and research on the impacts of various disturbances.

Senior author Daniel Costa, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and director of the Institute of Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz, said he first began grappling with this problem decades ago when he was studying the impact of low-frequency sound on whales and other marine mammals.

“We had measurable parameters that were statistically significant, but we didn’t know the biological significance of these changes in behavior. That bothered me, and it bothered a lot of other people in the field,” he said. [Read more…] about When humans disturb marine mammals, it’s hard to know the long-term impact

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  • Dinosaurs were in decline before the end, according to new study
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A universal equation for the shape of an egg

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Researchers from the University of Kent, the Research Institute for Environment Treatment and Vita-Market Ltd have discovered a universal mathematical formula that can describe any bird’s egg existing in nature, a feat which has been unsuccessful until now.

Egg-shape has long attracted the attention of mathematicians, engineers, and biologists from an analytical point of view.

The shape has been highly regarded for its evolution as large enough to incubate an embryo, small enough to exit the body in the most efficient way, not roll away once laid, is structurally sound enough to bear weight and be the beginning of life for so many species. The egg has been called the “perfect shape.”

Analysis of all egg shapes used four geometric figures: sphere, ellipsoid, ovoid, and pyriform (conical or pear-shaped), with a mathematical formula for the pyriform yet to be derived. [Read more…] about A universal equation for the shape of an egg

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Learning from a ‘living fossil’

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As we live and breathe, ancient-looking fish known as bowfin are guarding genetic secrets that that can help unravel humanity’s evolutionary history and better understand its health.

Michigan State researchers Ingo Braasch and Andrew Thompson are now decoding some of those secrets. Leading a project that included more than two dozen researchers spanning three continents, the Spartans have assembled the most complete picture of the bowfin genome to date.

“For the first time, we have what’s called a chromosome-level genome assembly for the bowfin,” said Braasch, an assistant professor of integrative biology in the College of Natural Science. “If you think of the genome like a book, what we had in the past was like having all the pages ripped out in pieces. Now, we’ve put them back in the book.” [Read more…] about Learning from a ‘living fossil’

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