Life Sciences and Chemistry

Scientists at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, and at the University of Aarhus in Denmark, have discovered the mechanism by which acidity helps prevent muscle fatigue.

The discovery runs in the face of the previously held belief among physiologists and athletes that acidity, through a build up of lactic acid, is a major cause of muscle fatigue.

Professors George Stephenson and Graham Lamb of La Trobe’s Muscle Research Laboratory and Mr Thomas Pedersen and

New technique, reported in Science, unites organic fragments by piggybacking on DNA strands

By piggybacking small organic molecules onto short strands of DNA, chemists at Harvard University have developed an innovative new method of using DNA as a blueprint not for proteins but for collections of complex synthetic molecules. The researchers will report on the prolific technique, dubbed “DNA-templated library synthesis,” this week on the web site of the journal Science.

“T

Cyclin D proteins not required for development of tissues, as previously believed

In an experiment that appears to refute current theory, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists have found that removing three key proteins believed essential to cell division and growth had little impact on normal tissue development of a mouse embryo. These same proteins, when overly active, have been linked to cancer cell proliferation.

With one significant exception, the absence of protein

Scientists have developed the first mouse model of a rare disease in which people age rapidly and start developing cancers and other diseases associated with the elderly when they are only about 30 years old.

The advance, reported in the August issue of Nature Genetics, is already shedding light on a suspected strong link between aging and cancer by suggesting that a single cellular protein can play a role in both processes, according to researchers.

“Given that most cancer

Taking advantage of a unique labyrinth of Texas caves festooned with tree roots, Duke University biologists have given trees the most exacting root-to-twig physical of their circulatory system yet.

The scientists’ findings reveal the impressive adaptive engineering of deep-rooted trees in adjusting the size and structure of their piping, or xylem, to maximize water uptake, maintain their integrity and avoid flow-blocking embolisms. In particular, the findings reveal how the deep

Chemical engineers at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) have developed a new filtration system to enable scientists and engineers to separate and purify two different kinds of proteins having relatively close molecular weight. Until now, doing such separations with membrane filtration was impossible. This research was reported in the June 20, 2004 issue of Biotechnology and Bioengineering.

“This is good news,” said Kamalesh K. Sirkar, PhD, distinguished professor of chemical