Life Sciences and Chemistry

By taking advantage of techniques developed in the search for Alzheimer’s treatments, a team of researchers has discovered that a molecule called Notch is essential for the development of critical kidney cells. The study, published online and in the Oct. 15 issue of the journal Development, provides key information about kidney development that could have implications for tissue regeneration.

“Tissue transplantation is fantastic but it would be so much better if we could instead raise o

When a plane arrives late to an airport, it affects more than just the frustrated passengers on the tardy plane – the ripple effects could throw the entire day’s timetable off schedule.

Similarly, in a new study, North Carolina State University geneticists have found that changes to genes regulating olfactory behavior in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, a popular insect model for genetics, have far greater implications than previously appreciated.

The study is presented in a p

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have used a new way to isolate and study an important intermediate in the epoxidation of olefins such as ethylene: They run the reaction in reverse. By starting with the final products (epoxides) and placing them on the surface of a model catalyst, the scientists are able to use surface chemistry techniques to “catch” the intermediate. Understanding this intermediate may ultimately help the scientists develop improved o

Just like the manufacturers of silicon electronics, a team of Penn State chemical engineers wants to assemble circuit boards in place, but these circuits are made of conducting organic polymers that pose major fabrication roadblocks.

“We want to build electronic devices like transistors and flexible circuits,” says Dr. Seong Kim, assistant professor of chemical engineering.

Kim and Sudarshan Natarajan, graduate student in chemical engineering, looked at fabricating circuits from po

Knowing how bacteria of different types swap genes is vitally important to regulators trying to decide how safe genetically modified organisms are, but so far the way genes are transferred naturally is poorly understood. Research presented today, Monday 8 September 2003, by scientists from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology at the Society for General Microbiology’s meeting at UMIST provides some of the missing information.

“We all know that bacteria have an incr

UH Research Aims to Understand How Mistakes In DNA Replication Lead To Disease

Studies at the University of Houston are shedding light on the mechanisms our bodies use to recognize and repair mistakes in our genetic code, mistakes that, left unchecked, could lead to cancer.

DNA is the body’s blueprint found in every cell, and it carries all our genetic information. Every time a living cell divides to make new cells, it must first make a copy of its DNA, or transcribe it, si