The Genostar consortium today announces the launch of its Genostar platform for exploratory genomics, the result of two and a half years research carried out by a team of more than 20 genomics and bioinformatics scientists and developers. Exploratory genomics involves the study of the structure and function of genes and proteins and plays a vital role in healthcare, agrifood and other industries. Members of the consortium are GENOME express, Hybrigenics, INRIA and the Pasteur Institute (see boilerpla

Scientists at the University of Ulster have unveiled a monitoring system that can ensure transplant organs arrive in pristine condition for the life-saving surgery.
They have developed tiny sensors which are inserted in the organs, and which monitor if there has been any deterioration in the organs’ condition since being removed from the donor.

The sensors are flexible micro-electrodes based on pioneering nanotechnology, which are implanted in the donor organ.

The electrodes mo

Pellets of rotting moths could keep weevils off oranges.

Mummified rotting cadavers could be a cost-effective way to combat soil pests, suggest scientists at the US Department of Agriculture. Citrus crops, cranberries and ornamental shrubs all stand to benefit.

Bacteria in the guts of roundworms grown inside dead wax moths can emerge to kill other soil insects, including the black vine weevil ( Otiorhynchus sulcatus ), a serious pest of plants in nurseries.

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A new study using mouse “knockouts” shows that genes that control limb formation in insects have similar functions in mammals.

Split hand/foot malformation (SHFM) or ectrodactyly (the “lobster claw” anomaly), is a severe congenital malformation syndrome characterised by a profound median cleft of the hands and/or feet, typically associated with absence or fusion of the remaining fingers. This condition is quite frequent as about 6 cases of SHFM are observed for every 10,000 human births.

Marine reserves have rapid and lasting impacts on organisms inside reserves, according to scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

In a paper published in the current issue of ECOLOGY LETTERS, the researchers reviewed 80 studies from `no-take` reserves, where it is illegal to extract organisms in any way. These showed that density, biomass, average size and diversity of organisms inside these reserves reach much higher levels within a short period of time, usually one to th

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