Where do elbows and knees come from? Biologists track them back to our boneless, sharklike ancestors
Ask an older person where painful arthritis strikes and most will point to their joints—knees, hips, and fingers. That’s because as people age, those joints lose the cartilage and viscous fluid, known as synovial fluid, that keeps them supple. Sharks and skates have no bones—and no arthritis—but they apparently have the same kind of joints we do. Once thought to exist only in bony vertebrates, these so-called
synovial joints actually evolved in the much older ancestor of cartilaginous and bony fish
, researchers reported earlier this month in a preprint on bioRxiv.
“They very convincingly show tha...
Source: ScienceNOW - April 25, 2024 Category: Science Source Type: news
Forced to eat bat feces, chimps could spread deadly viruses to humans
On a sunny day 7 years ago in the Budongo Forest Reserve in Uganda, researchers were startled to observe chimpanzees scoop dry bat feces from under a hollow tree and devour it. In 60 years of observations at Budongo, no one had ever seen such a thing, recalls veterinary epidemiologist Tony Goldberg of the University of Wisconsin—Madison. “Aside from the ick factor, we all had the exact same thought,” he says. “They must be exposed to horrible bat-borne viruses.”
That suspicion proved correct. Though the bat feces is rich in nutrients,
it contains dozens of previously unknown viruses
, Goldberg and...
Source: ScienceNOW - April 22, 2024 Category: Science Source Type: news
Interim chairs named for Cell and Developmental Biology and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Mira Krendel, PhD, will serve as interim chair of Cell and Developmental Biology, and Stewart Loh, PhD, as interim chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. (Source: SUNY Upstate Medical)
Source: SUNY Upstate Medical - April 10, 2024 Category: Universities & Medical Training Tags: News Source Type: news
Pregnancy Can Make You Age Faster
Pregnancy is a wonder of biology, but new research shows that feat may come at a price. In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists found that women who have been pregnant showed more signs of biological aging compared to women who had never been pregnant before. The more times a woman had been pregnant, the faster her rate of biological aging.
“We’re learning that pregnancy has long-term effects on the body,” says Calen Ryan, associate research scientist at the Columbia University Aging Center at the Mailman School of Public Health. “They are not all bad,...
Source: TIME: Health - April 8, 2024 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Alice Park Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Source Type: news
Efforts to support Palestinian scientists struggle with the realities of war
Mou’yed Issa Talab Ismail was thrilled when, last month, he received an offer to begin a doctoral program in medical physics at the University of Sherbrooke. “Canada is considered one of the best countries in the world in my field of scientific research,” he says. “This will open the way for me to complete my studies.”
One of several recently launched efforts to support scientists and technical students in war-torn Gaza helped match Ismail with the Canadian program. But throwing a lifeline to Palestinian scholars is proving difficult, and it’s unclear when Ismail will make it to Canada. He is currently sh...
Source: ScienceNOW - April 8, 2024 Category: Science Source Type: news
Novel biological mechanism discovered that could lead to new treatments for neurological disorders, cancers
The lab of Yongchao C. Ma, PhD, at Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago discovered a fundamental biological mechanism that could lead to new treatments for neurological diseases, such as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and autism, as well as different cancers. The study was published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics.
Dr. Ma's team found that chemical modification of RNA (called RNA methylation) regulates mitochondrial function. (Source: World Pharma News)
Source: World Pharma News - April 5, 2024 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Featured Research Research and Development Source Type: news
If you torture your data long enough, it will confess to anything: on the epidemiological basis of the LNT model - Socol Y.
This note deals with epidemiological data interpretation supporting the linear no-threshold model, as opposed to emerging evidence of adaptive response and hormesis from molecular biology in vitro and animal models. Particularly, the US-Japan Radiation Eff... (Source: SafetyLit)
Source: SafetyLit - April 5, 2024 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Tags: Research Methods, Surveillance and Codes, Models Source Type: news
Muscle cramp compound may drive deadly wasting in cancer patients
“The flesh is consumed and becomes water … the abdomen fills with water, the feet and legs swell, the shoulders, clavicles, chest, and thighs melt away. … The illness is fatal.”
This spine-chilling description, written by Greek physician and philosopher Hippocrates, is believed to be the first account of a deadly muscle wasting disease called cachexia (pronounced kuh-KEK-sia). Scientists estimate that up to 80% of cancer patients suffer from the condition, where the body relentlessly eats away at itself until organs such as the heart and diaphragm stop working. Even if cachexia doesn’t directly kill a patie...
Source: ScienceNOW - April 3, 2024 Category: Science Source Type: news
John Midgley obituary
My colleague and friend John Midgley, who has died aged 88, was a scientist, biochemist and researcher best known for the invention and development of thyroid hormone blood tests in the 1980s.A pioneer in medical biochemistry, his work in the field of thyroid hormone detection hugely improved patient care. John was also a passionate advocate for patients – as a medical adviser to the charity Thyroid UK, commentator and writer.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - April 2, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Rudolf Hoermann Tags: Thyroid disorders Science Medical research Biochemistry and molecular biology Yorkshire Healthcare industry University of Leeds University of Oxford Newcastle University Source Type: news
Scientists Close in on Elusive Goal of Adapting Nanopore Technology for Protein Sequencing
Technology could enable medical laboratories to deploy inexpensive protein sequencing with a handheld device at point of care and remote locations Clinical laboratories engaged in protein testing will be interested in several recent studies that suggest scientists may be close to adapting nanopore-sensing technology for use in protein identification and sequencing. The new proteomics techniques […]
The post Scientists Close in on Elusive Goal of Adapting Nanopore Technology for Protein Sequencing appeared first on Dark Daily. (Source: Dark Daily)
Source: Dark Daily - March 25, 2024 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Jillia Schlingman Tags: International Laboratory News Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment Laboratory Testing Molecular Diagnostics, Genetic Testing, Whole Gene Sequencing Aleksei Aksimentiev PhD American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology amino Source Type: news
Possible TikTok ban has U.S. science communicators on edge
For biologist Brooke Fitzwater, a doctoral student at the University of Alabama, the social media platform TikTok has become a key tool for
sharing her knowledge of marine biology
with some 250,000 followers. Her short, humorous videos on everything from whale sharks to zombie worms have attracted up to 2.1 million views. “TikTok has been an unparalleled way for me to communicate science to the public,” Fitzwater says.
Last week, however, Fitzwater and many other science communicators who rely on TikTok got some worrying news: The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to approve legislation...
Source: ScienceNOW - March 19, 2024 Category: Science Source Type: news
‘Lab-leak’ proponents at Rutgers accused of defaming and intimidating COVID-19 origin researchers
Fraudsters. Liars. Perjurers. Felons. Grifters. Stooges. Imbeciles. Murderers. When it comes to describing scientists whose peer-reviewed studies suggest the COVID-19 virus made a natural jump from animals to humans, molecular biologist Richard Ebright and microbiologist Bryce Nickels have used some very harsh language. On X (formerly Twitter), where the two scientists from Rutgers University are a constant presence, they have even compared fellow researchers to Nazi war criminals and the genocidal Cambodian dictator Pol Pot.
But now, their targets have had enough. A dozen scientists filed a
formal complaint
...
Source: ScienceNOW - March 15, 2024 Category: Science Source Type: news
Protecting Black mothers before, during and after pregnancy
Key takeawaysAccording to the California Department of Public Health, the pregnancy-related mortality rate for Black women in the state has long been disproportionately high.Black women still experience pregnancy-related deaths at rates three to four times higher than those of their peers from other racial and ethnic groups.To discuss what ’s being done to address this crisis, the UCLA Center for Reproductive Science, Health and Education hosted a talk by L.A. County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell.The pregnancy-related mortality rate for Black women in California has long been disproportionately high, according to the Ca...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - March 14, 2024 Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news
Rupert Murdoch to Be Married for 5th Time, Engaged to Elena Zhukova
Rupert Murdoch is engaged again -- this time to current girlfriend Elena Zhukova The former chairman of Fox and News Corps, 92, and the retired molecular biologist, 67, are taking their relationship to new heights as they prepare to tie the knot. On Thursday, reports circulated that Murdoch and…#rupertmurdoch #elenazhukova #foxandnewscorps #times #abcnews #australian #wendideng #dailymail #newyorkharbour #annamariatorv (Source: Reuters: Health)
Source: Reuters: Health - March 9, 2024 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Rupert Murdoch Is Engaged, Planning a June Wedding
Rupert Murdoch is engaged to Elena Zhukova, a retired molecular biologist, with plans for a wedding. A source told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday that the 92-year-old media mogul plans to marry Zhukova, 62, on June 1 in a ceremony on his California vineyard and estate, Moraga. Murdoch…#rupertmurdoch #elenazhukova #hollywoodreporter #wendideng #annlesleysmith #jerryhall #patriciabooker #annamariatorv #moscow #alexanderzhukov (Source: Reuters: Health)
Source: Reuters: Health - March 7, 2024 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
