The News:
Skin cells rewind to stem cells
Sick patients' cells have been reverted to their embryonic state, paving way for therapy.
By Karen Kaplan Los Angeles Times
Article Last Updated: 08/01/2008 12:05:47 AM MDT
Scientists have created the first personalized stem cells for patients with a genetic disease by rewinding their skin cells to an embryonic state, according to a study published Thursday in the online edition of Science.
The researchers then converted some of those stem cells into the two kinds of brain cells that cause their crippling disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Stem-cell experts said they were delighted — though not surprised — to see proof that the reprogramming technique worked on human cells from a sick patient. Previously, human versions of the so-called induced pluripotent stem cells had only been made from skin samples provided by healthy subjects.
"It is quite amazing and an important step that should allow the development of experimental and therapeutic interventions for this disease," said Kathrin Plath, a researcher at the Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, who was not involved in the study.
The new cells were derived from 3-millimeter patches of skin removed from the arm of an 82-year-old woman and her 89-year-old sister, who share a rare genetic mutation that causes about 2 percent of ALS cases.
The scientists from Harvard University and Columbia University focused on the rare form of ALS in part to test whether cells from elderly patients could be reprogrammed, said biologist Kevin Eggan of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science. (click on Full text-pdf)
Friday, August 1, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Research news: Scientists may have been fossil fooled
The News:
Scientists may have been fossil fooled
Experts say a substance found in T. rex bones was naturally occurring slime, not dino tissue.
By Wendy Hansen Los Angeles Times
Article Last Updated: 07/30/2008 08:28:50 PM MDT
Soft, organic material discovered inside a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil that scientists believed was 70 million-year-old dinosaur tissue may have been nothing more than ordinary slime, scientists said in a study published Wednesday.
Researchers reported in the online journal PLoS ONE that bacterial colonies infiltrating tiny cavities in the bones long after the dinosaurs died may have naturally molded into shapes resembling the tissues they replaced.
Carbon dating performed on one sample showed that the tissuelike material was modern, circa 1960.
After further examination with light and electron microscopy, researchers concluded that the substances were most likely remnants of biofilms, or layers of bacterial cells and the sticky molecules they secrete.
The finding sparked a strong response from the researchers who originally claimed to have found ancient dinosaur tissue.
Mary Schweitzer, the biologist from North Carolina State University who found the original T. rex "tissue," said in a prepared statement that errors in the current study "seem to underlie a fundamental misunderstanding of our work, our data and our interpretations." Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal PLoS ONE.
Scientists may have been fossil fooled
Experts say a substance found in T. rex bones was naturally occurring slime, not dino tissue.
By Wendy Hansen Los Angeles Times
Article Last Updated: 07/30/2008 08:28:50 PM MDT
Soft, organic material discovered inside a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil that scientists believed was 70 million-year-old dinosaur tissue may have been nothing more than ordinary slime, scientists said in a study published Wednesday.
Researchers reported in the online journal PLoS ONE that bacterial colonies infiltrating tiny cavities in the bones long after the dinosaurs died may have naturally molded into shapes resembling the tissues they replaced.
Carbon dating performed on one sample showed that the tissuelike material was modern, circa 1960.
After further examination with light and electron microscopy, researchers concluded that the substances were most likely remnants of biofilms, or layers of bacterial cells and the sticky molecules they secrete.
The finding sparked a strong response from the researchers who originally claimed to have found ancient dinosaur tissue.
Mary Schweitzer, the biologist from North Carolina State University who found the original T. rex "tissue," said in a prepared statement that errors in the current study "seem to underlie a fundamental misunderstanding of our work, our data and our interpretations." Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal PLoS ONE.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Research news: Women end up less happy than men
The News:
Women End Up Less Happy Than Men
ScienceDaily (July 30, 2008) — Less able to achieve their life goals, women end up unhappier than men later in life – even though they start out happier, reveals new research by Anke Plagnol of the University of Cambridge, and University of Southern California economist Richard Easterlin.
Plagnol and Easterlin's study, forthcoming in the Journal of Happiness Studies, is the first to use nationally representative data spanning several decades to examine the role of unfulfilled desires in a person's sense of well-being.
As the researchers explain, expectations of success may vary among those raised in different generations (i.e., an economic depression). Data sets from a range of time periods may also have different demographic compositions.
In their analysis, the researchers control for birth cohort and demographic characteristics such as race and education. They find that women are, on average, happier than men in early adulthood – but the glow wears off with time. Specifically, after the age of 48, men's overall happiness exceeds women's happiness. Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of Happiness Studies.
Women End Up Less Happy Than Men
ScienceDaily (July 30, 2008) — Less able to achieve their life goals, women end up unhappier than men later in life – even though they start out happier, reveals new research by Anke Plagnol of the University of Cambridge, and University of Southern California economist Richard Easterlin.
Plagnol and Easterlin's study, forthcoming in the Journal of Happiness Studies, is the first to use nationally representative data spanning several decades to examine the role of unfulfilled desires in a person's sense of well-being.
As the researchers explain, expectations of success may vary among those raised in different generations (i.e., an economic depression). Data sets from a range of time periods may also have different demographic compositions.
In their analysis, the researchers control for birth cohort and demographic characteristics such as race and education. They find that women are, on average, happier than men in early adulthood – but the glow wears off with time. Specifically, after the age of 48, men's overall happiness exceeds women's happiness. Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of Happiness Studies.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Research news: Beer-drinking tree shrews--sober as judges
The News:
Beer-Drinking Tree Shrews: Sober As Judges
by Michelle Trudeau
All Things Considered, July 28, 2008 · In the rain forest of Malaysia, scientists have found a small mammal, closely related to primates, whose major source of food is a type of beer.
It's believed to be the only animal other than humans that chronically consumes alcohol. But this animal never appears drunk, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Click on Full Text (PDF)
Beer-Drinking Tree Shrews: Sober As Judges
by Michelle Trudeau
All Things Considered, July 28, 2008 · In the rain forest of Malaysia, scientists have found a small mammal, closely related to primates, whose major source of food is a type of beer.
It's believed to be the only animal other than humans that chronically consumes alcohol. But this animal never appears drunk, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Click on Full Text (PDF)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Research news: Genes, criminal tendencies show link
The News:
Genes, criminal tendencies show link
By McClatchy Newspapers
Article Last Updated: 07/28/2008 12:24:33 AM MDT
RALEIGH, N.C. — Maybe some boys really were born to be wild.
Researchers at UNC Chapel Hill announced this week that they had found three genes that appear to affect the probability of a life of crime.
The study looked at roughly 1,100 boys in middle school and high school, ages 12-18.
In 1996 and again in 2002, the participants were asked to take a 12-question survey to gauge their delinquent tendencies. The participants' delinquency scores were matched against their genetics to look for a correlation.
The results clearly showed a genetic basis for aggressive behavior.
The idea that personality and behavior can be predicted by genetics is not a new one, and has a dark past.
"Bad genes" was the basis for Henry Goddard's theory of eugenics in the early 20th century, and was used as a justification for racial supremacy.
In the current research, scientists emphasized that having the gene doesn't necessarily mean a child is destined to become a hardened criminal. Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the American Sociological Review.
Genes, criminal tendencies show link
By McClatchy Newspapers
Article Last Updated: 07/28/2008 12:24:33 AM MDT
RALEIGH, N.C. — Maybe some boys really were born to be wild.
Researchers at UNC Chapel Hill announced this week that they had found three genes that appear to affect the probability of a life of crime.
The study looked at roughly 1,100 boys in middle school and high school, ages 12-18.
In 1996 and again in 2002, the participants were asked to take a 12-question survey to gauge their delinquent tendencies. The participants' delinquency scores were matched against their genetics to look for a correlation.
The results clearly showed a genetic basis for aggressive behavior.
The idea that personality and behavior can be predicted by genetics is not a new one, and has a dark past.
"Bad genes" was the basis for Henry Goddard's theory of eugenics in the early 20th century, and was used as a justification for racial supremacy.
In the current research, scientists emphasized that having the gene doesn't necessarily mean a child is destined to become a hardened criminal. Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the American Sociological Review.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Research news: Equal sign of the times
The News:
Equal sign of the times:Research on math tests subtracts boys' advantage
By Wendy Hansen Los Angeles Times
Article Launched: 07/25/2008 12:30:00 AM MDT
The notion that boys are better at math simply doesn't add up, according to a study to be published today in the journal Science.
An analysis of standardized test scores from more than 7.2 million U.S. students in grades 2 through 11 found no difference in math scores for girls and boys, contradicting a pervasive belief that most women aren't hard-wired for careers in science and technology.
The study also undermined the assumption — espoused by former Harvard University president Lawrence Summers in 2005 — that boys are more likely to be math geniuses.
Girls scored in the top 5 percent almost as often as boys, the data showed.
"Both parents and teachers continue to hold the stereotype that boys are better than girls," said psychologist Janet Hyde of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, who led the study. "That's just not accurate."
Hyde and her colleagues examined data from math tests administered from 2005 to 2007 as part of the No Child Left Behind initiative. Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
Equal sign of the times:Research on math tests subtracts boys' advantage
By Wendy Hansen Los Angeles Times
Article Launched: 07/25/2008 12:30:00 AM MDT
The notion that boys are better at math simply doesn't add up, according to a study to be published today in the journal Science.
An analysis of standardized test scores from more than 7.2 million U.S. students in grades 2 through 11 found no difference in math scores for girls and boys, contradicting a pervasive belief that most women aren't hard-wired for careers in science and technology.
The study also undermined the assumption — espoused by former Harvard University president Lawrence Summers in 2005 — that boys are more likely to be math geniuses.
Girls scored in the top 5 percent almost as often as boys, the data showed.
"Both parents and teachers continue to hold the stereotype that boys are better than girls," said psychologist Janet Hyde of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, who led the study. "That's just not accurate."
Hyde and her colleagues examined data from math tests administered from 2005 to 2007 as part of the No Child Left Behind initiative. Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Research news: Women feeling blue find benefits in little blue pill
The News:
Women feeling blue find benefits in little blue pill
A study shows Viagra helps premenopausal females who take antidepressants reach orgasm, but other aspects of sex such as desire are not enhanced.
By Carla K. JohnsonThe Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 07/22/2008 08:15:59 PM MDT
CHICAGO — Viagra's effect in women has been disappointing, but a new small study finds those on antidepressants may benefit from taking the little blue pills.
The research involving 98 premenopausal women found Viagra helped with orgasm. But the benefits did not extend to other aspects of sex such as desire, researchers report in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.
"For women on antidepressants with orgasm problems, this may provide some wonderful relief," said psychologist Stanley Althof, director of the Center for Marital and Sexual Health of South Florida in West Palm Beach, who was not involved in the study. "But it will not improve their desire or arousal."
Antidepressants can interfere with sex drive and performance even as the drugs help lift crippling depression. Switching drugs or reducing the dose can help. But many people, men and women, stop taking them because of their sexual side effects.
The complaints are common. More than half the people who take antidepressants develop sexual problems, prior studies have found, especially for people taking Prozac, Paxil, Celexa and other drugs that work by increasing the chemical serotonin in the brain.
Serotonin is thought to slow down orgasm, perhaps by diminishing the release of another brain chemical, dopamine. Viagra increases blood flow to sex organs. Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Women feeling blue find benefits in little blue pill
A study shows Viagra helps premenopausal females who take antidepressants reach orgasm, but other aspects of sex such as desire are not enhanced.
By Carla K. JohnsonThe Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 07/22/2008 08:15:59 PM MDT
CHICAGO — Viagra's effect in women has been disappointing, but a new small study finds those on antidepressants may benefit from taking the little blue pills.
The research involving 98 premenopausal women found Viagra helped with orgasm. But the benefits did not extend to other aspects of sex such as desire, researchers report in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.
"For women on antidepressants with orgasm problems, this may provide some wonderful relief," said psychologist Stanley Althof, director of the Center for Marital and Sexual Health of South Florida in West Palm Beach, who was not involved in the study. "But it will not improve their desire or arousal."
Antidepressants can interfere with sex drive and performance even as the drugs help lift crippling depression. Switching drugs or reducing the dose can help. But many people, men and women, stop taking them because of their sexual side effects.
The complaints are common. More than half the people who take antidepressants develop sexual problems, prior studies have found, especially for people taking Prozac, Paxil, Celexa and other drugs that work by increasing the chemical serotonin in the brain.
Serotonin is thought to slow down orgasm, perhaps by diminishing the release of another brain chemical, dopamine. Viagra increases blood flow to sex organs. Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Research news: Sorry, Charlie, You and Nemo Aren't the Only Fish That Talk
The News:
Sorry, Charlie, You and Nemo Aren't the Only Fish That Talk
New research shows that vocal communication evolved from ancient fish species
July 17, 2008
View a video interview with biologist Andrew Bass of Cornell University and a guided tour of fish communicating.
Talking fish are no strangers to Americans. From the comedic portrayal of "Mr. Limpet" by Don Knotts, to the children's Disney favorite, "Nemo," fish can talk, laugh and tell jokes--at least on television and the silver screen. But can real fish verbally communicate? Researchers say, "Yes," in a paper published in the July 18 issue of the journal Science. Further, the findings put human speech--and social communications of all vertebrates--in evolutionary context. Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
Sorry, Charlie, You and Nemo Aren't the Only Fish That Talk
New research shows that vocal communication evolved from ancient fish species
July 17, 2008
View a video interview with biologist Andrew Bass of Cornell University and a guided tour of fish communicating.
Talking fish are no strangers to Americans. From the comedic portrayal of "Mr. Limpet" by Don Knotts, to the children's Disney favorite, "Nemo," fish can talk, laugh and tell jokes--at least on television and the silver screen. But can real fish verbally communicate? Researchers say, "Yes," in a paper published in the July 18 issue of the journal Science. Further, the findings put human speech--and social communications of all vertebrates--in evolutionary context. Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Research News: Low-carb diet wins at losing
The News:
Low-carb diet wins at losing
The low-fat strategy was third and women did best on a Mediterranean diet in a two-year project.
By Mike Stobbe - The Associated Press
ATLANTA — The Atkins diet may have proved itself after all: A low-carb diet and a Mediterranean-style regimen helped people lose more weight than a traditional low-fat diet in one of the longest and largest studies to compare the competing weight-loss techniques. A bigger surprise: The low-carb diet improved cholesterol more than the two others. Some critics had predicted the opposite because that diet doesn't restrict fats.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Low-carb diet wins at losing
The low-fat strategy was third and women did best on a Mediterranean diet in a two-year project.
By Mike Stobbe - The Associated Press
ATLANTA — The Atkins diet may have proved itself after all: A low-carb diet and a Mediterranean-style regimen helped people lose more weight than a traditional low-fat diet in one of the longest and largest studies to compare the competing weight-loss techniques. A bigger surprise: The low-carb diet improved cholesterol more than the two others. Some critics had predicted the opposite because that diet doesn't restrict fats.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Research News: Kids' activity levels slide in 'tween years
The News:
Kids' activity levels slide in 'tween years
By Tara Parker-Pope
The New York Times
Article Last Updated: 07/16/2008 03:06:15 AM MDT
Young children spend an extraordinary amount of time moving about — an average of three hours a day at age 9, new research shows. But in just a few years, all that childhood energy disappears. By age 15, daily physical activity is down to just 49 minutes on weekdays and about a half-hour on weekends.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Kids' activity levels slide in 'tween years
By Tara Parker-Pope
The New York Times
Article Last Updated: 07/16/2008 03:06:15 AM MDT
Young children spend an extraordinary amount of time moving about — an average of three hours a day at age 9, new research shows. But in just a few years, all that childhood energy disappears. By age 15, daily physical activity is down to just 49 minutes on weekdays and about a half-hour on weekends.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
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