|  In a surprise finding, gene mutation found linked to low-risk bladder cancer  | An international research team has discovered a genetic mutation linked to low-risk bladder cancer. The investigators identified STAG2 as one of the most commonly mutated genes in bladder cancer, particularly in tumors that do not spread. The finding suggests that checking the status of the gene may help identify patients who might do unusually well following cancer treatment. | Read More » Researchers sequence non-infiltrating bladder cancer exome  | Researchers have carried out the first exome sequencing for non-infiltrating bladder cancer, the most frequent type of bladder cancer and the one with the highest risk of recurrence. The results reveal new genetic pathways involved in the disease, such as cellular division and DNA repair, as well as new genes—not previously described—that might be crucial for understanding its origin and evolution. | Read More » The role of 'master regulators' in gene mutations and disease  | Researchers have developed a new way to parse and understand how special proteins called "master regulators" read the genome, and consequently turn genes on and off. | Read More » Safety impacts of advanced car headlight systems evaluated  | Scientists are evaluating the potential for new lighting technologies and approaches to improve driving safety at night, including new car headlight systems—swiveling or bending headlights that direct light into roadway curves, and adaptive or glare-free high beam headlight systems, which allow drivers to use high beam headlights while selectively dimming a portion of the beam when oncoming drivers are present, preventing glare to the oncoming drivers while providing improved visibility along the rest of the road. | Read More » Predators vs. alien: European shrimps win predatory battles with an American invader  | Ecologists have discovered that native European shrimps resist the invasion of lakes and rivers by an American shrimp, by killing and eating the colonists. | Read More » 2013 Nobel Prize in Economics: Trendspotting in asset markets  | The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 2013 to Eugene F. Fama of the University of Chicago, IL, USA; Lars Peter Hansen of the University of Chicago, IL, USA; and Robert J. Shiller of Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA "for their empirical analysis of asset prices." | Read More » Choreographed origami: Exploring how an RNA molecule folds  | Like a budding origami artist penciling in the folds, the cell uses tags called methyl groups to help mark where and how an RNA molecule should be folded. Scientists have now discovered that, to build ribosomes, pairs of these tags are added in a specific order. | Read More » Printable biotechnology  | Cells, biological circuits, and individual biomolecules organize themselves and interact with the environment. Use of these capabilities in flexible and economically efficient biotechnological production systems is in the focus of the "Molecular Interaction Engineering" (MIE) project. It is the objective to develop printed biological circuits and catalysts for biologico-technical hybrid systems. | Read More » Genetically modified tobacco plants are viable for producing biofuels  | An agricultural engineer has demonstrated, for the first time, the viability of using specific tobacco proteins (known as thioredoxins) as biotechnological tools in plants. Specifically, she has managed to increase the amount of starch produced in the tobacco leaves by 700% and fermentable sugars by 500%. | Read More » A bacterium reveals the crucible of its metallurgical activity  | Magnetotactic bacteria have the ability to synthesize nanocrystals of magnetite enabling them to align themselves with the terrestrial magnetic field in order to find the position in the water column that is most favorable to their survival. The alignment of the nanomagnets is similar to that of a compass needle. The magnetite crystal synthesis process is a complex one, and it is little understood at the present time. | Read More » Pandoravirus: Missing link discovered between viruses and cells  | With the discovery of Mimivirus ten years ago and, more recently, Megavirus chilensis, researchers thought they had reached the farthest corners of the viral world in terms of size and genetic complexity. With a diameter in the region of a micrometer and a genome incorporating more than 1,100 genes, these giant viruses, which infect amoebas, had already largely encroached on areas previously thought to be the exclusive domain of bacteria. For the sake of comparison, common viruses such as the influenza or AIDS viruses, only contain around ten genes each. | Read More » New species of giant Amazonian fish  | A new species of the giant fish arapaima has been discovered from the Amazon, raising questions about what other species remain to be found and highlighting the potential for ecological problems when animals are relocated from their native habitats. | Read More » Ocean: Assessing the effect of climate change on upwelling ecosystems  | Assessing the effect of climate change on upwelling ecosystems is essential to be able to predict the future of marine resources. The zones concerned by this upwelling of cold deep water, which is very rich in nutrients, provide up to 20 % of global production of fish. Since the 1990s, the theory adopted by the majority of the scientific community affirmed that these phenomena were intensifying. The rising temperatures of the air masses above the continents were expected to quicken the trade winds, which would in turn increase the upwellings, thereby cooling the surface water. But this theory has been contradicted by the recent work. | Read More » Adult stem cells help build human blood vessels in engineered tissues  | Researchers have identified a protein expressed by human bone marrow stem cells that guides and stimulates the formation of blood vessels. Their findings could help improve the vascularization of engineered tissues. | Read More » Adhesion at 180,000 frames per second: Widespread natural adhesion system unraveled  | Adhesion is an extremely important factor in living nature: insects can climb up walls, plants can twine up them, and cells are able to adhere to surfaces. During evolution, many of them developed mushroom-shaped adhesive structures and organs. Scientists have now discovered why the specific shape is advantageous for adhesion. The answer is in homogeneous stress distribution between a surface and the adhesive element. | Read More » Go to bed: Irregular bedtimes linked to behavioral problems in children  | Researchers have found that children with irregular bedtimes are more likely to have behavioral difficulties. | Read More » Progress with the switch to faster computers  | A specialized switch that controls light can regulate the flow of optical data at a speed suitable to accelerate computers. | Read More » Light's improbable connection mapped: Ultrafast laser pulses could control quantum properties of light  | Quantum optics scientists and engineers are striving to harness the properties of small packets of light called photons to improve communications and computational devices. Vital to these efforts is an invisible connection between pairs of photons; understanding this effect is therefore crucial. By mapping the connections, researchers have shown that the properties of each photon in a pair, which were created in the same time and place, are governed by statistics1. The maps could aid future quantum optics engineering efforts. | Read More » Sex over survival: Reproductive trait in fish impedes tissue regeneration  | New research on the reproductive habits of zebrafish offers an explanation as to why some animals' bodies repair tissues. The research team previously noticed that male zebrafish regenerate their pectoral fins poorly, as compared to females. Their latest findings reveal the basis for this sex-specific regenerative deficiency: structures that are used to improve reproductive success. The scenario represents an example of the tradeoffs between reproduction and survival. | Read More » Birth gets the brain ready to sense the world  | Neurons that process sensory information are arranged in precise, well-characterized maps that are crucial for translating perception into understanding. A study reveals that the actual act of birth in mice causes a reduction in a brain chemical called serotonin in the newborn mice, triggering sensory maps to form. The findings shed light on the role of a dramatic environmental event in the development of neural circuits and reveal that birth prepares newborns for survival. | Read More » Simpler route to hollow carbon spheres  | Microporous walls and a huge surface area help nanoparticles to boost lithium-ion battery performance. | Read More » Security comparison: Android versus Apple  | A large study of smartphone applications provides a baseline for comparing the security of different mobile providers. | Read More » Database of disease genes shows potential drug therapies  | Researchers have created a massive online database that matches thousands of genes linked to cancer and other diseases with drugs that target those genes. Some of the drugs are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, while others are in clinical trials or just entering the drug development pipeline. | Read More » | |
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