| Cradle turns smartphone into handheld biosensor  | Researchers and physicians in the field could soon run on-the-spot tests for environmental toxins, medical diagnostics, food safety and more with their smartphones. Researchers have developed a cradle and app for the iPhone that uses the phone's built-in camera and processing power as a biosensor to detect toxins, proteins, bacteria, viruses and other molecules. Although the cradle holds only about $200 of optical components, it performs as accurately as a large $50,000 spectrophotometer in the laboratory. | Read More »  Reforestation study shows trade-offs between water, carbon and timber  | More than 13,000 ships per year transit the Panama Canal each year. Each time a ship passes through, more than 55 million gallons of water are used. The advent of large "super" cargo ships has demanded expansion of the canal, leaving the authority to consider how meet increased demand for water. One proposed measure is the reforestation of the watershed. | Read More » Vaccine blackjack: IL-21 critical to fight against viral infections  | Scientists have shown that an immune regulatory molecule called IL-21 is needed for long-lasting antibody responses in mice against viral infections. | Read More » Scientists discover how rapamycin slows cell growth  | University of Montreal researchers have discovered a novel molecular mechanism that can potentially slow the progression of some cancers and other diseases of abnormal growth. In the May 23 edition of the prestigious journal Cell, scientists have explained how they found that the anti-cancer and anti-proliferative drug rapamycin slows down or prevents cells from dividing. | Read More » Diabetes' genetic underpinnings can vary based on ethnic background  | Ethnic background plays a surprisingly large role in how diabetes develops on a cellular level, according to two new studies. | Read More » When oxygen is short, EGFR prevents maturation of cancer-fighting miRNAs  | Even while being dragged to its destruction inside a cell, a cancer-promoting growth factor receptor fires away, sending signals that thwart the development of tumor-suppressing microRNAs before it's dissolved, researchers have reported. | Read More » New filtration material could make petroleum refining cheaper, more efficient  | A newly synthesized material might provide a dramatically improved method for separating the highest-octane components of gasoline. | Read More » Biophysicists measure mechanism that determines fate of living cells  | For the first time, biophysicists have measured the molecular force required to mechanically transmit function-regulating signals within a cell. A new laboratory method, named the tension gauge tether approach, has made it possible to detect and measure the mechanics of the single-molecule interaction by which human cell receptors are activated. | Read More » Earth's mantle affects long-term sea-level rise estimates  | New findings reveal that the U.S. shoreline -- from Virginia to Florida -- has been uplifted by more than 210 feet, meaning less ice melted than expected. This is big news for scientists who use the coastline to predict future sea-level rise. | Read More » Ferrets, pigs susceptible to H7N9 avian influenza virus  | Chinese and US scientists have used a virus isolated from a person who died from H7N9 avian influenza infection to determine whether the virus could infect and be transmitted between ferrets. Ferrets are often used as a mammalian model in influenza research, and efficient transmission of influenza virus between ferrets can provide clues as to how well the same process might occur in people. | Read More » Scientists offer first definitive proof of bacteria-feeding behavior in green algae  | Researchers have captured images of green alga consuming bacteria, offering a glimpse at how early organisms dating back more than 1 billion years may have acquired free-living photosynthetic cells. This acquisition is thought to be a critical first step in the evolution of photosynthetic algae and land plants, which, in turn, contributed to the increase in oxygen levels in Earth's atmosphere and ocean and provided one of the conditions necessary for animal evolution. | Read More » Cinnamon compound has potential ability to prevent Alzheimer's  | Cinnamon: Can the red-brown spice with the unmistakable fragrance and variety of uses offer an important benefit? The common baking spice might hold the key to delaying the onset of -- or warding off -- the effects of Alzheimer's disease. | Read More » A quantum simulator for magnetic materials  | Physicists have developed a quantum simulator that allows arranging atoms in a way that they mimic the behavior of electrons in magnetic materials. The experiment opens up the possibility of systematically studying poorly understood properties of novel materials. The fresh insights might lead to designs for new magnetic materials. | Read More » Tomatoes: The world's favorite fruit, only better-tasting and longer-lasting  | Research with GM purple tomatoes could lead to improved varieties of tomatoes with consumer and commercial benefits through conventional breeding or GM. The findings could also be applied to other soft fruit such as strawberries. | Read More » Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film  | A billon-frames-per-second film has captured the vibrations of gold nanocrystals in stunning detail for the first time. | Read More » 'Should I stay or should I go?' Scientists link brain cell types to behavior  | Neuroscientists have linked the activity of two types of brain nerve cells, neurons, to decisions made during particular type of behavior. They studied the activity of two types of inhibitory neurons in mice making decisions searching for food in a test area. They found distinct patterns of activity that marked when "stay" or to "go" foraging decisions were made. | Read More » Even farm animal diversity is declining as accelerating species loss threatens humanity  | The accelerating disappearance of Earth's species of both wild and domesticated plants and animals constitutes a fundamental threat to the well-being and even the survival of humankind, warn scientists. | Read More » New gene discovery for babies born with hole in the heart  | A new gene associated with a form of congenital heart disease in newborn babies – known as "a hole in the heart" has been discovered by researchers. | Read More » | |
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