News of Science
Wired Science: New Algorithms Harness Gamers’ Protein-Unfolding Power
20.2.2012 | News of Science
Chemically, the proteins that run most of a cell’s functions are little more than a string of amino acids. Their ability to perform structural and catalytic functions is primarily dependent upon the fact that, when in solution, that string adopts a complex, three-dimensional shape. Understanding how that three-dimensional structure forms has been...
Energy levels halved for greenhouses
13.2.2012 | News of Science
European scientists have achieved a 50% reduction in the amount of energy used in the production of plants grown in a greenhouse. The EU funded project, known as EUPHOROS, has also reduced the use of water and fertilisers by 30% and pesticides by 10% while keeping the production standards and financial return for the growers high. This low-tech...
Our nights are lulled by brain waves
2.2.2012 | News of Science
During sleep our perception of our environment diminishes. Nevertheless the way in which the human brain reacts to surrounding noise over the course of sleep still remains poorly understood. In a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers at the University of Liège have used cerebral...
PhysOrg:Aboriginal Australians were the first explorers: Genome study rewrites the history books
30.1.2012 | News of Science
An international team of researchers has for the first time sequenced the genome of a man who was an Aboriginal Australian. They have shown that modern day Aboriginal Australians are the direct descendents of the first people who arrived on the continent some 50,000 years ago and that those ancestors left Africa earlier than their European and...
Peppermint earns respect in mainstream medicine
26.1.2012 | News of Science
University of Adelaide researchers have shown for the first time how peppermint helps to relieve Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which affects up to 20% of the population.
Yale Scientists Find Stem Cells That Tell Hair It's Time to Grow
19.1.2012 | News of Science
Yale researchers have discovered the source of signals that trigger hair growth, an insight that may lead to new treatments for baldness. The researchers identified stem cells within the skin's fatty layer and showed that molecular signals from these cells were necessary to spur hair growth in mice, according to research published in the Sept....
Safer honey on the breakfast table
16.1.2012 | News of Science
Faster and cheaper screening tests for contaminants in honey are set to be on the market this year thanks to CONffIDENCE, a research project that has received €5.8 million in EU-funding. The new tests will save time in the production cycle and also increase the number of samples monitored, significantly increasing food safety.
A “nutty” solution to Type 2 diabetes management
12.1.2012 | News of Science
Eating nuts every day could help control Type 2 diabetes and prevent its complications, according to new research from St. Michael’s Hospital.
Green plastics from the slaughterhouse
9.1.2012 | News of Science
Tomorrow’s plastics could come from an unusual source: slaughterhouse waste. European researchers are developing new approaches to produce biodegradable plastics from the waste products without using fossil fuels. Although the ANIMPOL project sounds distinctly bizarre, its success would not only reduce our dependence on oil and reduce...
Retinal cells thought to be the same are not, biologist says
5.1.2012 | News of Science
The old adage “looks can be deceiving” certainly rings true when it comes to people. And it is also accurate when describing special light-sensing cells in the eye, according to a Johns Hopkins University biologist.
