Press monitoring
Engineering Plants for Biofuels
28.11.2012 | Press monitoring
With increasing demands for sustainable energy, being able to cost-efficiently produce biofuels from plant biomass is more important than ever. However, lignin and hemicelluloses present in certain plants mean that they cannot be easily converted into biofuels. A study published in journal Biotechnology for Biofuels appears to have solved this...
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Unexpected Microbes Fighting Harmful Greenhouse Gas
27.11.2012 | Press monitoring
The environment has a more formidable opponent than carbon dioxide. Another greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide, is 300 times more potent and also destroys the ozone layer each time it is released into the atmosphere through agricultural practices, sewage treatment and fossil fuel combustion. Scientists have long known about naturally occurring...
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Natural fungus may provide effective bedbug control
26.11.2012 | Press monitoring
According to a team of Penn State entomologists, biopesticides -- naturally occurring microorganisms -- might provide an answer to this pest problem. According to Nina Jenkins, senior research associate in entomology, preliminary bioassays on the effects of Beauveria bassiana -- a natural fungus that causes disease in insects -- on bedbug control...
Even Moderate Drinking in Pregnancy Can Affect a Child\'s IQ
23.11.2012 | Press monitoring
Relatively small levels of exposure to alcohol while in the womb can influence a child's IQ, according to a new study led by researchers from the universities of Bristol and Oxford using data from over 4,000 mothers and their children. This study, believed to be the first substantial one of its kind, used genetic variation to investigate the...
Carbon Nanotubes May Protect DNA from Oxidation
22.11.2012 | Press monitoring
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have provided evidence in the laboratory that single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) may help protect DNA molecules from damage by oxidation. In nature, oxidation is a common chemical process in which a reactive chemical removes electrons from DNA and may increase the chance...
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Injectable Sponge Delivers Drugs, Cells, and Structure
21.11.2012 | Press monitoring
Bioengineers at Harvard have developed a gel-based sponge that can be molded to any shape, loaded with drugs or stem cells, compressed to a fraction of its size, and delivered via injection. Once inside the body, it pops back to its original shape and gradually releases its cargo, before safely degrading. The biocompatible technology, revealed...
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Pig Genomes Provide Massive Amount of Genomic Data for Human Health
20.11.2012 | Press monitoring
Pigs are one of the oldest domesticated livestock species, and as well as providing one of the largest sources of meat worldwide, also provide important medical industrial resources, such as pharmaceutical-grade heparin and heart valves for xenotransplantation. The pig shares many of the same complex genetic diseases as humans, making them...
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Desert Farming Forms Bacterial Communities That Promote Drought Resistance
19.11.2012 | Press monitoring
When there is little water available for plants to grow, their roots form alliances with soil microbes that can promote plant growth even under water-limiting conditions, according to research from the University of Milan. In this study, the researchers grew pepper plants under conditions of limited water and analyzed the bacterial species around...
Rare Parasitic Fungi Could Have Anti-Flammatory Benefits
16.11.2012 | Press monitoring
Caterpillar fungi (Cordyceps) are rare parasites found on hibernating caterpillars in the mountains of Tibet. For centuries they have been highly prized as a traditional Chinese medicine -- just a small amount can fetch hundreds of pounds. Scientists at The University of Nottingham have been studying how this fungus could work by studying...
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A Better Route to Xylan: Researchers Find New Access to Abundant Biomass for Advanced Biofuels
15.11.2012 | Press monitoring
After cellulose, xylan is the most abundant biomass material on Earth, and therefore represents an enormous potential source of stored solar energy for the production of advance biofuels. A major roadblock, however, has been extracting xylan from plant cell walls. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Joint BioEnergy Institute...
