Posts Tagged ‘ions’
When do newborns first feel cold?
USC (US)—Cold sensing neural circuits in newborn mice take around two weeks to become fully active, according to a new study. Continue…
Friday, June 18, 2010 13:57 - 0 Comments
Science & Technology - Jun 4, 2010 11:42 - 0 Comments
Atomic-scale model unravels ion channel gating
U. ILLINOIS (US)—Nerve cells power human intelligence and behavior through electrical signals that rely on potassium and sodium ion channels to do their job, and an important part of that biological process involves a gating mechanism for generating and controlling the signals in those channels. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Nov 30, 2009 14:39 - 3 Comments
Big dose of x-ray after heart attack
DUKE (US)—Acute heart attack patients receive an average dose of radiation that is equal to 725 chest X-rays, or 30 percent of the recommended annual limit, during an average hospital admission, according to a new study. (more…)
Science & Technology - Nov 19, 2009 19:08 - 2 Comments
Tool decodes biology’s key players
PRINCETON (US)—A team has engineered a faster, more accurate method for analyzing histones, enigmatic proteins that influence almost every aspect of how cells and tissues function. The approach offers a long-sought tool for studying stem cells, cancer, and other critical areas of biology and medicine. (more…)
Science & Technology - Sep 11, 2009 9:48 - 0 Comments
Blame the metal, not the nanotubes
Metal catalysts used to create carbon nanotubes can block a key signaling pathway in neurons. Experiments show the metal particles tend to plug cellular pores normally reserved for calcium ions. (Credit: Lorin Jakubek/Brown University)
Science & Technology - Sep 10, 2009 16:42 - 0 Comments
A cell’s private life revealed
The Yale University team was able to visualize the so-called “BK” channel protein by using single-particle reconstruction. In this technique, individual protein molecules are imaged in an electron microscope, and information from thousands of images is combined to produce a three-dimensional map of the protein structure. This was the first time this reconstruction technique was extended to proteins embedded in membranes.
