Futurity.org » University of Melbourne

First drug reaction may predict epilepsy seizures

Annie Rahilly-Melbourne — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:50:10 +0000

U. MELBOURNE (AUS) — How well people newly diagnosed with epilepsy respond to their first drug treatment may signal their likelihood of having continued uncontrolled seizures.

As reported in the journal Neurology, researchers now believe a pattern emerges in the early stages.

Birds evolve faster with feather variety

Nerissa Hannink-Melbourne — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:38:36 +0000

U. MELBOURNE (AUS) — Having a variety of plumage types within a population allows birds to evolve into new species more quickly than if all the birds look alike.

The link between having more than one color variation (color polymorphism) like the red, black, or yellow headed Gouldian finches, and the faster evolution of new species was predicted in the 1950s by scientists such as Julian Huxley, but the new study, published in the journal Nature, is the first to confirm the theory.

To beat resistant bacteria, let them live

Emily Walker-Monash — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:18:54 +0000

MONASH (AUS) — In the fight against antibiotic resistance, the next strategy may be to disarm the bacteria without actually killing them.

Published in Nature Structure and Molecular Biology, research led by Monash University shows a protein complex called the Translocation and Assembly Module (TAM), forms a type of molecular pump in bacteria.

The TAM allows bacteria to shuttle key disease-causing molecules from inside the bacterial cell where they are made, to the outside surface, priming the bacteria for infection.

Genomes of two champion bulls sequenced

Andy Fell-UC Davis — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:44:39 +0000

UC DAVIS (US) — Research on the genomes of two genetically superior bulls—with more than 60,000 descendants in six generations—may provide for faster and less costly methods to breed elite cattle.

The genomes of the bulls, Pawnee Farm Arlinda Chief and his son Walkway Chief Mark, show how portions of their DNA that control important traits such as disease resistance or milk production have spread throughout the contemporary Holstein breed, the world’s highest-producing dairy animal.

For Tasmanian tiger, genetic fate loomed

Rebecca Scott-Melbourne — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:29:12 +0000

U. MELBOURNE (AUS) — The Tasmanian tiger had the same or even less genetic diversity than its close relative, the Tasmanian devil.

The findings, published in the journal PLoS One, offer insights into the genetic health of the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) before it was exterminated by hunting.

Is your liver driving your desire to eat?

Annie Rahilly-Melbourne — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:27:47 +0000

U. MELBOURNE (AUS) — The liver can directly talk to the brain to control the amount of food we eat, researchers have discovered.

The results suggest the liver, which has never been classed as an important organ in controlling body weight before, is in fact a major player and should be considered a target for treatment of weight gain.

Nematodes ‘speak’ a universal language

Deborah Williams-Hedges-Caltech — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:09:02 +0000

CALTECH (US) — Biologists have decoded the language of worms to discover that different roundworm species communicate by using the same types of chemical cues.

All animals seem to have ways of exchanging information—monkeys vocalize complex messages, ants create scent trails to food, and fireflies light up their bellies to attract mates. Yet, despite the fact that nematodes, or roundworms, are among the most abundant animals on the planet, little has been known about the way they network.

‘Heat shock’ protein halts muscle disease

Rebecca Scott-Melbourne — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:56:35 +0000

U. MELBOURNE (AUS) — Researchers have found that increasing a specific protein in muscles could help treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Approximately one in every 3,500 young boys worldwide is afflicted with DMD, a severe and progressive muscle wasting disease. There is no cure for the disease, which causes muscle fragility, spinal curvature, and premature death.

Results from the studies published in Nature showed that by increasing levels of ‘heat shock protein 72′ (HSP72) in the muscles of animal models of DMD, muscle strength improved, the disease progression slowed, and lifespan increased.

Breast cancer risk gene may predict odds

Rebecca Scott-Melbourne — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:44:48 +0000

U. MELBOURNE (AUS) — Researchers have used new technology to fast track the discovery of a breast cancer risk gene that could assist in the discovery of other cancer genes.

Professor Melissa Southey of the University of Melbourne, who led the study, says it was a significant discovery and the first breast cancer risk gene to be discovered using the latest genetic sequencing technology.

“The mutations in the newly identified gene XRCC2, although rare, explain another proportion of breast cancers that run in families where there is no known genetic cause and that particularly occur at an early age,” she says.

Arsenic in soil raises cancer concerns

Annie Rahilly-Melbourne — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 21:04:02 +0000

U. MELBOURNE (AUS) — A new study based in Australia finds slightly higher rates of some cancers in areas with higher arsenic levels.

Dora Pearce, a researcher at the University of Melbourne—formerly of the University of Ballarat, where the study was based—explored how soil arsenic levels and cancer rates varied across central Victoria.