Posts Tagged ‘Vanderbilt University’
Science & Technology - Feb 22, 2010 12:34 - 0 Comments
New type of genetic variation discovered
VANDERBILT (US)—The unexpected discovery of a new type of genetic variation suggests that natural selection—the force that drives evolution—is both more powerful and more complex than scientists have thought. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Feb 9, 2010 12:31 - 0 Comments
Eyeing an enzyme to stop deadly infections
VANDERBILT (US)—Knowing the structure of an enzyme essential to the protozoan parasite that causes African sleeping sickness may lead to new drugs to combat the often fatal disease and several other related disorders that afflict millions of people around the world. (more…)
Science & Technology - Feb 3, 2010 14:05 - 1 Comment
Better traps are bad news for mosquitoes
YALE (US)—Researchers have discovered more than two dozen scent receptors in malaria-transmitting mosquitoes that detect compounds in human sweat, a finding that may help scientists to develop new ways to combat a disease that kills 1 million people annually. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Jan 20, 2010 12:02 - 2 Comments
Breaking cycle of family depression
VANDERBILT—Cognitive behavioral intervention for families may help prevent depression in parents with a history of depression and in their 9- to 15-year-old children. (more…)
Science & Technology - Jan 14, 2010 16:28 - 0 Comments
Genomes of ‘smart bomb’ wasps sequenced
U. ROCHESTER—By sequencing the genomes of three wasp species that kill pest insects, a team of scientists is hopeful they will discover features that could be useful to pest control and medicine—that will enhance our understanding of genetics and evolution. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Dec 15, 2009 16:35 - 1 Comment
Personality-changing meds boost mood
U. PENN/NORTHWESTERN/VANDERBILT (US)—Antidepressant medications—particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs—can substantially change patients’ personalities. The personality changes appeared to be linked to long-term improvements in mood, a new study suggests. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Dec 10, 2009 19:38 - 0 Comments
Good laws turn bad recyclers around
VANDERBILT (US)—A large national study of economic behavior finds effective recycling laws encourage reluctant recyclers to become committed recyclers. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Nov 12, 2009 17:38 - 4 Comments
Reading chemical memories of past drug use
VANDERBILT (US)—A research team is trying to determine if an individual’s white blood cells retain chemical memories of exposure to drugs—like cocaine and alcohol—that can be read reliably and unambiguously. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Nov 2, 2009 11:35 - 0 Comments
Beetles point to habitat’s role in biodiversity
VANDERBILT (US)—Tiny leaf beetles that flit among the maple and willow trees in a Vermont town have provided some of the clearest evidence yet that environmental factors play a major role in the formation of new species. (more…)
Society & Culture - Oct 15, 2009 16:26 - 0 Comments
Images capture details of ancient tablets
U. CHICAGO (US)—High-quality scans of ancient documents discovered in Iran are shedding new light on Imperial Aramaic, the dialect used for international communication and record-keeping in many parts of the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian empires, including parts of the administration at the imperial court of Persepolis. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 9, 2009 17:28 - 0 Comments
Twig by twig, climbing Earth’s ‘Tree of Life’
VANDERBILT (US)—Antonis Rokas is a member of a small cadre of scientists applying the growing power of genomics to untangle and correctly arrange the branches of the Tree of Life. (more…)
Science & Technology - Oct 6, 2009 17:00 - 2 Comments
‘Mad-cow’ proteins differ unexpectedly
VANDERBILT (US)—The first direct information about the molecular structure of prions, the infectious proteins responsible for “mad cow” disease, reveals surprisingly large structural differences between natural prions and the closest synthetic analogs created in the lab. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Sep 29, 2009 17:52 - 2 Comments
Brain may crave fast-food fix
VANDERBILT (US)—Researchers are investigating the disruptive effect high-fat, high-sugar foods may have on insulin signaling in the brain, and its regulation of neurotransmitters involved in mood and behavior. The findings could lead to new ways to treat obesity and diabetes. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Sep 15, 2009 1:00 - 3 Comments
Gene—not diet—makes mice obese?
Both mice were fed high-fat diets for several months. Deleting the IKKE gene in the mouse on the left protected it against the weight gain apparent in the mouse on the right. (Credit: Scott Galvin/University of Michigan)
Health & Medicine - Aug 14, 2009 9:51 - 3 Comments
Depression kills cravings for delight
Decreased motivation to seek and experience pleasurable experiences, known as anhedonia, is a primary symptom of major depressive disorder. Anhedonia is less responsive to many antidepressants and often persists after other symptoms of depression subside.
Health & Medicine - Jul 22, 2009 15:03 - 4 Comments
Gene linked to aggression in disabled adults
“Problem behaviors in these populations account for billions of dollars in intervention costs each year, but nearly all of these interventions occur after the fact,” says study coauthor Craig Kennedy.
Science & Technology, Society & Culture - Jul 20, 2009 14:28 - 0 Comments
To multitask, first brain must practice, practice
“Even after extensive practice, our brain does not really do two tasks at once,” says study coauthor Paul Dux. “It is still processing one task at a time, but it does it so fast it gives us the illusion we are doing two tasks simultaneously.”
Health & Medicine - Jun 29, 2009 13:39 - 0 Comments
Detector spots respiratory infections much earlier
Vanderbilt University researchers David Wright (right) and Frederick Haselton (left) have developed a new detection method that can catch respiratory infections at a very early stage. The system “could easily be packaged in a disposable device about the size of a ballpoint pen,” says Haselton. (Credit Steve Green/Vanderbilt university)
