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Developments in Biology
There has been plenty of science fiction about biological development, but this is what's being talked about seriously.
Scientists Make Stem
Cells from Skin of Mice Instead of Embryos (Medical News
Today June 7, 2007)
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=73381
Three separate groups of scientists working in Japan and the US have used
skin cells from adult mice to make cells that are inidistinguishable from
embryonic stem cells. Scientists all over the world are now racing to
replicate the remarkably simple method in humans, and if successful it
could one day lessen or remove the need to use embryos.
Brain Cancer
Successfully Treated with Electrical Field (Press Esc
May 29, 2007)
http://pressesc.com/01180456249_brain_cancer_electric_field
A device that specifically targets rapidly growing cancer cells with
intermediate frequency electrical fields, called Tumor-Treating Fields (TTFields),
has doubled the survival rates of patients with brain cancer. It uses
electrical fields to disrupt tumor growth by interfering with cell
division of cancerous cells, causing them to stop proliferating and die
off instead of dividing and growing. Healthy brain cells rarely divide and
have different electrical properties than cancerous brain cells. This
allows the device to target cancer cells without affecting the healthy
cells.
Virtual Human Puts
Doctors Inside Their Patients (Reuters May 23, 2007)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/virtual_human_dc
Canadian researchers have developed the most detailed model of a human
yet, a movable "4D" image that doctors can use to plan complex
surgery or show patients what ailments look like inside their bodies.
Called CAVEman, the larger-than-life computer image encompasses more than
3,000 distinct body parts, all viewed in a booth that gives the image
height, width and depth. CAVEman also plots the passage of time -- the
fourth "D."
Scientists Apply for
First Patent on Synthetic Life Form (Wired June 7,
2007)
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/06/scientists_appl.html
Scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute have applied
for a U.S. patent on a minimal bacterial genome that they built
themselves. According to the patent application, it's "a minimal set
of protein-coding genes which provides the information required for
replication of a free-living organism in a rich bacterial culture
medium." A patent expert writes, We think these monopoly claims
signal the start of a high-stakes commercial race to synthesize and
privatize synthetic life forms.
'Cybertooth' for
Patients May Replace Pills (Reuters April 19, 2007)
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2115903,00.asp
The Intellidrug project hopes to develop an oral device with embedded
software that attaches to a tooth and administers medication
pre-programmed by a patient's doctor. The device can be fixed in a
patient's mouth, either as an attachment or type of crown to a tooth or as
an implant. To administer the medicine, a panel on the device opens and
releases the dosage into the back of the patient's mouth.
Engineering
Bacteria to Harvest Light -- (MIT Technology Review --
March 26, 2007)
http://www.technologyreview.com/Biotech/18436/
Commonly used lab bacteria called E. coli can be converted into
light-harvesting organisms in a single genetic step, according to new
research. The genetic enhancement allows microorganisms that normally
derive their cellular energy from sugars to switch to a diet of sunlight.
These findings could ultimately be used to genetically engineer bacteria
that can more efficiently produce biofuels, drugs, and other chemicals.
Genetic
Studies Endow Mice with New Color Vision -- (Physorg -
March 22, 2007)
http://www.physorg.com/news93792566.html
Although mice, like most mammals, typically view the world with a limited
color palette similar to what some people with red-green color
blindness see scientists have now transformed their vision by
introducing a single human gene into a mouse chromosome. The human gene
codes for a light sensor that mice do not normally possess, and its
insertion allowed the mice to distinguish colors as never before.
Light
Therapy Spares the Scalpel and the Chemo -- (Wired -
April 2, 2007)
http://www.wired.com/medtech/drugs/news/2007/04/lasertherapy_0402
Imagine you could treat cancer by taking a pill, then directing a laser
light toward the location of the tumor. The growth would dissolve with no
chemotherapy, and no harm to healthy tissue. It might sound futuristic,
but a select number of cancer patients already benefit from the method,
called photodynamic therapy. An upgrade for the procedure could save
thousands more cancer patients from the horrors of chemotherapy.
Enzymes
Convert All Donor Blood to Group O -- (New Scientist -
April 1, 2007)
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/dn11508?DCMP=ILC-Top5&nsref=dn11508
You're rushed into hospital and need a blood transfusion but what is
your blood group? In future, it may not matter, thanks to enzymes that
scrub antigens from red blood cells, turning all donated blood into group
O which can be given safely to anyone.
Alzheimer's
Vaccine Works on Mice -- (Guardian - March 29, 2007)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,2045450,00.html
Scientists have developed an oral vaccine for Alzheimer's disease that has
proved effective in mice, raising hopes that an effective treatment for
humans can be found. The vaccine reduced the amount of amyloid plaques -
believed to be the cause of Alzheimer's - and improved brain function when
administered to mice that had been genetically modified to develop the
disease
Human
Heart Grown from Stem Cells -- (Guardian - April 2,
2007)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,2048065,00.html
A research team led by the world's leading heart surgeon has grown part of
a human heart from stem cells for the first time. If animal trials
scheduled for later this year prove successful, replacement tissue could
be used in transplants for the hundreds of thousands of people suffering
from heart disease within three years.
Doctors
Fix Hearts with Stem Cell Injections -- (AFP -- March
26, 2007)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070326/ts_alt_afp/ushealthheartstemcell
Doctors have rejuvenated post-heart attack patients by injecting them with
stem cells. The clinical trials delivered stem cells to hearts whose
stiff, post-attack scar tissue kept them from pumping blood as they
should. Over six months, the patients receiving the stem-cell treatment
had better heart and lung function with fewer arrhythmias.
Wipe Out a Single Memory -- (Nature - March 11, 2007)
http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070305/pf/070305-17_pf.html
A single, specific memory has been wiped from the brains of rats, leaving other recollections intact. The brain secures memories by transferring them from short-term to long-term storage, through a process called reconsolidation. This process can be interrupted with drugs - however, until now, scientists did not know how specific this interference was: could the transfer of one specific memory be meddled with without affecting others? The answer, apparently, is yes.
Artificial Vein to Boost Surgery -- (BBC - March 14, 2007)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6449715.stm
Scientists are developing an artificial vein for use in patients with circulation problems. The device, which encourages blood to flow in its natural spiraling fashion, has produced highly promising results in clinical trials. The developers hope it will offer surgeons carrying out bypass operations an alternative to relying on blood vessels taken from the patient's body.
Artificial Lymph Node Transplanted into Mice -- (New Scientist - March 15, 2007)
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11389-artificial-lymph-node-transplanted-into-mice.html
An artificial lymph node has been transplanted into mice, where it successfully produced immune cells. The new form of bioengineered tissue marks a significant step towards transplanting an entire immune system into patients dying of AIDS, cancer or other diseases.
MRI Scanner Steers Magnetic Particle in Live Animal's Blood -- (New Scientist -- March 15, 2007)
http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn11412-mri-scanner-steers-magnetic-particle-in-the-blood.html
Microscopic medical devices could one day be steered through a patient's bloodstream using magnetic resonance imaging machines. In a recent study, researchers were able to move small magnetic beads through the arteries of live pigs using the magnetic coils inside an MRI device. Being able to move tiny working medical devices through the body this way could let doctors reach areas beyond the scope of keyhole surgery or other existing techniques.
Electric Switch Could Turn on Limb Regeneration -- (Nature - February 28, 2007)
http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070226/full/070226-8.html
Tadpoles can achieve something that humans may only dream of: pull off a tadpole's thick tail or a tiny developing leg, and it'll grow right back - spinal cord, muscles, blood vessels and all. Now researchers have discovered the key regulator of the electrical signal that convinces Xenopus pollywogs to regenerate amputated tails. The results give some researchers hope for new approaches to stimulating tissue regeneration in humans.
Regrowing Teeth -- (MIT Technology Review -- February 22, 2007)
http://www.technologyreview.com/Biotech/18216/
The average American will lose about eight teeth by the time he or she turns 50. Common replacements include dentures, which have been known to erode the underlying bone over time, and dental implants, which are prone to falling out after several years' use. Thus, the ability to regrow a natural tooth, with the accompanying bone, root, and nerves, could provide a significantly healthier alternative for many - and scientists have done just that... at least, in mice.
Plan to Vaccinate Babies Against Drugs-- (This is London -- February 2, 2007)
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23384076-details/
Plan+to+vaccinate+babies+against+drugs/article.do
Under a plan being considered by the British government, babies could be vaccinated with brain-altering chemicals to stop them getting hooked on drugs and cigarettes in later life. Newborns would have jabs which could prevent addiction to cocaine, heroin or tobacco.
Cheap, Safe Drug Kills Most Cancers -- (New Scientist -- January 20, 2007)
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/mg19325874.700
-cheap-safe-drug-kills-most-cancers.html
It sounds almost too good to be true: a cheap and simple drug that kills almost all cancers by switching off their "immortality". The drug, dichloroacetate (DCA), has already been used for years to treat rare metabolic disorders and so is known to be relatively safe. It also has no patent, meaning it could be manufactured for a fraction of the cost of newly developed drugs.
Deadly Super-Bugs are Talking about You -- (AP -- February 1, 2007)
http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/070201_ap_germ_communication.html
Do germs communicate? Many scientists think so and are betting the chatter may hold the key to developing the next generation of drugs to fight killer superbugs. The conventional wisdom has long been that the carpet-bombing approach is the best way to fight infection. But as evidence of bacterial bonding has mounted in the past decade, researchers are now focusing on antibiotics that will break down the lines of communication.
Anti-Cancer Chicken Eggs Produced -- (BBC -- January 14, 2007)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6261427.stm
Scientists have developed genetically modified chickens capable of laying eggs containing proteins needed to make cancer-fighting drugs. Some of the birds have been engineered to lay eggs that contain miR24, a type of antibody with potential for treating malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer. Others produce human interferon b-1a, which can be used to stop viruses replicating in cells.
The Day of the Designer Dog (Peter Warren, www.futureintelligence.co.uk )
Published Sunday Herald
First there was the Human Genome Project and now there is the Doggy DNA Database, a US research project intended to pass on to mans best friend the benefits of our genetic breakthroughs.
Research that, according to scientists working on the database at the University of California, will result in designer dogs ready for walkies but with some of the more irritating traits associated with particular breeds ironed out.
Full article here.
Modified Skin Cells Resist Bugs -- (BBC -- January 8, 2007)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6232247.stm
Scientists say they have made germ-resistant skin that could one day save the lives of severe burns victims. The genetically modified skin cells, when added to cultured skin substitutes, killed more bacteria than normal skin in the lab.
New Stem Cell Source Discovered -- (BBC -- January 8, 2007)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6231099.stm
Scientists say they have discovered a new source of stem cells that could one day repair damaged human organs. Researchers successfully extracted the cells from the fluid that fills the womb in pregnancy and then grew them in lab experiments.
New AIDS Drug Shows Phenomenal Results -- (Physorg -- January 2, 2007)
http://www.physorg.com/news86960302.html
AIDS researchers said a new drug shows promise for inhibiting the HIV virus in patients new to treatment or those currently taking a drug cocktail. Clinical studies showed that, when combined with two existing drugs, it reduced the virus to undetectable levels in nearly 100 percent of HIV patients prescribed a drug regimen for the first time. The drug essentially prevents the virus' DNA from integrating with a host's cells, inhibiting its ability to replicate itself.
New Approach Disarms Deadly Bacteria -- (Science Daily -- December 29, 2006)
http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/061229_nonkill_bacteria.html
Health experts warn that if bacteria keep toughening up, some deadly diseases that have been treatable for the last five-plus decades again will have no cure. A better battle plan may be to make them "nice". Instead of killing off disease-causing bacteria, bacteriologists may be able to simply disarm them, via DNA modifications that would leave the bacteria toothless, but alive.
A Step Closer to the Creation of Human Organs -- (Guardian -- December 28, 2006)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,1979218,00.html
Scientists are a step closer to growing replacement organs and tissues which can be transplanted into patients. Their breakthrough uses tiny protein scaffolds that encourage stem cells to grow into three-dimensional structures for the first time. Growing organs that are genetically matched to patients is one of the great hopes of research using stem cells.
Cows Engineered to Lack Mad Cow Disease -- (Physorg -- January 2, 2007)
http://www.physorg.com/news86928856.html
Scientists have genetically engineered a dozen cows to be free from the proteins that cause mad cow disease, a breakthrough that may make the animals immune to the brain-wasting disease. An international team of researchers reported that they had "knocked out" the gene responsible for making the proteins, called prions. The disease didn't take hold when brain tissue from two of the genetically engineered cows were exposed to bad prions in the laboratory.
Back From the Dead -- (Cosmos -- December 6, 2006)
http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/903
One day we may again hear the roar of a woolly mammoth as it might have sounded when brought down by a group of Neanderthal hunters. Scientists are racing to resurrect long dead animals with modern cloning technology. It may seem like science fiction, but it's not. Not even ten years after the first mammal was cloned, scientists are trying to clone the first extinct species.
New Microbe Could be Smallest Life Form Yet -- (New York Times -- December 25, 2006)
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/custom/space/
orl-smallest2506dec25,0,6050262.story?coll=orl-news-headlines-space
The smallest form of life known to science just got smaller. Scientists found the microbes living in a remarkably inhospitable environment -- drainage water, as caustic as battery acid, from a mine in Northern California. The microbes are about 200 nanometers wide -- the size of large viruses. Bacteria average about five times that size.
An Appointment with Chance -- (Economist-- November 30, 2006)
http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8348729
The defining feature of a stem cell is self-renewal. When such a cell divides, at least one of its daughters is also a stem cell (the other may set off on the route to specialization that allows stem cells to generate new tissue). The way to test whether a particular cell is a stem cell, therefore, is to grow it individually. And scientists have recently discovered that they could do just this with an exciting new class of cells: brain cells.
Regenerating Chicken Wings -- (MIT Technology Review-- November 22, 2006)
http://www.technologyreview.com/BioTech/17821/
Salamanders and zebra fish can grow new limbs and fins, but chop off your own finger, and it's not going to grow back. Now, researchers have been able to regenerate wings in chicken embryos, which can't normally grow new limbs. The findings move scientists one step closer to understanding how to induce regenerative powers in humans.
How to Grow Muscle Cells in a Dish -- (Science Daily -- November 1, 2006)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061110080926.htm
Smooth muscle cells are a crucial cellular component of many parts of the body, including blood vessels, the intestines, and the lungs. Understanding how these cells are generated is important for designing therapies for a host of major diseases, most notably for chronic heart disease. And scientists have now shown that smooth muscle cells can be generated from certain cells isolated from the bone marrow of rats, mice, pigs, and humans.
Retinal Transplant Restores Vision in Mice -- (MIT Technology Review -- November 8, 2006)
http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17768&ch=biotech
The prospect of restoring vision in people who have been blinded by disease is now on the verge of being a real possibility, thanks to the first successful transplant of retinal cells in mice. The eye is largely ignored by the immune system, so the hope is that patients receiving transplants would not even require basic immunosuppressant drugs.
Scientists Grow Miniature Human Liver -- (Al Jazeera -- October 31, 2006)
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/7FC2C64B-5AFD-4063-AE87-5F8F4E305073.htm
Scientists have grown a miniature artificial human liver. It is hoped the mini-livers could be used to test drugs, reducing the need for animal and human experiments. The organ could also help repair damaged livers and eventually produce entire organs for life-saving transplants.
A Better Way to Build a Face -- (Wired -- October 27, 2006)
http://wired.com/news/technology/medtech/0,72015-0.html?tw=wn_index_19
Scientists are poised to perform the first full-face transplant, but a group of Stanford surgeons hopes to eliminate the need for the drastic surgery altogether by learning to regenerate the skin on the face.
Firms Point to Biometric Future -- (BBC -- October 26, 2006)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6070576.stm
Keys, cards, passports and PINs could soon be a thing of the past as biometric technology makes our bodies the only passwords we need. Biometric systems - which identify a person by their unique physical or behavioral features - are rapidly being designed and applied to many aspects of our everyday lives.
A New Alzheimer's Vaccine -- (MIT Technology Review -- October 19, 2006)
http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17634&ch=biotech
New approaches to immunizing patients against the harmful protein buildup, characteristic of Alzheimer's disease, offer hope for safer treatments. Alzheimer's vaccines work by preventing or clearing the buildup of a protein, known as beta-amyloid, which clogs the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
South Korean scientists develop cancer-killing virus-- (Breitbart -- October 19, 2006)
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/10/19/061019102114.ms2asupj.html
Scientists claim to have developed a new, genetically altered strain of virus that is highly efficient in targeting and killing cancer cells. The new therapy uses a genetically-engineered form of the adenovirus, which normally causes colds.
Pig-to-Human Transplants on the Horizon -- (MIT Technology Review -- October 10, 2006)
http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17596&ch=biotech
Thousands of patients die every year in the United States waiting for a suitable human donor organ. Surgeons believe they are close to creating genetically engineered pigs and pig immune tissue that can prime the primate immune system to accept foreign parts and thereby end the organ shortage.
FDA Set to Approve Milk, Meat from Clones -- (Washington Post -- October 17, 2006)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/16/AR2006101601337.html
Three years after the FDA first hinted that it might permit the sale of milk and meat from cloned animals, the agency is poised fully endorse the policy. The decision will be based largely on new data indicating that milk and meat from cloned livestock pose no unique risks to consumers.
Redesigning Crops to Harvest Fuel -- (NY Times-- September 8, 2006)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/08/business/08crop.html?ref=science
Seed and biotechnology companies see a big new opportunity in developing corn and other crops tailored for use in ethanol and other biofuels, in an era of $3-a-gallon gasoline and growing concern about global warming from fossil fuels. One such genetically modified plant may come to market as soon as 2008 - a genetically engineered corn designed to help convert itself into ethanol.
Climate Change Drives Genetic Changes -- (The Scientist-- August 31, 2006)
http://www.the-scientist.com/news/daily/24573/
Recent studies suggest that climate change is rapidly leading to genetic impacts "in widespread organisms." Small shifts in average temperature, about ½ degrees C, which seems trivial on a temperature scale, are still managing to effect genetic changes in living organisms.
Back From the Dead -- (Wired -- September, 2006)
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.09/brainshock.html?pg=3&topic=brainshock&topic_set
A new theory claims that direct electrical stimulation can effectively 'reboot' the brain of comatose or otherwise severely brain-damaged individuals - possibly allowing their brains to regain some normal functionality.
Couples Cull Embryos to Halt Heritage of Cancer -- (NY Times -- September 3, 2006)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/03/health/03gene.web.html?
ex=1158033600&en=79cb895471e8e309&ei=5070&emc=eta1
Parents are using P.G.D.- preimplantation genetic diagnosis - to detect a predisposition to cancers that may or may not develop later in life, and are often treatable if they do. The idea is that parents will only choose to implant completely genetically healthy embryos.
Gene Therapy Rids Men of Cancer -- (BBC-- September 1, 2006)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5304910.stm
Two men have been cleared of deadly skin cancer using genetically modified versions of their own immune cells. Immune cells can now be modified to attack breast, liver and lung cancers. Tests showed the genetically modified T cells used in the new treatment became specialised tumour fighters. Although only two of the 17 people with advanced melanoma who received the treatment were completely free of cancer 18 months later, experts say the results are proof that this new therapy can work.
Glaxo Claims Bird Flu Breakthrough -- (CNN -- July 28, 2006)
http://www.cnn.com/2006/BUSINESS/07/28/glaxo.vaccine/index.html
In a clinical trial of the H5N1 vaccine conducted by London-based GlaxoSmithKline, the company found that 80 percent of the 400 adults involved in the study showed a good immune response to the vaccine when it was given with doses of only 3.8 micrograms of antigen. This is the first time such a low dose of H5N1 antigen has been able to stimulate this level of immune response.
Frozen Mice Have Healthy Pups -- (BBC -- August 15, 2006)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4793915.stm
Mice kept in the deep freeze for 15 years have fathered healthy offspring, say scientists in Japan and Hawaii. It offers hope to those trying to bring extinct animals back from the dead. In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers wrote: "If spermatozoa of extinct mammalian species (eg woolly mammoths) can be retrieved from animal bodies that were kept frozen for millions of years in permanent frost, live animals might be restored by injecting them into oocytes from females of closely related species."
FDA Approves Viruses as Food Additive -- (CNN -- August 18, 2006)
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/18/edible.virus.ap/index.html
A mix of bacteria-killing viruses can be safely sprayed on cold cuts, hot dogs and sausages to combat common microbes that kill hundreds of people a year, federal health officials said in granting the first-ever approval of viruses as a food additive.
Doctors Test Ways to Grow Knee Cartilage -- (CBS -- August 21, 2006)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/21/ap/health/mainD8JL11AO0.shtml
Doctors are testing new ways to spur cartilage to regrow in damaged knees, from implanted "cartilage plugs" to injections of bone-marrow stem cells. The need is huge. Knees are the joint most likely to go bad, and the cartilage that cushions them has only a limited natural ability to repair itself. The question is how to unlock that ability and give it a boost.
Cancer Cell Executioner Found -- (BBC-- August 27, 2006)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5284850.stm
Scientists have developed a way of "executing" cancer cells. Healthy cells have a built-in process for this - they commit suicide if something is wrong, a process which fails in cancer cells. Researchers have created a synthetic molecule that causes cancer cells to self-destruct. Cancer experts said the study offered "exciting possibilities" for new ways of treating the disease.
Private Project to Make Human Stem Cells -- (Washington Post -- June 7, 2006)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/06/AR2006060601290.html?referrer=emailarticle
Harvard University announced yesterday the launch of a privately funded, multimillion-dollar program to create cloned human embryos as sources of medically promising stem cells. The collaborative effort marks a new phase in the long-simmering U.S. culture war over stem cell research, pitting some of the nation's most prestigious institutions against a vocal conservative movement that opposes the work.
Two Butterfly Species Evolved into Third -- (National Geographic -- June 14, 2006)
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/06/060614-butterfly.html
A butterfly species from South America has been revealed as nature's answer to Frankenstein's monster, scientists say. New research shows the insect was originally created from two different butterflies in an evolutionary process many biologists didn't think possible.
Genes Governing Embryonic Stem Cell "Immortality" Discovered -- (Scientific American -- June 12, 2006)
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=000ABA73-E0A5-1489-A0A583414B7F0000&ref=rss
Embryonic stem cells differ from other cells in the body. They can divide seemingly endlessly; they do not perform a specialized function; and, ultimately, they can become any other type of cell. How they do this remains a mystery, but new research has uncovered some of the genes that allow these cells to renew themselves.
Family DNA Helps Cops Catch Criminals -- (Live Science -- May 11, 2006)
http://www.livescience.com/technology/060511_kinship_analysis.html
In 1988, 20-year-old Lynette White was fatally stabbed in South Wales. The murder went unsolved for 15 years, until a fresh DNA sweep of her apartment in 2000 turned up spots of blood on a skirting board that had been missed the first time around. British police ran the results through a national DNA database of known criminals but didn't turn up anyone with an exact match. They did, however, notice someone whose DNA profile was close: a 14-year-old boy who was not even alive when White was murdered but who had gotten into trouble with the cops.
Work Aids Understanding of Life's Beginning -- (MIT -- May 30, 2006)
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2006/amon.html
MIT researchers have a new understanding of the process cells use to ensure that sperm and eggs begin life with exactly one copy of each chromosome -- a process that must be exquisitely regulated to prevent problems such as miscarriages and mental retardation.
Genome Project: Final Chapter is Published -- (PhysOrg -- May 17, 2006)
http://www.physorg.com/news67095713.html
Scientists published the finished sequence of Chromosome 1, the longest and final chapter in the so-called Book of Life that makes up the human genetic code. The sequencing identifies 3,141 genes, flaws in which have been linked to more than 350 diseases, including cancer development, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, high cholesterol, mental retardation and the nervous system disorder known as porphyria.
Rice with Human Gene Causes Furor -- (Live Science -- May 15, 2006)
http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/ap_060515_rice_gene.html
A tiny biosciences company is developing a promising drug to fight diarrhea, a scourge among babies in the developing world, but it has made an astonishing number of powerful enemies because it grows the experimental drug in rice genetically engineered with a human gene.
Researchers Say They Can Cure Cancer In Mice -- (WESH -- May 8, 2006)
http://www.wesh.com/health/9178673/detail.html
Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine said they have found a cure for cancer -- in mice, that is. However, they are hoping that what they have learned will someday be applied to human treatments. Three years ago, Wake Forest researchers discovered a mouse that could not get cancer no matter how hard they tried to give it the disease. Now, they said white blood cells from that mouse's descendants were injected into ordinary mice with cancer and their disease was completely wiped out.
Human-Chimp Split Was Messy -- (CNN -- May 17, 2006)
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/05/17/human.chimp.split.ap/index.html
Humans and chimps diverged from a single ancestral population through a complex process that took 4 million years, according to a new study comparing DNA from the two species. By analyzing about 800 times more DNA than previous studies of the human-chimp split, researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard were able to learn not just when, but a little bit about how the sister species arose.
Blueprinting the Human Brain -- (CNet -- May 10, 2006)
http://news.com.com/Blueprinting+the+human+brain/2100-11393_3-6071061.html?tag=nefd.top
A 3D computer simulation of 10,000 neurons firing in the human brain produces a terabyte of data--a fraction of what it would take to map the brain's billions of neurons in algorithms. That's according to Henry Markram, a scientist working on the Blue Brain project. The project is an attempt to create a blueprint of the human brain to advance cognition research.
Largest Human Chromosome is Mapped
Human chromosome 1, the largest and most information-rich of the 23 human chromosomes, has now been mapped by a team of British and U.S. scientists. The breakthrough could ultimately lead to new treatments for such conditions as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, cancer, autism, and mental retardation. Chromosome 1 contains more than 3,000 genes, a third of which had not previously been identified, according to lead researcher Simon G. Gregory of the Duke University Center for Human Genetics. Mutations of this chromosome have been linked to more than 350 human diseases. "Given the key roles of chromosome 1, the completion of this project has many exciting implications for the scientific and medical communities," says Gregory. "We are eager to apply this new wealth of genetic information about the composition and structure of the chromosome to important matters of health and disease."
SOURCE: Duke University Medical Center, http://dukemednews.duke.edu/news/article.php?id=9661
Virus-Assembled Batteries -- (Technology Review -- April 7, 2006)
http://www.technologyreview.com/BizTech/wtr_16673,296,p1.html
More than half the weight and size of today's batteries comes from supporting materials that contribute nothing to storing energy. Now researchers have demonstrated that genetically engineered viruses can assemble active battery materials into a compact, regular structure, to make an ultra-thin, transparent battery electrode that stores nearly three times as much energy as those in today's lithium-ion batteries. It is the first step toward high-capacity, self-assembling batteries.
Nanopore Will Make for Speedy DNA Sequencing (Nanotech page)
Scientists One Step Closer to Cancer Vaccine -- (Karolinska Institute -- March 21, 2006)
http://ki.se/ki/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=2637&a=11059&l=en&newsdep=2637
Scientists at Karolinska Institute in Sweden have helped to identify a molecule that can be used as a vaccination agent against growing cancer tumors. Although the results are so far based on animal experiments, they point to new methods of treating metastases.
Family May Provide Evolution Clue -- (BBC -- March 7, 2006)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4782492.stm
Five siblings from Turkey who walk on all fours could provide science with an insight into human evolution, researchers have said. The four sisters and one brother could yield clues to why our ancestors made the transition from four-legged to two-legged animals, says a UK expert.
Texas State Research Sheds New Light on Panspermia -- (Astrobiology -- February 24, 2006)
http://www.astrobiology.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=19104
Panspermia is the idea that life--hitchhiking on rocks ejected from meteorite impacts on one world--could travel through space and seed other worlds with life under favorable conditions. When the space shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry Feb. 1, 2003, more than 80 on-board science experiments were lost in the fiery descent. Recent research has salvaged some unexpected science from the wreckage. A strain of slow-growing bacteria survived the crash, a discovery which may have significant implications for the concept of panspermia.
Computer Made from DNA and enzymes
Scientists Confirm Role of Nano-Hairs in Self-Cleaning Lotus Leaf -- (Phys Org -- February 17, 2006)
http://www.physorg.com/news10964.html
In recent years, scientists have developed theoretical models of the underlying mechanisms of the lotus leaf's self-cleaning properties. A new study marks the first time that the effect of the nano-hairs has been isolated from the microstructure and chemical composition of the leaf. The results verify the importance of the nano-structure on the lotus leaf's self-cleaning ability, an essential understanding for inventors designing self-cleaning products in the future.
Bacterium Found to Have Strange Magnetic Personality -- (MIT -- March 6, 2006)
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2006/bacteria.html
Researchers have discovered a bacterium that is a magnetic misfit of sorts. Magnetotactic bacteria contain chains of magnetic iron minerals that allow them to orient in the Earth's magnetic field, like living compass needles. These bacteria have long been observed to respond to high oxygen levels in the lab by swimming toward geomagnetic north in the Northern Hemisphere and geomagnetic south in the Southern Hemisphere. But now researchers have found a bacterium in New England that does just the opposite: a Northern Hemisphere creature that swims south.
Biotech's Sparse Harvest -- (New York Times -- February 14, 2006)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/14/business/14gene.html?_r=1
&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1140104704-ng+S98tqmmfkDomxhrl6EQ
At the dawn of the era of genetically engineered crops, scientists were envisioning all sorts of healthier and tastier foods, including cancer-fighting tomatoes and rot-resistant fruits. But so far, most of the genetically modified crops have provided benefits mainly to farmers, by making it easier for them to control weeds and insects. Now, millions of dollars later, the next generation of biotech crops, the first with direct benefits for consumers, is finally on the horizon. But the list does not include many of the products once envisioned.
'Pharmed' Goats Seek Drug License -- (BBC -- February 22, 2006)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4740230.stm
Imagine you could get life-saving medicines from milking a common farmyard animal. That idea moves a step closer to becoming a reality this week, as the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) considers the final stages of an application to license a natural human protein extracted from the milk of goats. If the EMEA says "yes", Atryn will become the world's first medicine to be produced from a genetically modified animal and represents the vanguard of this long-promised science.
Is This Life? -- (The Scientist -- January 26, 2006)
http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/18854/
The idea of creating life and thus peering into its possible origins, has always fascinated biologists. In the past decade individual labs have met each of these requirements but in quite different ways. Such an entity must meet 12 requirements for life, of which researchers have satisfied 10. With only two steps remaining, they might achieve a synthetic organism within this decade.
Scientists Predict What You'll Think of Next -- (Live Science -- January 18, 2006)
http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/051222_mental_brain.html
To recall memories, your brain travels back in time via the ultimate Google search, according to a new study in which scientists found they can monitor the activity and actually predict what you'll think of next. The work bolsters the validity of a longstanding hypothesis that the human brain takes itself back to the state it was in when a memory was first formed.
Why This Brain Flies on Rat Cunning -- (The Age Company Ltd. -- December 28, 2005)
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/12/06/1102182227308.html
It sounds like science fiction: a brain nurtured in a Petri dish learns to pilot a fighter plane as scientists develop a new breed of "living" computer. But in groundbreaking experiments in a Florida laboratory that is exactly what is happening. The "brain", grown from 25,000 neural cells extracted from a single rat embryo, has been taught to fly an F-22 jet simulator by scientists at the University of Florida. They hope their research into neural computation will help them develop sophisticated hybrid computers, with a thinking biological component.
Woman has First Face Transplant -- (BBC -- December 1, 2005)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4484728.stm
Surgeons in France have carried out the first face transplant on a woman who had lost her nose, lips and chin after being savaged by a dog. In the controversial operation, tissues, muscles, arteries and veins were taken from a brain-dead donor and attached to the patient's lower face. Doctors stress the woman will not look like her donor, but nor will she look like she did before the attack - instead she will have a "hybrid" face.
Gene Turn-Off Makes Meek Mice Fearless -- (New Scientist -- November 17, 2005)
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8337
Deactivating a specific gene transforms meek mice into daredevils, researchers have found. The team believes the research might one day enable people suffering from fear, for example in the form of phobias or anxiety disorders, for example, to be clinically treated. The research found that mice are not only more courageous, but are also slower to learn fear responses to pain-associated stimuli.
BIOLOGICAL BANDAGE
HEALS FASTER -- (The Times of India -- August 23, 2005)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1204726.cms
Using human fetal cells, scientists have developed a new type of
"biological bandage" for severe burns, a treatment that speeds
and improves the healing process and may prove effective for other serious
skin wounds.
BRAIN STILL
DEVELOPING? -- (Newsday -- September 12, 2005)
http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-hsbrai0909,0,6946681.story?coll=ny-health-big-pix
Scientists have discovered a gene variation, perhaps involved in brain
size, that showed up only 6,000 years ago -- a mere blink of the eye in
evolutionary time. This discovery, along with another brain gene that
arrived about 37,000 years ago, is providing scientists with strong
evidence that the human brain is still a work in process.
CHEAP GENOME SEQUENCING
-- (Reuters -- August 5, 2005)
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/08/05/cheap.genome.reut/index.html
Researchers said they had found a faster and cheaper way to sequence your
own personal genome that would cost only about $2.2 million. They hope
eventually to reduce the cost further to $1,000 per genome -- the entire
DNA code of a person, plant or other organism. Their new method bypasses
traditional gel-based technology for analyzing DNA and instead uses
color-coded beads, a microscope and a camera.
DNA NANOPARTICLES
-- (National Cancer Institute -- August 1, 2005)
http://nano.cancer.gov/news_center/nanotech_news_2005-08-01b.asp
A research team has created a novel detergent molecule that may help in
developing methods of repairing or compensating for faulty genes involved
in causing cancer. The researchers concluded from their experiments that
these neutral nanoparticles, when coupled to tumor-targeting molecules
such as folic acid, could be useful in delivering anticancer genes to
metastatic cancer cells circulating in the bloodstream.
EMBRYO WITH TWO MOTHERS APPROVED -- (BBC -- September 22, 2005)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4225564.stm
UK scientists have won permission to create a human embryo that will have genetic material from two mothers. Researchers will transfer genetic material created when an egg and sperm fuse into another woman's egg. The groundbreaking work aims to prevent mothers from passing on certain genetic diseases.
EMOTION CONTROL DEVICES
Expected between 2016-2020
The most extreme use of emotion control devices would be to put a stop to criminal activity. It could suppress anger or stimulate feelings in emotionless psychopaths by sending electronic pulses to the brain.
FINGERPRINTS: How Far Should Fingerprints Be Trusted? -- (New Scientist -- September 19, 2005)
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18725174.500
A High-profile court case in Massachusetts is once again casting doubt on the claimed infallibility of fingerprint evidence. If the case succeeds it could open the door to numerous legal challenges. The doubts follow cases in which the testimony of fingerprint examiners has turned out to be unreliable.
If fingerprints are found to be unreliable, it is likely there will be other measures taken by law enforcement etc. for identification purposes. Things like eye scans could be expected to make a widespread appearance, but how long will they last without the same problem arising? Perhaps there is a lot of evolution yet to come with biological forms of identification.
Flea Protein May Repair Arteries -- (BBC -- October 31, 2005)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4334908.stm
A protein responsible for fleas' astonishing jumping power could be harnessed to repair damaged arteries. Scientists have taken the gene that produces resilin and used it to create a super-strong rubbery polymer with potential use in surgery. They actually extracted the gene from fruit flies and cultured resilin in large quantities in E.coli bacteria.
Human Hands Emit Light -- (Discovery Channel -- October 31, 2005)
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20050905/handlight.html
Human hands glow, but fingernails release the most light, according to a recent study that found all parts of the hand emit detectable levels of light. The findings support prior research that suggested most living things, including plants, release light. Since disease and illness appear to affect the strength and pattern of the glow, the discovery might lead to less-invasive ways of diagnosing patients.
International Stem Cell Bank Open -- (BBC -- October 20, 2005)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4355722.stm
A bank that will create and supply new lines of embryonic stem cells for research around the world has been opened in Seoul, South Korea. It will serve as the main center for an international consortium, including the United States and the UK.
KEY GENE MAY REVERSE HAIR LOSS -- (BBC -- September 29, 2005)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4283302.stm
Scientists believe manipulating genes within hair cells can reverse baldness. Researchers found it was possible to re-grow fur on bald mice by correcting a gene mutation. Mutations in the hairless gene in both humans and mice mean the natural process of hair growth, shedding and re-growth is disturbed.
MEDICINE DELIVERED VIA FRUIT
Expected between 2008-2012
Scientists will be able to produce genetically modified fruit that carry medicines and extra vitamins. For example apples could contain the polio vaccine.
MICE REGROW HEARTS
-- (The Australian -- September 8, 2005)
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16417002%255E29677,00.html
Scientists have created "miracle mice" that can regenerate
amputated limbs or damaged vital organs, making them able to recover from
injuries that would kill or permanently disable normal animals. The
experimental animals are unique among mammals in their ability to regrow
their heart, toes, joints and tail. And when cells from the test mouse are
injected into ordinary mice, they too acquire the ability to regenerate,
researchers say.
MUTANT MICE
-- (Associated Press -- August 10, 2005)
Since researchers published the mouse's entire genetic makeup in map form
three years ago, increasingly exotic rodents are being created with
relative ease. Millions of modified mice are now routinely created by
injecting disease-causing genes or knocking out genes in mouse embryos.
Their decreasing cost and increasing availability is helping researchers
in pursuit of all manner of disease cures.
Mysterious Microbe Retrofits Itself with Plant -- (MSNBC -- October 25, 2005)
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9686843/
A one-celled creature found on a sandy beach may be in the process of endosymbiosis, in which one creature incorporates another, creating a new form of life, say researchers. Scientists believe this is how many modern plants and animals evolved. Soon they will see if the two species have traded genes, considered an important step in the evolution of modern plants and algae.
NEURO PACEMAKER FIGHTS DEPRESSION - A device to stimulate neural functioning in the same way that pacemakers stimulate the heart has been approved for use with patients who are battling severe depression, according to researchers with the University of Virginia Health System. The neuro pacemaker, manufactured by Cyberonics, is already used to treat epilepsy, but clinical trials now also offer hope for patients with long-term severe depression. The patients had tried at least four different antidepressant medications and were at high risk for suicide. The device stimulated the brain to produce more of its natural mood-enhancing neurotransmitters, serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. After six months, 8% of users reported being well. After a year and a half using the device, 48% reported that they felt well and 25% reported that their depression was in remission. SOURCE: University of Virginia Health System, http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu
New Tissue Grown Within Minutes -- (BBC -- October 17, 2005)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4342204.stm
UK scientists say they can cut the time it takes to grow new tissue from days to minutes. The lengthy process can be accelerated by simply removing the water present in the starting material. Following such shrinkage by a factor of at least 100, tissues could be created in 35 minutes.
One-Fifth of Human Genes Have Been Patented -- (National Geographic -- October 20, 2005)
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1013_051013_gene_patent.html
A new study shows that 20% of human genes have been patented in the United States, primarily by private firms and universities. The study marks the first time that a detailed map has been created to match patents to specific physical locations on the human genome. Researchers can patent genes because they are potentially valuable research tools, useful in diagnostic tests or to discover and produce new drugs.
PILL CAMERAS
-- (WUSA -- July 5, 2005)
http://www.wusatv9.com/health/health_article.aspx?storyid=41017
Patients are now swallowing a special pill to help doctors get a better
look at what's actually going on inside the body. It's called Pill Cam ESO
and is about the size of a large vitamin. The camera takes approximately
14 pictures every second and the Pill Cam ESO lasts between 15 to 20
minutes, so about 25 or 26 hundred pictures are taken over the time
period.
PILL-SIZED CAMERA GETS TO GRIPS WITH YOUR GUT -- (New Scientist -- October 4, 2005)
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8081
Researchers have developed a radio-controlled crawling camera capsule that can move and stop on command to give doctors greater control over the images it takes, unlike existing camera capsules. The radio-controlled crawling capsule has six legs, each with tiny hooks on the end. These help prevent the device slipping on mucus in the intestine as it moves along, but are too small to damage the soft tissues.
Plasma Pencil Kills Germs -- (Old Dominion University -- November 1, 2005)
http://web.odu.edu/webroot/orgs/ia/university_news.nsf/articles/09272005090143pm
A pencil sized wand that generates "cold plasma" can be used to kill germs that contaminate surfaces, infect wounds and rot your teeth. In the future, it might be used to destroy tumors without damaging surrounding tissue. The inventor hopes the beam will soon find its way into doctors' and dentists' offices.
RESEARCHER CAN MAKE
ALL-WHITE-MEAT CHICKEN -- (USA Today -- August 31, 2005)
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2005-08-28-chicken_x.htm
A scientist has found a way to transform dark meat chicken into white, a
scientific advance some purists say has gone too far. Proponents say it's
a filler that can be used to add protein and amino acids to something
else, such as chicken nuggets.
SMART BIO-NANOTUBES
-- (UC Santa Barbara -- August 2, 2005)
http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=1325
Materials scientists working with biologists have developed
"smart" bio-nanotubes with open or closed ends that could be
developed for drug or gene delivery applications. The nanotubes are
"smart" in the sense that they could be designed to deliver a
drug or gene in a particular location in the body.
STEM CELLS FROM SKIN
Fat, muscle, and bone cells have been successfully coaxed from stem cells isolated from human skin. The experiment performed at Wake Forest University School of Medicine was one of the first to demonstrate the ability of a single adult stem cell to become multiple tissue types, reports the journal Stem Cells and Development. Most scientists believe that embryonic stem cells are the most versatile, but the ability to use adult stem cells would reduce ethical concerns. Adult cells have been collected from bone marrow, blood, and the brain, but the skin is clearly more accessible. The researchers isolated the cells in culture dishes and used hormones and growth factors to coax them into becoming fat, muscle, and bone cells. Implanted in mice, the cells maintained features consistent with those specific tissues. The ability to develop specialized, self-replicating cells offers hope for repairing damaged cells in patients with spinal cord injuries, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, burns, and other maladies.
SOURCE: Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, http://www1.wfubmc.edu/news/NewsArticle.htm?Articleid=1626
STEM CELLS HELP MORE MICE WALK -- (Wired -- September 22, 2005)
http://wired.com/news/print/0,1294,68913,00.html
Injections of human stem cells seem to directly repair some of the damage caused by spinal cord injury, according to research that helped partially paralyzed mice walk again. The experiment isn't the first to show that stem cells offer tantalizing hope for spinal cord injury -- other scientists have helped mice recover, too. But the new work went an extra step, suggesting the connections that the stem cells form to help bridge the damaged spinal cord are key to recovery.
TOOTH REGENERATION
Expected between 2011-2015
Fillings will become a thing of the past. Using gene therapy, lost or diseased teeth will be regrown in the mouth from a few cells. Scientists have already successfully grown mouse teeth in a lab dish.
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