Biology

Scientists to launch standard graphical notation for biology

harminka — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:22:28 -0500

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and their colleagues in 30 laboratories worldwide have released a new set of standards for graphically representing biological information—the biology equivalent of the circuit diagram in electronics. This visual language should make it easier to exchange complex information, so that biological models are depicted more accurately, consistently, and in a more readily understandable way.

Scientists are constructing a biology map of iron metabolism

harminka — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:18:33 -0500

Scientists at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, and the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have taken the first steps toward constructing a systems biology map of iron metabolism.

Next biotech revolution is brewing

harminka — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:59:26 -0500

The safety of early applications of synthetic biology may be adequately addressed by the existing regulatory framework for biotechnology, especially in contained laboratories and manufacturing facilities.

Biological alternatives to chemical pesticides

harminka — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:01:52 -0500

With increasing consumer pressure on both farmers and supermarkets to minimise the use of chemical pesticides in fruit and vegetables, a new study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), looks at why there is currently little use of biological alternatives in the UK.

Structural biology spin-out tackles major diseases

harminka — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:28:16 -0500

A spin out company from basic structural biology, Asterion Ltd., has led to new technology that provides a way of creating therapeutic proteins to tackle major diseases such as cancer, diabetes and infertility. The research was carried out at the University of Sheffield in laboratories supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

Tips on how to build a better home for biological parts

harminka — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:31:26 -0500

Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech have compiled a series of guidelines that should help researchers in their efforts to design, develop and manage next-generation databases of biological parts.

New discovery proves selfish gene exists

harminka — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:09:37 -0500

A new discovery by a scientist from The University of Western Ontario provides conclusive evidence which supports decades-old evolutionary doctrines long accepted as fact.

One Plus One Doesn’t Always Equal Two

harminka — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 02:26:59 -0500

Like a wristwatch that needs to be wound daily for accurate time-telling, the human circadian system — the biological cycles that repeat approximately every 24 hours — requires daily light exposure to the eye’s retina to remain synchronized with the solar day.

Are microbes the answer to energy crisis?

harminka — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:15:38 -0500

The answer to the looming fuel crisis in the 21st century may be found by thinking small, microscopic in fact. Microscopic organisms from bacteria and cyanobacteria, to fungi to microalgae, are biological factories that are proving to efficient sources of inexpensive, environmentally friendly biofuels that can serve as alternatives to oil, according to research presented at the 108th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Boston.

Weizmann Institute scientists build better DNA molecule

harminka — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:09:53 -0500

Building faultless objects from faulty components may seem like alchemy. Yet scientists from the Weizmann Institute’s Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, and Biological Chemistry Departments have achieved just that, using a mathematical concept called recursion.

Religion and Narrative of Biological Science

harminka — Tue, 13 May 2008 08:19:38 -0500

There exists much ethical controversy brought about by advances in biology and medicine and the relationship to religion. In a new essay in The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Laurie Zoloth takes an approach to medical ethics that draws upon Jewish texts, traditions, and philosophy to show how acting to change the world is indicative of this faith tradition.

Carnegie Mellon technique accelerates biological image analysis

harminka — Fri, 02 May 2008 02:15:21 -0500

Researchers in Carnegie Mellon University’s Lane Center for Computational Biology have discovered how to significantly speed up critical steps in an automated method for analyzing cell cultures and other biological specimens.