ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Cell-based alternative to animal testing? Genomic biomarker signature can predict skin sensitizers, study finds
• Teenagers: Being 'scrawny' is not an option
• How yeast chromosomes avoid the bad breaks
• Frequent mutations of chromatin remodeling genes discovered in transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder
• Brain's map of space falls flat when it comes to altitude
• Finding about cell division and metabolism may provide insight into neurodegenerative disorders
• New resource to unlock the role of microRNAs
• Nanoscale secret to stronger alloys: Scientists find nanoparticle size is readily controlled to make stronger aluminum alloys
• New conducting properties discovered in bacteria-produced wires
• Mutations not inherited from parents cause more than half the cases of schizophrenia
• Bullying may contribute to lower test scores

Cell-based alternative to animal testing? Genomic biomarker signature can predict skin sensitizers, study finds Posted: 07 Aug 2011 07:05 PM PDT European legislation restricts animal testing within the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries and companies are increasingly looking at alternative systems to ensure that their products are safe to use. New research demonstrates that the response of laboratory grown human cells can now be used to classify chemicals as sensitizing, or non-sensitizing, and can even predict the strength of allergic response, so providing an alternative to animal testing.

Teenagers: Being 'scrawny' is not an option Posted: 07 Aug 2011 12:05 PM PDT A dedicated football player, a disciplined martial arts practitioner or a respected weightlifter? According to a recent Norwegian study, young girls are most concerned with their appearance as they become teenagers, but boys must do something to become young men. Their choice of activity is also a choice of masculine identity.

How yeast chromosomes avoid the bad breaks Posted: 07 Aug 2011 11:39 AM PDT Researchers have discovered how yeast cells protect themselves against a novel type of chromosome fragility that occurs in repeated DNA during meiosis -- the cell division that produces spores in fungi or eggs and sperm in plants and animals.

Frequent mutations of chromatin remodeling genes discovered in transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder Posted: 07 Aug 2011 11:39 AM PDT New research provides a valuable genetic basis for future studies on transitional cell carcinoma, suggesting that aberration of chromatin regulation might be one of the features of bladder cancer.

Brain's map of space falls flat when it comes to altitude Posted: 07 Aug 2011 11:38 AM PDT Animal's brains are only roughly aware of how high-up they are in space, meaning that in terms of altitude the brain's 'map' of space is surprisingly flat, according to new research.

Finding about cell division and metabolism may provide insight into neurodegenerative disorders Posted: 07 Aug 2011 11:38 AM PDT A new finding points to new avenues for investigation of cell metabolism that may provide insights into diseases ranging from neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease to certain types of cancers.

New resource to unlock the role of microRNAs Posted: 07 Aug 2011 11:38 AM PDT The first mammalian microRNA knockout resource -- mirKO -- will soon be released. This research toolbox of mutant mouse ES cells, in which individual or clustered groups of microRNA genes have been deleted, will help researchers define the role of microRNAs in health and disease. Using these tools researchers can create cells or mice lacking specific microRNAs, study expression using fluorescent markers, or inactivate the gene in specific tissues or at specific times in development.

Nanoscale secret to stronger alloys: Scientists find nanoparticle size is readily controlled to make stronger aluminum alloys Posted: 07 Aug 2011 11:38 AM PDT Researchers have solved the mystery of one of the most promising aluminum alloys ever for strength, hardness, lightness, and resistance to corrosion and heat. The secret is the formation of core-shell nanoparticles all nearly the same size.

New conducting properties discovered in bacteria-produced wires Posted: 07 Aug 2011 11:38 AM PDT The discovery of a fundamental, previously unknown property of microbial nanowires in the bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens that allows electron transfer across long distances could revolutionize nanotechnology and bioelectronics, says a team of physicists and microbiologists. Their findings may one day lead to cheaper, less toxic nanomaterials for biosensors and solid state electronics that interface with biological systems.

Mutations not inherited from parents cause more than half the cases of schizophrenia Posted: 07 Aug 2011 11:38 AM PDT Researchers have shown that new, or "de novo," protein-altering mutations -- genetic errors that are present in patients but not in their parents -- play a role in more than 50 percent of "sporadic" -- i.e., not hereditary -- cases of schizophrenia.

Bullying may contribute to lower test scores Posted: 07 Aug 2011 11:38 AM PDT High schools in Virginia where students reported a high rate of bullying had significantly lower scores on standardized tests that students must pass to graduate, according to new research.

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