Acidity (pH) in cells of baker’s yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, regulate the synthesis of cell membranes by controlling the production of enzymes that synthesize membranes. These are the findings of researchers at the University of Vancouver, in close collaboration with systems biologists at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). The results of this research have been published this week in the journal Science. The elucidated mechanism is so simple and universal that it is highly likely that it determines many processes in the cell in all forms of life. The UvA scientists, led by Dr…

Fire up the citronella-scented tiki torches, and slather on the DEET: Everybody knows these simple precautions repel insects, notably mosquitoes, whose bites not only itch and irritate, but also transmit diseases such as West Nile virus, malaria and dengue. Now, Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered what it is in the bugs’ molecular makeup that enables citronellal (the aromatic liquid used in lotions, sprays and candles) and DEET, to deter insects from landing and feeding on you…

Health Canada released its Report on Human Biomonitoring of Environmental Chemicals in Canada. This technical report provides the results of the biomonitoring component from the first cycle of the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS). It represents the first-ever comprehensive set of data on the exposure of the Canadian population to environmental chemicals. “Biomonitoring initiatives, such as theCanadian Health Measures Survey, are an important component of the Government of Canada’s actions to protect the health of Canadians,” said the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health…

What if trains, planes and automobiles all were powered simply by the air through which they move? What if their exhaust and by-products helped the environment? Such an energy-efficient, self-propelling mechanism already exists in nature. The salp, a small, barrel-shaped organism that resembles a streamlined jellyfish, gets everything it needs from ocean waters to feed and propel itself. Scientists believe its waste material may help remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the upper ocean and the atmosphere..

Under the microscope, the bacteria start dividing normally, two cells become four and then eight and so on. But then individual cells begin “popping,” like circus balloons being struck by darts. This phenomenon, which surprised the Duke University bioengineers who captured it on video, turns out to be an example of a more generalized occurrence that must be considered by scientists creating living, synthetic circuits out of bacteria. Even when given the same orders, no two cells will behave the same…

Duke University physicists have developed a way to produce sharp fluid jets with enough precision that they can inject material into a single, living cell. The technique promises a way to deliver drugs to cells one at a time, which is likely to be very valuable for research involving stem cells and other cellular-level studies. The research appears in the current issue of the APS journal Physical Review Letters. The physicists produced the jets by focusing lasers into a fluid surrounding a target cell…

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University’s Molecular Biosensor and Imaging Center (MBIC) are turning up the brightness on a group of fluorescent probes called fluoromodules that are used to monitor biological activities of individual proteins in real-time. This latest advance enhances their fluormodule technology by causing it to glow an order of magnitude brighter than typical fluorescent proteins. The new fluoromodules are five- to seven-times brighter than enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), a development that will open new avenues for research…

During cell division, microtubules emanating from each of the spindle poles meet and overlap in the spindle’s mid zone. Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, have uncovered the molecular mechanism that determines the extent of this overlap. In a study published in Cell, they were able to reconstruct such anti-parallel microtubule overlaps in vitro, and identify two proteins which are sufficient to control the formation and size of this important spindle feature…

From studies on mice, researchers in the US have discovered that disrupting the body clock or circadian rhythm could interfere with a normal 24 hour cycle of high and low triglycerides in a way that leaves them at a high level all the time, potentially raising the risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease. You can read how Dr M…

Ahmed H. Zewail, Ph.D., 1999 Chemistry Nobel Laureate and Linus Pauling Professor of Chemistry & Professor of Physics at the California Institute of Technology, has been named winner of the 2011 Priestley Medal by the American Chemical Society (ACS). The award recognizes Zewail’s revolutionary methods for developing “ultraslow-motion” imaging for the study of ultrafast processes in chemistry, biology and materials science. His work is providing deep new insights into materials behavior and biological processes that determine health and disease…