| Guidelines for human genome editing Posted: 21 Jan 2016 12:01 PM PST As countries around the world seek to craft policy frameworks governing the powerful new genetic editing tool, policy makers need to determine 'thresholds of acceptability' for using the technology, according to researchers. They suggest that policy makers could be guided by the model that has served to develop policies governing pre-implantation genetic diagnosis after in vitro fertilization. |
| Dark 'noodles' may lurk in the Milky Way Posted: 21 Jan 2016 11:51 AM PST Invisible structures shaped like noodles, lasagne sheets or hazelnuts could be floating around in our Galaxy radically challenging our understanding of gas conditions in the Milky Way. Astronomers say the structures appear to be 'lumps' in the thin gas that lies between the stars in our Galaxy. The observations were made possible by an innovative new technique. |
| Sexuality, not extra chromosomes, benefits animal, biologists find Posted: 21 Jan 2016 10:07 AM PST Why do animals engage in sexual reproduction? Biologists sought answers with mud snails that breed both sexually and asexually. They found that asexual snails grow faster and reach reproductive age quicker than sexual snails, which raises new questions about sex's role in reproduction. |
| Tiny Australian leech named for best-selling author Amy Tan Posted: 21 Jan 2016 10:07 AM PST Researchers have named a new leech after best-selling author Amy Tan based on an innovative method for peering inside soft-bodied animals. Chtonobdella tanae is the first new species of invertebrate without chitinous or calcified tissues (like a shell or exoskeleton) to be described with computed tomography (CT). The work opens possibilities for non-destructively studying a group of animals ranging from worms to jellyfish that represent a huge part of the tree of life. |
| Gloop from the deep sea Posted: 20 Jan 2016 09:01 AM PST Scientists are researching the unusual secretions of the hagfish. Over the next three years, the researchers will try to find out how this natural hydrogel can be harnessed for human use. |
| Flashing lights, music turn rats into problem gamblers Posted: 20 Jan 2016 08:15 AM PST Adding flashing lights and music to gambling encourages risky decision-making -- even if you're a rat. Scientists have discovered rats behaved like problem gamblers when sound and light cues were added to a "rat casino" model. What's more, the researchers were able to correct the behavior by blocking the action of a specific dopamine receptor, laying the groundwork for possible treatment of gambling addiction in humans. |
| Nature inspired nano-structures mean no more cleaning windows Posted: 20 Jan 2016 06:26 AM PST Smart windows clean themselves, save energy and mimic moth eyes to cut glare |
| Are people suffering as a result of ultrasound in the air? Posted: 19 Jan 2016 06:30 PM PST New research indicates that the public are being exposed, without their knowledge, to airborne ultrasound. The study found increasing exposure to ultrasound in locations such as railway stations, museums, libraries, schools and sports stadiums, in which there have been complaints of nausea, dizziness, migraine, fatigue and tinnitus. |
| New experiments determine effective treatments for box jelly stings Posted: 19 Jan 2016 12:35 PM PST Researchers have developed an array of highly innovative experiments to allow scientists to safely test first-aid measures used for box jellyfish stings -- from folk tales, like urine, to state-of-the-art technologies developed for the military. The power of this new array approach is in its ability to rigorously assess the effectiveness of treatments on inhibiting tentacle firing and venom toxicity -- two aspects of a sting that affect the severity of a person's reaction. |
| Grafted plants' genomes can communicate with each other Posted: 19 Jan 2016 12:35 PM PST Agricultural grafting dates back nearly 3,000 years. By trial and error, people from ancient China to ancient Greece realized that joining a cut branch from one plant onto the stalk of another could improve the quality of crops. Now, researchers have used this ancient practice, combined with modern genetic research, to show that grafted plants can share epigenetic traits. |
| Zinnias from space! Posted: 21 Jan 2016 09:15 AM PST In space, there is no scent of baking bread, no wind on your face, no sound of raindrops hitting the roof, no favorite kitten to curl up in your lap. Over time, being deprived of these common earthbound sense stimulations takes a toll. Having limited access to stimuli to the senses is identified as a significant risk by NASA's Behavioral Health and Performance team. |
| Anxiety can impact people's walking direction Posted: 19 Jan 2016 11:17 AM PST People experiencing anxiety and inhibition have more activity in the right side of the brain, causing them to walk in a leftward trajectory. New research has, for the first time, linked the activation of the brain's two hemispheres with lateral shifts in people's walking trajectories. |
