Biology News

Seniors Who Play Video Games Report Better Sense of Emotional Well-Being Tuesday, March 5, 2013 - 11:42

New research from North Carolina State University finds that older adults who play video games report higher levels of emotional well-being.

 

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Selfish gene may undermine genome police Tuesday, March 5, 2013 - 11:15

Biologists have been observing the “selfish” genetic entity segregation distorter (SD) in fruit flies for decades. Its story is a thriller among molecules, in which the SD gene destroys maturing sperm that have a rival chromosome. A new study reveals a tactic that gives SD’s villainy an extra edge.

 

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Health Benefits of Marriage May Not Extend to All Tuesday, March 5, 2013 - 10:18

Marriage may not always be as beneficial to health as experts have led us to believe, according to a new study. Researchers made two discoveries that explain why: First, marriage provides less protection against mortality as health deteriorates, even though it does seem to benefit those who are in excellent health. Secondly, married people tend to overestimate how healthy they are, compared to others.

 

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How spirituality induces liberal attitudes Monday, March 4, 2013 - 14:08

People become more politically liberal immediately after practising a spiritual exercise such as meditation, researchers at the University of Toronto have found.

 

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Order in the chaos of a cell membrane Thursday, February 28, 2013 - 14:47

An explanation has been proposed for the way in which ordered structures arise in cell membranes. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam have discovered how complex compounds of sugar and lipids – known as glycolipids – order themselves in cell membranes into rafts, namely small, highly organised domains. The arrangement of glycolipids on the surface of plant and animal cell membranes regulates numerous cellular processes. If errors occur in this process, diseases like PNH and BSE can arise.

 

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Reading the Human Genome: A New View of Transcription Initiation Thursday, February 28, 2013 - 11:53

The human genome is contained within a vast jumble of DNA. Its 20,000 or so genes are concealed within strings of As, Ts, Gs, and Cs, and each gene must be turned on at the right time and in the right cells. For the first time, scientists have glimpsed the cellular machinery that accomplishes that feat, as it assembles directly on the DNA and readies it for transcription into RNA, the first step in protein production.

 

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Research connects early childhood with pain, depression in adulthood Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - 12:33

A new University of Nebraska-Lincoln study shows that missed meals in childhood can be linked to experiencing pain and depression in adulthood. Depression and chronic pain are experienced by 44 percent of working-aged adults and the study shows a correlation between childhood conditions and pain and depression in adulthood.

 

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Homer-1 protein in the brain prevents stress-induced cognitive deficits Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - 09:38

Before examinations and in critical situations, we need to be particularly receptive and capable of learning. However, acute exam stress and stage fright causes learning blockades and reduced memory function. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich have now discovered a mechanism responsible for these cognitive deficits, which functions independently of stress hormones.

 

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