It's a choice every female wolf spider has to make at some point—should she make the male spider courting her into a mate, or a meal? Never an easy choice—so how does she decide? It was a question that Cornell University scientist Eileen Hebets was dying to answer. "Most previous studies, and there have been quite a few looking at mate choice in species within this genus, have only looked at when the spiders are mature," says Hebets. "No one has up to this point taken into consideration or looked at the effect of experience prior to their maturation of the spider on later adult life decisions." © ScienCentral, 2000-2003.

Keyword: Sexual Behavior; Learning & Memory
Link ID: 4455 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Scientists re-create long-missing brains for the first time David Perlman, Chronicle Science Editor In the age of the dinosaurs, some of the most skilled hunters were sharp-eyed flying reptiles that used their specialized brains, elaborate guidance systems and some fearsome weaponry to snatch their prey while diving in high-speed flight. Now, researchers studying the fossilized skulls of those long-gone creatures are reporting fresh insights into just how they evolved to do it. Fossil experts have long been frustrated by the fact that only the bones of ancient animals survive in fossil form, while their crucial soft tissues, like muscles, nerves and brains, simply rot away after death and never fossilize. ©2003 San Francisco Chronicle

Keyword: Evolution
Link ID: 4454 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Scientists investigating a rare familial form of early-onset Parkinson's disease have discovered that too much of a normal form of the ?-synuclein gene may cause Parkinson's disease. The finding, reported in the October 31, 2003, issue of Science, shows that abnormal multiplication of the ?-synuclein gene can cause the disease. The study provides major new clues into the process by which Parkinson's disease develops. Further, it suggests another way of looking at the consequences of abnormal protein deposition in a variety of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. The Science findings are the product of collaboration among scientists at several institutions, including researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They were reported by Andrew Singleton, Ph.D., and colleagues at the National Institute on Aging's (NIA) Laboratory of Neurogenetics, Matthew Farrer, Ph.D., of the Mayo Clinic, and Katrina Gwinn-Hardy, M.D., of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The team also included scientists from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC.

Keyword: Parkinsons
Link ID: 4453 - Posted: 10.31.2003

Toxic by-product, not rogue proteins, may cause fatal brain wasting. TOM CLARKE Clumps of rogue proteins are not the cause of fatal conditions such as mad cow disease, but merely a symptom, hints new research. The insight could ultimately help to treat the degenerative brain diseases - the hunt is now on for the real culprit. BSE in cows, scrapie in sheep, chronic wasting disease in deer and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in humans occur when an animal or person is infected with a misshapen form of proteins called prions. The molecules accumulate in the brain as they twist healthy prions into their own image. Mutant prions accumulate in dying brain cells and spongy gaps open up in the brain, causing loss of coordination, confusion, mental decline and eventually death. © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2003

Keyword: Prions
Link ID: 4452 - Posted: 06.24.2010

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University researchers have discovered a set of gene mutations that cause progressive hearing loss, a discovery that should provide significant clues in the hunt to solve the puzzle of acquired hearing loss. The research, which was led by faculty from the MSU Hearing Research Center, will be published in the November issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics. The gene involved, known as DFNA 20, is known to play an essential role in the structure of the inner ear, the cochlea. It’s one of nearly 100 genes known to play a role in hearing loss. © 2003 Michigan State University

Keyword: Hearing; Genes & Behavior
Link ID: 4451 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Thousands of hyperactive children are not receiving the care they need, a report suggests. The National Attention Deficit Disorder Information and Support Service says doctors are to blame because they are failing to diagnose the condition. It follows its own survey of 125 hospital doctors across the UK. It found that over half thought that the condition is underdiagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is caused by an imbalance in some of the brain's chemicals. It is characterised by hyperactive or impulsive behaviour such as fidgeting, talking excessively and being easily distracted. (C) BBC

Keyword: ADHD
Link ID: 4450 - Posted: 10.30.2003

A few weeks ago I was talking to a friend, a man who has more postgraduate degrees than I have GCSEs. The subject of Darwinism came up. ‘Actually,’ he said, raising his eyebrows, ‘I don’t believe in evolution.’ I reacted with incredulity: ‘Don’t be so bloody daft.’ ‘I’m not,’ he said. ‘Many scientists admit that the theory of evolution is in trouble these days. There are too many things it can’t explain.’ © 2003 The Spectator.co.uk

Keyword: Evolution
Link ID: 4449 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Americans seem to be fighting all kinds of different addictions these days, from alcohol and drugs, to food and exercise. Are we all addicted to something? Why does it happen? Does it have to be this way? Neuroscientists have been studying our brain responses to learn more about the mechanisms of addiction in the brain. Now, this ScienCentral News video reports how they are piecing together the "riddle of addiction". Is there such a thing as a healthy addiction? You may think you're addicted to chocolate, but if you can get through a day without it, it's merely love, and not addiction. Neuroscientists say that addiction is when you have no control over the craving and you feel you cannot function without it, even when you know it's bad for you. And underlying all addictions—whether they seem healthy, like exercise; or unhealthy, like narcotics—is a reward system in the brain. © ScienCentral, 2000-2003.

Keyword: Drug Abuse
Link ID: 4448 - Posted: 06.24.2010

It must have been amazing news for Harold Varmus. More than 500,000 hits on 13 October had crashed the servers as people rushed to log on to the debut issue of the pioneering science journal he had helped create. The furore caused by the journal shows no signs of going away. Luckily, Varmus is used to the heat: as head of the National Institutes of Health, it went with the territory. But what made him, now in another high-profile job, sign up for this particular controversy? Kurt Kleiner was curious You are in the middle of a distinguished career, and the system has treated you well, so you don't seem a natural for an idea like this. Why does it strike such a chord? Because publication is the heart of the scientific effort. Nothing glues us together as a community more than publishing. That's what people work for. It's the moment of revelation and potential embarrassment. You are showing your data and your conclusions and your way of thinking and the heart of your life's work to your critical and competitive colleagues. So it's a big moment in everyone's life. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 4447 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Nerve-cell activity when eyes are shut reveals internal views of the world. TANGUY CHOUARD People's tendency to see what they expect to see may be caused by their brain constantly generating virtual sensations. So suggests a new study of sleeping cats1. When the animals' eyes were closed, researchers recorded spontaneous patterns of neuronal activity similar to those evoked by real scenes. Strikingly, this happened in the primary visual cortex - a region thought to record visual stimuli passively. Like a detuned television screen flashing up occasional pictures, the resting cortex spontaneously produces clear maps of the outside world. It is as if the eyes were actually looking at objects. © Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2003

Keyword: Vision; Sleep
Link ID: 4446 - Posted: 06.24.2010

ATHENS, Ohio – Pterosaurs, which emerged as the first flying vertebrates during the age of dinosaurs, could grow as large as an airplane but soared through the skies with ease. New research suggests that a specialized brain and inner ear structure helped these ancient reptiles to fly and target their prey, a finding that could give scientists insight into the evolution of the brain and visual system. Compared to modern reptiles such as alligators and lizards, pterosaurs -- commonly known as pterodactyls -- had a complicated neural system that allowed them to make deft use of massive wings and adapt to an airborne lifestyle, said Lawrence Witmer, an associate professor of anatomy in Ohio University's College of Osteopathic Medicine and lead author of the study, which will be published in the Oct. 30 issue of the journal Nature. "These comparisons generally inform us about the rigors of flight and how animals make it work," said Witmer, whose research is funded by the National Science Foundation. Fossils of pterosaurs, which lived during the Mesozoic Era, are rare and often badly crushed. But Witmer's colleagues recently obtained nearly intact skulls of Rhamphorhynchus, a small species with a 3-foot wingspan and 4-inch-long skull that lived 150 million years ago in what is now Germany, and Anhanguera, a larger creature with a 14-foot wingspan and a 20-inch skull that lived 115 million years ago in what is now Brazil.

Keyword: Evolution
Link ID: 4445 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Mentally stimulating leisure activities in early and middle adulthood may lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease, a USC-led study says. Reading, going to museums and engaging in social activities with friends can contribute to an active mind - now and later. Reading books, going to museums and even socializing with friends during early and middle adulthood is related to lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to a USC team of researchers and their colleagues. The group’s study – published in a recent issue of The Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences – is the first to examine the relationship between leisure activities and the loss of mental function using data on twin pairs who differed in cognitive status. “While we have not proved the adage ‘use it or lose it,’ it certainly makes sense that keeping an active mind contributes to positive aging,” said lead author Michael Crowe, a doctoral student in psychology in USC’s College of Letters, Arts & Sciences.

Keyword: Alzheimers
Link ID: 4444 - Posted: 06.24.2010

— Using a technique to insert fluorescently labeled genes into live mice, researchers have created a new atlas that will quite literally light the way for neuroscientists to explore the maze of connections between cells in the central nervous system (CNS). The researchers who developed the atlas said it would enable scientists to determine when and where specific genes are switched on in the CNS. Researchers can use such clues to explore the molecular machinery that coordinates neural development and to chart the functional circuitry of the brain and spinal cord. All data from the Gene Expression Nervous System Atlas (GENSAT) BAC Transgenic Project, will be available online to researchers worldwide at http://www.gensat.org. Data derived from the project could have a have major impact on the understanding of neurological disorders, according to the project's leaders, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator Nathaniel Heintz and Mary E. Hatten at The Rockefeller University. The researchers reported the first results from the project in an article published in the October 30, 2003, issue of the journal Nature. ©2003 Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Keyword: Genes & Behavior; Development of the Brain
Link ID: 4443 - Posted: 06.24.2010

Sabin Russell, Chronicle Medical Writer A government document naming 157 scientists who study AIDS and human sexuality is alarming university researchers, who call it a Republican "hit list'' that may be used to target prevention programs that some members of Congress find offensive. National Institutes of Health program officers, who are responsible for overseeing research funded by the federal agency, have been asking members on the list for thumbnail descriptions about the "public benefit" of their projects, which in most cases have already been approved and funded, according to several scientists familiar with the list. Named on the list are researchers from some of the most prestigious universities in the country, including Johns Hopkins University, Harvard and UCSF. ©2003 San Francisco Chronicle

Keyword: Sexual Behavior
Link ID: 4442 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR When Ellen Goldstein of Brooklyn gave birth last November to her only child, Owen, medical tests offered no clues that five months later he would be crippled by a deadly and irreversible genetic disease. Tests shortly before Owen was born revealed no abnormalities, and a physical evaluation right after his birth showed he was in perfect health. So when Owen, once a lively and playful baby, began showing signs of low muscle tone and lost the ability to move his left arm only two months into his life, doctors were mystified. Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Movement Disorders; ALS-Lou Gehrig's Disease
Link ID: 4441 - Posted: 10.29.2003

By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr. The Food and Drug Administration banned the sale and use of a newly detected steroid yesterday and said it would help prosecute any companies making or selling it. The new steroid, tetrahydrogestrinone, or THG, is not a dietary supplement, the federal agency said, but a "purely synthetic designer steroid" derived from another banned drug. Although its safety is untested, it is so closely related to known steroids that the F.D.A. "believes that its use may pose considerable risk to health." Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company

Keyword: Hormones & Behavior
Link ID: 4440 - Posted: 10.29.2003

BUFFALO, N.Y. - University at Buffalo researchers using the latest computer-assisted technologies of genetic analysis have shown for the first time how a widely used drug for treating multiple sclerosis -- interferon beta (IFN-beta-1a) -- can modulate the expression of particular genes in patients being treated for the disease. Their results show that IFN-beta-1a initiates different patterns of genetic expression in different MS patients, information that could lead to better, and potentially individualized, treatments. Results of the study were presented Oct. 21 at the annual meeting of the American Neurological Association in San Francisco by Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, M.D., UB assistant professor of neurology and director of the Baird MS Center at The Jacobs Neurological Institute, the research arm of the UB Department of Neurology. The study also appeared in the September issue of The Journal of Immunology.

Keyword: Multiple Sclerosis
Link ID: 4439 - Posted: 10.29.2003

Your nose could provide the first reliable diagnostic tool for predicting a person’s likelihood of developing psychosis, new research has found. A University of Melbourne team examined a group of people deemed to be at ultra high risk of developing psychosis and found those that went on to develop schizophrenia, rather than other forms of psychosis, all displayed the inability to identify smells. This deficit was present before the onset of any significant clinical symptoms of psychosis. The study, the first of its kind, is published in the October 2003 American Journal of Psychiatry. The research has also reignited the academic debate regarding the influence of genetics versus social factors on the development of various forms of psychosis. © The University of Melbourne 1994-2003

Keyword: Schizophrenia; Chemical Senses (Smell & Taste)
Link ID: 4438 - Posted: 06.24.2010

By Maggie Shiels An artist has put his brain up for sale. But this is more than a mere stunt - investors could see a big payout. He just has to die first. Art and commerce have always been regarded as an unholy alliance, but conceptual artist Jonathon Keats has brought the two together in the most intriguing union ever by offering futures contracts on his brain. Up for sale are six billion neurons. His aim is immortality. The idea is that Keats, 32, sells the rights to his brain, and with it his original thoughts, for perpetuity. This relies on new technology - not yet invented - which will keep his brain alive and functioning, even after he has died. Unfortunately, copyright laws have watered down his plan for eternal life. Copyright in the US lasts for the life of its creator, plus 70 years. (C)BBC

Keyword: Miscellaneous
Link ID: 4437 - Posted: 10.28.2003

NewScientist.com news service The sound-detecting hair cells of the inner ear can be grown in the lab from embryonic stem cells, US scientists have shown. The work raises another possible alternative to cochlear implants for treating deafness. Hair cells convert sound waves into electrical signals that go to the brain. In mammals including humans, these cells die off with age. The result is irreversible hearing loss. Stefan Heller's team at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston generated the hair cells by exposing mouse embryonic stem cells - which are capable of turning into any type of cell - to the chemical factors that a normal hair cell would encounter. © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd.

Keyword: Hearing; Regeneration
Link ID: 4436 - Posted: 06.24.2010