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Damaged DNA may stall patrolling molecule to initiate repair

Sites where DNA is damaged may cause a molecule that slides along the DNA strand to scan for damage to slow on its patrol, delaying it long enough to recognize and initiate repair. The finding suggests that the delay itself may be the key that allows the protein molecule to find its target, according to the researchers.

Jan 28th, 2015

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New model for preserving donor tissue will allow more natural joint repair for patients

Currently, doctors have to throw away more than 80 percent of donated tissue used for joint replacements because the tissue does not survive long enough to be transplanted. Now, researchers have developed a new technology that more than doubles the life of the tissue. This new technology was able to preserve tissue quality at the required level in all of the donated tissues studied, the researchers found.

Jan 28th, 2015

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Award-winning research on DNA probes

These new DNA probes can potentially be used to develop a biosensor array for lanthanide and other metal detection. These DNA molecules have catalytic activity (known as DNAzymes) and studies indicate that lanthanide-dependent DNAzymes may have different properties from existing examples.

Jan 28th, 2015

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Tracking DNA helps scientists trace origins of genetic errors

Scientists have shed light on how naturally occurring mutations can be introduced into our DNA. The study, which focuses on how DNA replicates every time a cell divides, helps to make clear previously unexplained patterns in how our DNA changes over time. It also provides new insight into how the human genome has been shaped throughout evolution.

Jan 27th, 2015

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Researchers image and measure tubulin transport in cilia (w/video)

Defective cilia can lead to a host of diseases and conditions in the human body - from rare, inherited bone malformations to blindness, male infertility, kidney disease and obesity. A new study from University of Georgia cellular biologists shows the mechanism behind tubulin transport and its assembly into cilia, including the first video imagery of the process.

Jan 26th, 2015

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Research shows relationship critical for how cells ingest matter

To survive and fulfill their biological functions, cells need to take in material from their environment. In this process, proteins within the cell pull inward on its membrane, forming a pit that eventually encapsulates the material in a bubble called a vesicle. Researchers have now revealed a relationship that governs this process, known as endocytosis.

Jan 26th, 2015

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From stem cell to nerve cell in a few weeks

Scientists have developed a novel method for studying processes in the living brain, enabling them to observe how human stem cells transplanted into the cerebral cortex of mice develop into mature functional nerve cells.

Jan 22nd, 2015

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Mathematics improve single-cell analysis

A new computational approach allows to account for confounding factors and hidden biological processes in the analysis of single-cell RNA sequence data. Using this method, individual subpopulations and cell types can be identified within heterogeneous cell populations and can be determined more precisely.

Jan 21st, 2015

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