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Researchers Find ‘Goldilocks’ of DNA Self-Assembly

By Guest PostOctober 28, 2010Scienceabhishek singh, assembly technology, DNA, dna assisted self assembly, dna self assembling, dna self assembly, dna strands, genetic coding, genetic sequence, goldilocks, length, materials, north carolina state university, stacy snyder, university of melbourne, yara yingling

This image is a simulation snapshot of the molecular dynamics of DNA strands. Image credit: North Carolina State University

Researchers from North Carolina State University have found a way to optimize the development of DNA self-assembling materials, which hold promise for technologies ranging from drug delivery to molecular sensors. The key to the advance is the discovery of the “Goldilocks” length for DNA strands used in self-assembly – not too long, not too short, but just right.

DNA strands contain genetic coding that will form bonds with another strand that contains a unique sequence of complementary genes. By coating a material with a specific DNA layer, that material will then seek out and bond with its complementary counterpart. This concept, known as DNA-assisted self-assembly, creates significant opportunities in the biomedical and materials science fields, because it may allow the creation of self-assembling materials with a variety of applications.

But, while DNA self-assembly technology is not a new concept, it has historically faced some significant stumbling blocks. One of these obstacles has been that DNA segments that are too short often failed to self-assemble, while segments that are too long often led to the creation of deformed materials. This hurdle can lead to basic manufacturing problems, as well as significant changes in the properties of the material itself. (more…)

The Promise of Ion Beam Cancer Therapy

By Guest PostOctober 23, 20101 commentHealth, Scienceatoms, beams of ions, berkeley lab, bragg peak, cancer, carbon, cyclotron, ernest lawrence, gamma rays, heavy ion linear accelerator, heidelberg ion beam therapy center, hilac, hit, hydrogen ions, ion-beam therapy, john lawrence, neon, protons, robert wilson, therapy, x-rays

For certain kinds of cancer, the most effective therapy does not use x-rays or gamma rays but beams of ions, the electrically charged cores of atoms, including hydrogen ions (protons) and heavier ions such as carbon and neon.

About the image: Beams of heavy ions can target hard-to-reach tumors with great accuracy and with minimal damage to surrounding tissues. Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center. Image credit: Berkeley Lab (more…)

Computer Modeling of Swimming Fish Could Lead To New Robots and Prosthetics

By Guest PostOctober 23, 2010Scienceavis cohen, barracuda, body, body stiffness, chia yu hsu, computational model, eric d tytell, lamprey, lisa fauci, locomotion, medical prosthetics, muscles contract, natural mechanics, simulation, swimming fish, tulane university, turbulent water, university of maryland

Image credit: University of Maryland

COLLEGE PARK, Md — Scientists at the University of Maryland and Tulane University have developed a computational model of a swimming fish that is the first to address the interaction of both internal and external forces on locomotion. The interdisciplinary research team simulated how the fish’s flexible body bends, depending on both the forces from the fluid moving around it as well as the muscles inside. Understanding these interactions, even in fish, will help design medical prosthetics for humans that work with the body’s natural mechanics, rather than against them. This research is published in the October 18, 2010 online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (more…)

Scary Chupacabras Monster is as Much Victim as Villain

By Guest PostOctober 22, 2010Culture, Sciencebarry oconnor, blood, chupacabras, chupacabras syndrome, coyotes, creepy crawlies, dogs, evil looking animals, evolutionary history, foxes, goatsucker, halloween, hans klompen, itchy rash, legendary beast, livestock, mange, monsters, puerto rico, sarcoptes scabiei, scabies, tales, wolves

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— As Halloween approaches, tales of monsters and creepy crawlies abound. Among the most fearsome is the legendary beast known as the chupacabras.

But the real fiend is not the hairless, fanged animal purported to attack and drink the blood of livestock; it’s a tiny, eight-legged creature that turns a healthy, wild animal into a chupacabras, says University of Michigan biologist Barry OConnor. (more…)

X-Ray Diffraction May Play Key Role in Stopping ‘Kissing Bug,’ Fungus

By Guest PostOctober 22, 2010Health, Scienceaspergillus fumigates, blood-sucking insect, chagas parasite, crime scenes, cure, dale karr, drugs, enzyme, fungus, john tanner, kissing bug, organisms, pablo sobrado, parasite, pathogens, pulmonary diseases, south america, sugar molecule, virginia tech, x ray diffraction

John Tanner, who also teaches chemistry in the College of Arts and Science, is studying Aspergillus fumigatus. Image credit: University of Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. – If finding the cure for a fungus and parasite that affects millions of people were the subject of a detective show, University of Missouri Chemistry Professor John Tanner would be the forensic expert in the lab, using high-tech equipment to make a model that could eventually solve the crime.

Tanner, who also teaches chemistry in the College of Arts and Science, has joined forces with Pablo Sobrado, an assistant professor of biochemistry at Virginia Tech, to study a unique enzyme found on two “crime scenes”: in Aspergillus fumigatus, a fungus that causes pulmonary diseases in immuno-compromised people; and in a blood-sucking insect prevalent in South America and now being found in the southwestern U.S., called the Chagas parasite, also known as the “kissing bug” for the red welts left on the victims’ faces after being bitten in his or her sleep.

“My job is to figure out what the enzyme looks like using X-ray diffraction,” Tanner said. “This enzyme makes a special sugar molecule that these organisms need to survive, so if we can find a way to stop the reaction that makes that sugar, then we might find a way to kill these pathogens.” (more…)

Discovery of a Mechanism that Controls the Expression of a Protein Involved in Numerous Cancers

By Guest PostOctober 22, 2010Health, Sciencecancer, cancers, colon, cures to cancer, ejc, institute for research in immunology and cancer, iric, lung, mapk protein, marc therrien, mechanism controlling the transmission of an abnormal signal, melanomas, pancreatic, protein complex, signalling pathway, université de montréal

Marc Therrien. Image credit: University of Montreal

Researchers at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal have identified a new mechanism controlling the transmission of an abnormal signal at the origin of several cancers. In an article published in the journal Cell, Marc Therrien’s team explains the recent discovery of a protein complex that controls the RAS/MAPK signalling pathway, responsible for some of the deadliest cancers, including pancreatic, colon and lung cancers, and melanomas. This regulating mechanism could prove to be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of these diseases. The study conducted on the drosophila model organism is to be verified in humans in a forthcoming step. (more…)

New Equation Could Advance Research In Solar Cell Materials

By Guest PostOctober 21, 2010Sciencecarbon-rich compounds, inorganic semiconductors, junctions, northwestern university, organic heterojunctions, organic semiconductors, organic solar cells, shockley equation, solar cells, steve forrest, the ideal diode equation for organic hetero, university of michigan, william Shockley

NN ARBOR, Mich.—A groundbreaking new equation developed in part by researchers at the University of Michigan could do for organic semiconductors what the Shockley ideal diode equation did for inorganic semiconductors: help to enable their wider adoption. (more…)

The Rise of Google’s iCar

By Guest PostOctober 21, 2010Science, Technologyautomation, cars, collision avoidance system, darpa challenge, e550, georgia tech, golden gate bridge, Google, icar, lake tahoe, lombard street, mercedes benz, navigation, olivia coleman, pacific coast highway, pedestrian warning system, robotics, sebastian thrun, self-driving vehicles, software engineer, Technology, traffic fatalities, vision 2020, volvo s60, world health organization, zero-fatality

With the recent advancements in robotics, automation, navigation, and self-driving vehicles, all spurred on by the DARPA Challenge and the research at Georgia Tech among other programs, it’s no surprise to hear that Google has been working very hard on these same kinds of technology.

Sebastian Thrun, Distinguished Software Engineer at Google, recently announced on their blog that so far Google’s efforts to create a self-driving car have been largely successful, though he made it a point to say that the program was still very much in the experimental stages. (more…)

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