News by Subject Biology

The 2011 Las Conchas mega-fire in New Mexico burned more than 150,000 acres and threatened the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Now, using data from the fire, researchers at Los Alamos have created an experimental model that will help us better understand the interactions of fire and water in the soil.

Pseudoachondroplasia (PSACH) is a severe inherited dwarfing condition In PSACH, a genetic mutation leads to abnormal retention of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of cartilage-producing cells (chondrocytes), which interferes with function and cell viability. In a report in The American Journal of Pathology, investigators describe how this protein accumulation results in 'ER stress' and initiates a host of pathologic changes. These findings may open up new ways to treat PSACH and other ER-stress-related conditions.

A report in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics describes a new assay to assess copy number alterations that is cheaper, faster, reproducible, and requires less tissue than other diagnostic techniques and has the potential to significantly enhance prostate cancer evaluation.

A Duke-led study finds that hypoxic dead zones occur in nutrient-laden urban streams, not just in coastal waters. The research shows that intense storm flows can erode some stream channels to become a series of pools that trap nutrient-laden runoff. The elevated nutrient levels in the water spur greater consumption of dissolved oxygen by bacteria, causing the pools to become hypoxic until the next storm flushes them out.

A new computational model developed by researchers from The City College of New York and Yale gives a clearer picture of the structure and mechanics of soft, shape-changing cells that could provide a better understanding of cancerous tumor growth, wound healing, and embryonic development.

Red wolves, once nearly extinct, again teeter on the abyss. New research finds red wolf ancestry in Texas -- providing opportunities for additional conservation action and difficult policy challenges. Michigan Tech researcher Kristin Brzeski and others have identified red wolf "ghost alleles" in canid population on Galveston Island.