Solar Energy from Plant Protein Structure

Solar energy systems are still inefficient in terms of running in not desert environments. Scientists have proposed a model for developing green energy, using complex peas to form small battery chargers. To generate energy, plants have evolved to give perfect quantum yield called Photosystem I (PSI) complex. Although this will not solve the world's energy problem but it can be assembled in power switches for low-power solar needs.

Reference: Science Daily

Hidden Sensory System Under the Skin

The human sensory system is more complex than previously thought, according to a new study and published in he journal, "Pain". The sensory network is located throughout the human blood vessels and sweat glands. The skin has many different nerve endings that distinguish between different temperatures, types of mechanical contact (vibrations, movement and etc). The new research indicates that these nerve endings appear on blood vessels and sweat glands as well. Yet there is another type of mental sensory feedback which remains as a mystery.

Reference:
Bowsher et al. Absence of pain with hyperhidrosis: A new syndrome where vascular afferents may mediate cutaneous sensation. Pain, 2009; 147 (1-3): 287 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2009.09.007

Why Cancer Won't Die

Cells attempt to repair themselves when damaged and if that fails, the damaged cells are suppose to self-destruct, a process called apoptosis. One of the hallmarks of caner is that the cells do not initiate apoptosis, which can be difficult to cure cancer. A new discovery of the RanBPM protein that is involved in activating apoptosis. This protein can be used to re-activate apoptosis, killing cancer cells.

Reference: Science Daily

New Wound Dressing helps Infections from Burns

Statistically, 70% of all people die from infections after severe burns, but a new wound dressing developed at Tel Aviv University could cut that value dramatically. The dressing has fibres that is loaded with drugs like antibiotics to speed up the healing process and dissolve when complete, while eradicating infection causing bacteria. The technology is complex, even though the concept is simple. The wound dressing must maintain a certain level of moisture while acting as a shield and it must allow fluids to leave the wound at a specific rate.

Reference: Science Daily

Medical Imaging Improvement with Nanoparticles

Researchers from National Institute of Standards and Technology have discovered a method of using nano-particles to illuminate the cellular interior to reveal its slow processes. The quantum dot nano-particle glows when exposed to light. When coated with organic materials, scientists can manipulate the particle to attract to specific proteins to be examined. The research team focused primarily on characterizing quantum dot properties to target protein inside blood cells to study. However, there are concerns about toxicity and other properties of the nano-particles.

Reference:
Kang et al. Probing dynamic fluorescence properties of single and clustered quantum dots toward quantitative biomedical imaging of cells. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology, 2009 DOI: 10.1002/wnan.62

Penguin DNA Challenges Accuracy of Genetic Dating Techniques

Frozen DNA samples from penguins that died 44,000 years ago in Antarctica challenges the accuracy of traditional genetic aging measurements that underestimate the age of many specimens by several folds. Therefore, a biological specimen determined by traditional DNA testing can be two to six times older. DNA testing may be fundamentally flawed as a result of this discovery. The molecular clock rate is the key in determining the accuracy of genetic analysis.

Reference: Science Daily

Molecular Discovery Supports Darwin's Evolution Theory

The cells of all organisms, are composed of molecular machines built of component parts, which contributes a partial function or structural element to the machine. The mystery lies in how these machines evolved. A non-Darwinian explanation suggests that machines are "irreducibly complex", meaning it has not evolved. However, researchers have discovered that these machines although complete and complex, were a result of evolution.

Reference: Science Daily

Alternative Test To Detect DNA

Researchers in Singapore are reporting development of a new electronic "nanogap" sensor that is faster, less expensive, and more practical alternative to detect DNA. The traditional method, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), makes multiple copies of trace amounts of DNA, similar to a photocopier printing multiple copies of documents, in order to detect the genetic material more easily. However, this traditional approach is expensive and cumbersome. The "nanogap sensor" translates the presence of DNA into an electrical signal to be measured by a computer with the use of a micro-sized metal pair electrodes separated by a nanogap, 1/50,000 the width of a human hair, in combination with special chemical probes to capture tiny segments of DNA.

Reference: Science Daily

Discovery of Genes May Reveal Mystery of Human Uniqueness

Scientists made a crucial discovery of inactive genes that evolved in humans after branching off from other primates, and one step closer in finding what makes us unique. Recent evidence suggest that evolutionary processes can produce a functional protein coding gene from inactive DNA.

Reference: Science Daily

New Approach in Treating Malaria

Researchers at Portugal showed that an anti-oxidant drug can protect against the development of malaria, infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites. The team has previously proven that parasite Plasmodium multiplies in red blood cells and causes them to burst and release hemoglobin, protein that binds with oxygen in red blood cells, leading to severe malaria and possibly death.

Mice express high levels of heme-oxygenase-1 (HO-1), an enzyme that degrades heme and protects infected mice from serious forms of malaria. In addition, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an anti-oxidant drug, has the same effect as HO-1. This opens a new approach at possibly treating malaria by strengthening the health of the host.

Reference:

Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC). "Naturally-occurring Protection Against Severe Malaria Demonstrated." ScienceDaily 24 August 2009. 24 August 2009 .

Important Feature of Immune System Survived in Humans and Primates for 60 Million Years

The ability of vitamin D to regulate anti-bactericidal proteins, key component of the immune system, is proven to be important, because it has been retained through millions of years of evolutionary selection. Some researchers believe it is critical for the survival of the species with this mediated immune response.

Vitamin D prevents the adaptive immune response from overreacting and reduces inflammation and appears to suppress the immune response. However, the function of the new genetic element this research explored allows vitamin D to boost the innate immune response by turning on an antimicrobial protein. This will help prevent the immune system from overreacting.

Reference: Science Daily