Neural Evidence for Sudden Insight

The ability of animals and humans to infer and apply new rules in order to maximize success relies on frontal lobes. Recent study indicates that in neural dynamics, roups of frontal cortex neurons in rat brains switch from encoding a familiar rule to a completely novel rule that could only be deduced from trail and error. The research also focused on the behaviour of the neurons when adapting to the new activity.

Reference: Science Daily

Observing Brain in the Act of Seeing

Neuroscientists have shown that individual neurons carry out significant aspects of sensory processing. The method allows for the first time to observe individual synapses, small differences between nerve contact sites.

Reference: Science Daily

Gene Interactions to Cause Disease

A UCLA study indicates how human gene interactions increase disease risk with their surrounding environment, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics. In short, having more than one factor that contribute to the cause of the same disease will exceed the damage of independent factors. The interactions are important when considering genetic research

Reference: Science Daily

Transcription Factors Tells Difference between Chimps and Humans

A new study indicate broad differences in the gene activity of humans and chimpanzees, affecting nearly 1000 genes, even though humans and chimps share 97% of genes. Transcription factors are proteins that bind to specific regions of DNA to promote or repress the activity of many genes. A single transcription factor can spur the transcription of dozens of genes into messenger RNA. A small change in transcription factor expression can produce a large effect on overall gene expression differences between chimps and humans.

Reference: Science Daily

Plants on Steroids May Improve Our Understanding of Diseases

Researchers at Carnegie Institution's Department of Plant Biology have found a missing link for the signaling pathway for plant steroid hormones (brassinosteroids). The discovery will lead to genetic engineering of greater yield in crops and a key to understand major human diseases such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's. Brassinosteroids regulate many aspects of growth and development in plants and is similar to animal steroids, but function differently at the cellular level. The study is published in the advanced on-line issue of Nature Cell Biology.

Reference: Science Daily