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Despite clinical and experimental evidence implicating the intestinal microbiota in a number of brain disorders, its impact on Alzheimer's disease is not known.

number of HGP videos

Researchers working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say warmer, more acidic oceans may reduce the number of stone crab hatchlings as the availability of the popular, pricey delicacy dwindles.

3:45 video You might be under the impression that young blood is the fountain of youth. A number of studies conducted in older mice (and, once, humans) over the past 10 years have shown benefits from transfusions of young blood, or parabiosis, restoring cognitive function or regenerating muscles.

The number of new Ebola cases is tapering off, but the search for new treatments continues. Now, one research team has found potential drug candidates that successfully treated up to 90 percent of mice exposed to the Ebola virus. They report their findings in the journal ACS Infectious Diseases.

New immune system-boosting cancer drugs have in clinical trials saved the lives of many people with seemingly untreatable melanoma or lung cancer, but the drugs seem useless against colon cancer. One exception-a man with colon cancer whose metastatic tumors vanished for several years after he was treated in 2007-piqued researchers' interest. They suspected his recovery might have to do with the large number of mutations in his tumors. Now, a small clinical trial suggests that even cancer patients with types of tumors that were thought to be impervious to the new drugs could benefit if those malignancies have the right error-riddled DNA signature, a result that could help 3% to 4% of cancer patients.

This PowerPoint-driven case study presents three different stories, each of which explores an aspect of membranes. The first (The Exploding Fish) covers diffusion, specifically addressing the question of why animal cells explode in freshwater but fish do not, and differences between saltwater and freshwater fish. The second case (The Pleasurable Poison) is designed to show that alcohol can slip across membranes and also highlights some of the problems of ingesting this toxin. The third case (The Dangerous Diet) explores a weight-loss drug, DNP, and how it operates in mitochondrial membranes. The first of these case studies also includes a number of "clicker" questions. These cases were originally designed for a semester-long, introductory biology course for non-majors, and instructors can choose to use one or all of the cases to suit their course.

Anthracobunidae is an Eocene family of large mammals from south Asia that is commonly considered to be part of the radiation that gave rise to elephants (proboscideans) and sea cows (sirenians). We describe a new collection of anthracobunid fossils from Middle Eocene rocks of Indo-Pakistan that more than doubles the number of known anthracobunid fossils and challenges their putative relationships, instead implying that they are stem perissodactyls.

With moving personal stories from India, Japan, Kenya, and China, "World in the Balance" gives an up-to-date global snapshot of today's human family, now numbering 6.3 billion and likely to increase to nearly 9 billion by 2050. Paradoxically, the world is now careening in two completely different directions

There are a significant number of genetics curriculum resources designed by different companies, curriculum development outlets, state curriculum designers and individual teachers. What resources are good? How do you know? As part of the Geneticist-Educator Network of Alliances (GENA) Project, a Curriculum Content Review Committee was formed to review readily available classroom resources about patterns of inheritance. Click here to see original evaluation form used by the committee and here to see the summary of the committee's review.

Species like yeast, flies, fish and mice have many genes in common with humans and are therefore considered 'model organisms' and are widely used in research to study human genes and human diseases. Mouse research has lead to major advances in our ability to treat a number of serious diseases and conditions.

Since 2003, the H5N1 influenza virus, more commonly known as the bird flu, has been responsible for the deaths of millions of chickens and ducks and has infected more than 650 people, leading to a 60 percent mortality rate for the latter. Luckily, this virus has yet to achieve human-to-human transmission, but a small number of mutations could change that, resulting in a pandemic. Now a team of investigators from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Stanford University Medical Center, and MacroGenics have developed an antibody which has proven 100 percent protective against the virus in two species of animal models.

The question of cell renewal is one that all of us have intuitive daily experience with. We all notice that our hair falls out regularly, yet we don't get bald (at least not until males reach a certain age!).  Similarly, we have all had the experience of cutting ourselves only to see how new cells replaced their damaged predecessors. And we donate blood or give blood samples without gradually draining our circulatory system. All of these examples point to a replacement rate of cells, that is characteristic of different tissues and in different conditions, but which makes it abundantly clear that for many cell types renewal is a part of their story.

In the war against aging, Alzheimer's disease is one of our biggest foes. But while we seem to be losing the battle, we may finally have found some chinks in its armor. The most common form of dementia already affects an estimated 5.2 million Americans and 45 million others worldwide, and these numbers are projected to triple by the year 2050 as the baby boomer generation reaches retirement.

This video excerpt from NOVA examines the promise and realities of developing drugs designed to treat genetic disorders. The video presents the story of one patient, Michael McCarrick, whose lungs were devastated from years of suffering from cystic fibrosis. After researchers identified the gene involved in cystic fibrosis, it took decades to find ways to fortify the faulty protein responsible for the serious illness. While two drugs, including one called Kalydeco, offer a small number of patients hope that they will not have to endure a lung transplant, it may be years and several hundred million more development dollars before effective drugs are available for a wider population.

Nature: research findings by chromosome number

Aneuploidy-the incorrect number of chromosomes in a cell-is extremely common in early embryos and is the primary reason for pregnancy loss. A report published today (April 9) in Science reveals that one cause of this aneuploidy-aberrant cell divisions in the embryo-is linked to a genetic mutation carried by the mother. Astonishingly, this mutation turns out to be very common and appears to have been under positive selection during human evolution.

Biotech foods ('GMOs') are safe. Period. That may seem like a bold statement, but it comes with the weight of a huge body of research and global consensus among preeminent health organizations. To understand the safety of food biotech, it helps to look at the numbers. There are thousands of studies on biotech crops published, billions of pounds of biotech foods eaten, and there are zero illnesses (human or animal) resulting of consuming biotech foods.

This game reviews introductory chemistry, including organic compounds and chemical reactions. After you open the game in the PowerPoint attachment, click on slideshow and then view show to operate in full screen mode.  Clicking on a number in the gameboard brings you to a question. When that question has been answered click on the yellow box in the lower right corner and you'll be brought back to the gameboard screen.  Spaces for questions that have already been answered will now appear blank, just like on the TV show.  One way to organize this game is to divide your class into groups of 3-4 students, with a spokesperson for each group and a system for rotating among the groups.  Each group in turn can choose a category and point value, and you will show the question.  The group has a set time to decide on their answer.  If their answer is correct, they earn the points.  If their answer is not correct, the first spokesperson for another group to raise their hand can answer the question to earn the points (with the obvious exception of the true/false items).

Some 20 percent of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to obesity, making it the number-one preventable cause of cancer death in the country. But with myriad metabolic and inflammatory changes associated with obesity, determining the mechanisms that underlie the obesity-cancer link has proven challenging.