Blood Tells Old Cells to Act Young

Microbiology - Research

Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center (JDC) have taken a major step toward eventually understanding — and perhaps slowing — the aging process.

In a series of careful experiments, Amy J. Wagers and colleagues have demonstrated that the stem cells of old mice exposed to certain factors present in blood from young mice begin to act like young stem cells, with the process driven by signals from another type of cell nearby in the bone. In fact, not only do the blood stem cells begin to take on characteristics of younger cells, but the tissues of old mice exposed to this yet-to-be-identified factor or factors appear to be much more “youthful.

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UCSB, UCL Scientists Rescue Vidual Function in Rats Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Microbiology - Research

An international team of scientists has rescued visual function in laboratory rats with eye disease by using cells similar to stem cells. The research shows the potential for stem cell-based therapies to treat age-related macular degeneration in humans.

A team led by Dennis Clegg, of UC Santa Barbara, and Pete Coffey, of University College London (UCL), published their work in two papers, including one published this week in the journal PloS One. The first paper was published in the October 27 issue of the journal Stem Cells.

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CU-Boulder Map of Human Bacterial Diversity Shows Wide Interpersonal Differences

Microbiology - Research

A University of Colorado at Boulder team has developed the first atlas of bacterial diversity across the human body, charting wide variations in microbe populations that live in different regions of the body and which aid us in physiological functions that contribute to our health.

The study showed humans carry "personalized" communities of bacteria around that vary widely from our foreheads and feet to our noses and navels, said CU-Boulder's Rob Knight, senior author on the paper published in the Nov. 6 issue of Science Express. The researchers found unexpectedly wide variability in bacterial communities from person to person in the study, which included nine healthy volunteers and which targeted 27 specific sites on the body.

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Time in a Bottle: Scientists Watch Evolution Unfold Over 40,000 Generations

Microbiology - Research

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A 21-year Michigan State University experiment that distills the essence of evolution in laboratory flasks not only demonstrates natural selection at work, but could lead to biotechnology and medical research advances, researchers said.

Charles Darwin’s seminal Origin of Species first laid out the case for evolution exactly 150 years ago. Now, MSU professor Richard Lenski and colleagues document the process in their analysis of 40,000 generations of bacteria, published this week in the international science journal Nature.

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The Mysterious Case of River "Rock Snot"

Microbiology - Research

U of C, Parks Canada investigating causes of noxious river algae

It’s nicknamed `rock snot’ for pretty obvious reasons, but its source is anything but obvious. The University of Calgary is working with Parks Canada to learn more about this noxious algae’s origins and cause of growth.

Leland Jackson, professor and associate head of grad studies in the Department of Biological Sciences, discovered Didymosphenia geminata, also known as ‘didymo,’ when he was conducting research on land use and its effect on the Red Deer, Oldman and Bow rivers in 2004.

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Dental Researcher Works to Stop Bacteria From Harming Fetus

Microbiology - Research

Yiping HanThe best way to keep bacteria from doing any damage is to stop them before they start down their pathological road to destruction.

Yiping Han, associate professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine, aims to understand how to block a common bacterium that’s harmless in a mother’s mouth but can turn deadly when it reaches an unborn child. She has received a five-year, $1.85 million grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research at the National Institutes of Health to fund the effort.

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This news service is provided by Good Samaritan Institute, located in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.

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