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Current Biology News Events, Discoveries and Articles

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Resolving the ortholog conjecture
Researchers at the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics and the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute have confirmed the long-held conjecture that studying the genes we share with other animals is a viable means of extrapolating information about human biology. (2012-05-18)

We can learn a lot from other species
Researchers at the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics and the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute have confirmed the long-held belief that studying the genes we share with other animals is useful. (2012-05-18)

Strategies for producing natural and non-natural chemicals by microorganisms
Daejeon, the Republic of Korea-In our everyday life, we use gasoline, diesel, plastics, rubbers, and numerous chemicals that are derived from fossil oil through petrochemical refinery processes. (2012-05-18)

IU research: Forest diversity from Canada to the sub-tropics influenced by family proximity
How species diversity is maintained is a fundamental question in biology. In a new study, a team of Indiana University biologists has shown for the first time that diversity is influenced on a spatial scale of unparalleled scope, in part, by how well tree seedlings survive under their own parents. (2012-05-18)

Dietary supplements increase cancer risk
Beta-carotene, selenium and folic acid - taken up to three times their recommended daily allowance, these supplements are probably harmless. (2012-05-16)

Iowa State, Salk researchers make plant protein discovery that could boost bioeconomy
Research groups from Iowa State University and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have uncovered the function of three plant proteins, a discovery that could help plant scientists boost seed oil production in crops, thereby benefitting the production of food, biorenewable chemicals and biofuels. (2012-05-15)

Living longer - variability in infection-fighting genes can be a boon for male survival
Females of mammals (including humans) tend to outlive males, a circumstance that is usually attributed to males' more aggressive and hence energy-depleting behaviour, especially when they compete for females. (2012-05-14)

Scientists find new pieces of hearing puzzle
Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have gained important new insights into how our sense of hearing works. Their findings promise new avenues for scientists to understand what goes wrong when people experience deafness. (2012-05-09)

Biosignatures distinguish between tuberculosis and sarcoidosis
With a range of diseases, doctors need unique features which they can use to unequivocally identify a patient's illness for an appropriate diagnosis. (2012-05-08)

Insect glands may illuminate human fertilization process
Insect glands are responsible for producing a host of secretions that allow bees to sting and ants to lay down trails to and from their nests. (2012-05-04)