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Science News for April 22, 2012


Keeping older drivers on the road

Researchers at Newcastle University are using a mobile laboratory car called DriveLAB to develop new technologies to support older drivers. The team is investigating in-vehicle systems that can help keep people driving safely into their 70s, 80s, and beyond.

New yeast prion helps cells survive

Researchers at RIKEN Brain Science Institute discovered a yeast prion called Mod5 that confers survival advantages by granting cellular resistance to antifungal agents. The study reveals the active role of prion conversion in cellular fitness adaptation, providing new insights into the broader function of prions in living organisms.

SourceRIKEN·JournalScience·DateApr 22, 2012

Unusual protein helps regulate key cell communication pathway

A new research at Washington University School of Medicine has shown how an unusual protein plays a key role in temporarily blocking the movement of ions through channels after a cell fires off an electrical signal. The researchers found that this protein nestles into a receptor inside the channel in a highly specific way, closing it a...

SourceWashU Medicine·JournalNature·DateApr 22, 2012