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Science News for June 21, 2013


Alzheimer's disease protein controls movement in mice

Researchers found that a protein controlling Alzheimer's disease also affects muscle development and coordination in mice. The study suggests that inhibitors of this protein, currently being tested for Alzheimer's treatment, might disrupt muscle spindle formation and impair movement.

SourceEMBO·JournalThe EMBO Journal·DateJun 21, 2013

Oddest couple ever found

A 250-million-year-old burrow in South Africa's Karoo Basin has yielded a remarkable discovery: an injured amphibian, Broomistega, and its aestivating therapsid companion, Thrinaxodon. The fossilized remains suggest that short periods of dormancy and burrowing behavior helped mammal ancestors survive the Permo-Triassic extinction event.

SourceUniversity of the Witwatersrand·JournalPLOS ONE·DateJun 21, 2013

When green algae run out of air

Biologists discovered that green algae require haemoglobin and nitric oxide to signal the absence of oxygen, allowing them to activate genes and produce hydrogen. In an oxygen-rich environment, this gene is idle, and its inactivation has fatal consequences for the algae.

SourceRuhr-University Bochum·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJun 21, 2013