About Ruth Williams
Articles Posted by Ruth Williams
Ladybird Bioterrorists
Published: May 16, 2013
The Asian harlequin ladybird carries a biological weapon to wipe out competing species.
Anti-Malarial Mosquitoes?
Published: May 9, 2013
Artificially induced bacterial infections in mosquitoes could reduce the spread of malaria-causing parasites.
Easy Jump for H5N1 from Bird to Mammal
Published: May 2, 2013
Hybrid viruses derived from an H5N1 bird flu strain can infect guinea pigs through the air.
BRET Meets FRET
Published: May 1, 2013
Scientists create biocompatible, self-luminescing nanoparticles for in vivo imaging.
Human Ancestors?
Published: April 11, 2013
Fossilized skeletal remains of the hominid Australopithecus sediba add to the puzzle of human evolution.
Cancer Growth Curtailed
Published: April 4, 2013
Researchers develop two small molecules that slow the growth of human cancer cells.
Mimicking Mussels
Published: April 1, 2013
Scientists develop a gel that mimics mollusc glue to coat the insides of blood vessels.
Microbes Affect Weight Loss
Published: March 27, 2013
Microbial changes in the gut contribute to a patient’s ability to slim down after gastric bypass surgery.
Life Below the Seabed
Published: March 14, 2013
Rock samples from deep within the Earth’s oceanic crust contain chemosynthetic microbial life.
Sticky Lithography
Published: March 1, 2013
Scotch tape and a scalpel provide a MacGyver-esque approach to microfabrication.
Diversity Defeats Disease
Published: February 13, 2013
In a pond, more amphibian species mean decreased chances of disease spread.
Non-coding Repeats Cause Peptide Clumps
Published: February 7, 2013
Protein aggregates in the brains of some people with dementia or motor neuron disease have a surprising origin.
Flickering Neurons
Published: February 1, 2013
Fluorescent calcium sensors in transgenic mice give a real-time readout of neuronal activity.
Anonymity Under Threat
Published: January 17, 2013
Scientists uncover the identities of anonymous DNA donors using freely available web searches.
Benefits of Siblings
Published: January 10, 2013
Children born under China’s One-Child Policy exhibit more negative personality traits in adulthood than those born prior.
Sperm Shadows
Published: January 1, 2013
Tracking the shadows cast by sperm reveals their precise 3-D movements.
Evolution by Splicing
Published: December 20, 2012
Comparing gene transcripts from different species reveals surprising splicing diversity.
Cancer More Diverse than Its Genetics
Published: December 13, 2012
Tumor cells can exhibit different behaviors despite being genetically indistinguishable.
Detailing Color Vision
Published: December 6, 2012
Scientists engineer a spectrum of artificial pigments to understand how animals see in color.
Microchannel Masterpiece
Published: December 1, 2012
A precision microfluidic system enables single-cell analysis of growth and division.
DNA Bricks
Published: November 29, 2012
Researchers design and build nanoscale structures out of Lego-like DNA bricks.
A Root Cause of Parkinson’s
Published: November 15, 2012
Misfolded α-synuclein proteins promote the spread of Parkinson’s pathology in mouse brains.
A Root Cause of Parkinson’s
Published: November 15, 2012
Misfolded α-synuclein proteins promote the spread of Parkinson’s pathology in mouse brains.
Inflammation for Regeneration
Published: November 8, 2012
Inflammatory signals in injured zebrafish brains promote the growth of new neurons.
Eggs Trade Genes
Published: October 24, 2012
Swapping chromosomes from one human egg to another could eliminate mitochondrial DNA mutations that cause disease.
Stem Cells Not Needed for Cancer
Published: October 18, 2012
Fully developed neurons can revert to stem cell-like states and give rise to brain tumors.
The Benefits of Rejection
Published: October 11, 2012
A survey of the prepublication histories of papers reveals that manuscripts that are rejected then resubmitted are cited more often.
Live-Action Networks
Published: October 1, 2012
Mass spec plus novel software equals dynamic views into the chemical lives of microbes.
Evolving Dependence
Published: September 27, 2012
Scientists unravel the confusing molecular biology behind a fruit fly’s reliance on a single type of cactus.
Beating Drug-Resistant TB
Published: September 19, 2012
Reinvestigating a natural antibiotic compound reveals its potential as a tuberculosis drug.
Bacterial Sentinels of Noses
Published: September 12, 2012
Friendly sinus bacteria may keep sinusitis-causing strains in check.
Milling Magic
Published: August 1, 2012
Ion beams carve slices in frozen cells, giving biologists an interior view.
Sex Drives Chromosome Evolution
Published: July 19, 2012
A relatively new pair of sex chromosomes in the fruit fly allows researchers to track their evolution from the beginning.
When Vaccines Turn Vicious
Published: July 12, 2012
Weakened viruses used in vaccines can swap genes and produce disease-causing strains.
Bacterial Exploitation
Published: July 5, 2012
Field studies reveal non-virulent bacteria take advantage of their virulent counterparts to get a free pass into their host.
Dynamic Delivery
Published: July 1, 2012
Microscopic sponges made entirely of RNA enable efficient gene silencing.
Jumping Genes a Cause of Cancer?
Published: June 28, 2012
Genome sequence analysis confirms mobile genetic elements are a mutagenic mechanism in a variety of cancers.
Cancer-Fighting Virus
Published: June 13, 2012
A small patient trial offers hope that cancer-killing viruses might be a viable therapy after all.
TB Vax for Bladder Cancer
Published: June 6, 2012
How the bacteria found in a tuberculosis vaccine can improve the outcome of bladder cancer treatment
The Aging and Inflammation Link
Published: May 24, 2012
A protein that keeps the immune response in check leads a double life as an anti-aging factor.
What Bugs Are in Your Gut?
Published: May 9, 2012
Hundreds of samples of human feces reveal how gut microbes change as we age and vary between people in different countries.
Bird Flu Transmission in Mammals
Published: May 2, 2012
After much ado, Nature publishes the first report of a bird flu virus adapted for transmission in ferrets.
Dangers of Disclosure
Published: April 25, 2012
Editors at PLoS Medicine suggest that merely disclosing conflicts of interest is insufficient and possibly even counterproductive.
Synthetic Genetic Evolution
Published: April 19, 2012
Scientists show that manmade nucleic acids can replicate and evolve, ushering in a new era in synthetic biology.
Multiple Strikes Against Autism
Published: April 4, 2012
Scientists discover new autism genes and a non-coding RNA thought to contribute to the disorder.
Stimulants Fail to Stimulate?
Published: March 28, 2012
Caffeine and amphetamine don't always help rats work harder at tests of mental effort. It depends on their work ethic.
Snake Tales
Published: March 1, 2012
An anthropologist and a herpetologist join forces to reveal the complex shared evolutionary and ecological history of pythons and primates.
Sweet and Sour Science
Published: February 1, 2012
Japanese researchers unravel the mystery of miracle fruit.
Scanning the Psychedelic Brain
Published: January 23, 2012
Brain scans reveal the surprising secret of magic mushrooms’ hallucinogenic effect.
Iron Builds a Better Brain
Published: January 9, 2012
Brain imaging and gene analyses in twins reveal that white matter integrity is linked to an iron homeostasis gene.
Chimp Viruses for Human Vaccines
Published: January 4, 2012
An adenovirus isolated from chimpanzee feces proves more effective than human adenoviruses as a vaccine vector for hepatitis C.
The Evolution of Drug Resistance
Published: December 18, 2011
Researchers use whole-genome sequencing to keep tabs on the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
The Tradeoff of Stress
Published: December 15, 2011
For nematode worms, a bigger stress response means a healthier, longer life, but fewer babies.
Why People Lost Their Fur
Published: December 12, 2011
The need for ancient humans to keep cool during the day might explain their lack of body hair but not why they walked on two feet.
Reversing Cocaine’s Effects with Light
Published: December 7, 2011
Researchers use optogenetics to reverse drug-induced brain and behavioral changes.
Human ES Cells Evolve in Culture
Published: November 28, 2011
Researchers identify common genetic changes in cultured human embryonic stem cells, including one that confers a growth advantage.
Success with Stem Cell Neurons
Published: November 21, 2011
Light-controlled neurons made from human embryonic stem cells can activate neural circuits in mice.
Infection Selection
Published: November 13, 2011
Scientists track changes in bacterial genomes during a hospital outbreak to discover potential pathogenesis genes.
How Skin Tells Time
Published: November 9, 2011
The behavior of skin stem cells is regulated by a 24-hour circadian clock.
Blood Protein from Rice
Published: October 31, 2011
Scientists genetically engineer rice to produce a safe, pure, and much-needed human plasma protein.
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