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, an ancient protist long considered to be asexual, may have a sex life.

Researchers at deCODE Genetics in Reykjavik, Iceland, have discovered a large chromosomal rearrangement in the human genome that appears to have been selected for in some European populations.1The rearrangement, a 900-kilobase inversion polymorphism at chromosome 17q21.31, appears in two lineages, H1 and H2, that have diverged for as many as 3 million years with no evidence of having recombined. The H2 lineage – rare in Africans, almost nonexistent in East Asians, but found in 20% of Europ

), governs axon and dendrite growth in determining cell polarity, according to research groups from China and Japan.

When it comes to enzymes, protein abundance does not necessarily translate into protein activity: Post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation can dramatically alter enzyme function.

of Hamburg, Germany, has blurred the lines between cDNA and oligonucleotide probes.

new LSM 5 LIVE confocal microscope system may be the equivalent of moving from flip books to movie cameras.

Courtesy of Atsushi MiyawakiA group of researchers at RIKEN in Japan have developed a fluorescent protein that can be switched on and off more than 100 times.1 Atsushi Miyawaki and colleagues engineered monomeric fluorescent protein 22Gm3 (renamed "Dronpa") from the coral Pectiniidae and found that strong irradiation at 488 nm converts it to a nonfluorescent state absorbing at 390 nm. This darkened protein can be switched back to its original emission state by irradiation for several minutes at

More than half of scientific advisory board threatens resignation as one workshop is cancelled

Ruling that embryo disposal is basis for wrongful death suit unlikely to affect stem cells

Research at the heart of the country's biggest ever investment plan

Politicians attack handling of relocation plans but clear Colin Blakemore of coercion

Research advocates 'disappointed' over meager increases, cuts in White House proposal