Top 7 hidden jewels

#1 Long fingers, long toes Darwin suggested that bipedal locomotion allowed our hands to evolve the necessary dexterity for tool handling, but a new study proposes that human hands and feet coevolved: Selection on the toes led to parallel changes in the hands.

Photo by Pierre79, linkurl:Wikimedia Commons;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toes.jpg

C. Rolian et al., "The coevolution of human hands and feet," linkurl:Evolution,;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/20624181?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctndukemlib 64:1558-68, 2010. linkurl:Eval by;http://f1000biology.com/article/dtwdymbjyqqds9t/id/4935958 Daniel Weinreich and David Rand, Brown University. ID: 4935958 #2 New targets for hypertension Mice lacking the ability to oxidize fatty acids do not develop abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs, suggesting new potential therapeutic targets for hypertension. G. Sutendra et al., "Fatty acid oxidation and malonyl-CoA decarboxylase in the vascular remodeling of pulmonary hypertension," linkurl:Sci Transl Med,;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/20702857?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctndukemlib 2:44ra58, 2010. linkurl:Eval by;http://f1000biology.com/article/rdqllbs8tj1drv0/id/4956956 Vincenzo Lionetti and Fabio Recchia, New York Medical College. ID: 4956956 #3 Feeling blue, seeing gray A new study points to a possible objective medical test for depression: Depressed patients, medicated or not, are less able to detect contrast between colors. E. Bubl et al., "Seeing gray when feeling blue? Depression can be measured in the eye of the diseased," linkurl:Biol Psychiatry,;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/20359698?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctndukemlib 68:205-8, 2010. linkurl:Eval by;http://f1000biology.com/article/6kmq41bf7hvt7cm/id/4916985 Eric Stone, New York University Langone School of Medicine. ID: 4916985 #4 Chaperones speed evolution E. coli proteins dependent on molecular chaperones for correct folding are buffered from the detrimental consequences of misfolding-related mutations, allowing them to evolve up to 35 percent faster than other proteins. D. Bogumil and T. Dagan, "Chaperonin-dependent accelerated substitution rates in prokaryotes," linkurl:Genome Biol Evol,;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/20660111?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctndukemlib 2:602-8, 2010. linkurl:Eval by;http://f1000biology.com/article/f96w50f1q151mpv/id/4886956 William Martin, University of Duesseldorf, Germany. ID: 4886956 #5 Animal extremists pose risk The public is misinformed about the realities and importance of animal testing, a review article argues, and scientists conducting the research should play a bigger role in correcting this misunderstanding. D.L. Ringach and J.D. Jentsch, "We must face the threats," linkurl:J Neurosci,;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/19759288?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctndukemlib 29:11417-8, 2009. linkurl:Eval by;http://f1000biology.com/article/1z85byf2f5tjjrd/id/1164890 Matteo Carandini, University College London; S. Murray Sherman, University of Chicago, et al. (17 evaluators). ID: 1164890 #6 Silencing sequencing noise Despite the advantages of RNA sequencing technologies, many RNA-seq studies aren't rigorously designed to separate valuable data from technical noise. Appropriate statistical designs can be used to insure accuracy. P.L. Auer and R.W. Doerge, "Statistical design and analysis of RNA sequencing data," linkurl:Genetics,;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/20439781?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctndukemlib 185:405-16, 2010. linkurl:Eval by;http://f1000biology.com/article/s6mp9l51601573x/id/4930969 Stuart Macdonald, University of Kansas. ID: 4930969 #7 Making synthetic antibodies Synthetic antibodies can be generated with affinities comparable to those of natural antibodies, but only using the right amino acids, according to new data. S. Birtalan et al., "The functional capacity of the natural amino acids for molecular recognition," linkurl:Mol Biosyst,;http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/20383388?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctndukemlib 6:1186-94, 2010. linkurl:Eval by;http://f1000biology.com/article/26d0yfdw2qlnjgz/id/4916956 Gideon Schreiber, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. ID: 4916956 The F1000 Top 7 is a snapshot of the highest ranked articles from a 30-day period (as of September 9, 2010) on Faculty of 1000 among "Hidden Jewel" journals, defined as those that are less obvious. Faculty Members evaluate and rate the most important papers in their field. To see the latest rankings, search the database, and read daily evaluations, visit http://f1000.com.
**__Related stories:__***linkurl:Top 7 papers in neuroscience;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/57662/
[31st August 2010]* linkurl:Top 7 immunology papers;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/57630/
[24th August 2010]

Top 7 hidden jewels

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