Air pollutants lead to age-related muscle declineSeptember 23rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have come up with new ways to stop by-products from the air we breathe from harming our muscles. Atanu Duttaroy, associate professor of biology at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and colleagues have shown how about 3 percent of the air we breathe gets converted into harmful superoxides, which ultimately harm our muscles.
Like humans, fruit flies too learn from experienced femalesSeptember 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Like humans, novice fruit flies tend to learn from their more experienced counterparts i.e. mated fruit flies, say researchers.
How humans learn and rememberAugust 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists in the U.S. have found that rats use a mental instant replay of their actions to help them decide their next move - a discovery that sheds light on how animals and humans learn and remember.
Female fruit flies prefer keeping sex short to get a reproductive boostAugust 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has shown that female fruit flies prefer keeping sex short and sweet because they get a reproductive boost from shorter intercourse. Since males like sex to last longer, a fight ensues.
Flies can pick up and transfer toxic nanomaterials to habitats in environmentAugust 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study raises the possibility that flies and other insects that encounter nanomaterial "hot spots," or spills, near manufacturing facilities in the future could pick up and transport nanoparticles on their bodies, transferring the particles to other flies or habitats in the environment. The study, by David Rand and Robert Hurt and colleagues, notes that emergence of a nanotechnology industry is raising concerns about the potential adverse health and environmental effects of nanoparticles.
Flies' extremely quick eyesight may inspire ultimate vision for robotsAugust 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Inspired by how the blow fly's extremely quick eyesight helps to keep it from losing orientation as it makes "lightning-fast" movements to and fro, scientists in Germany have created an unusual research environment. Members of a Munich-based "excellence cluster", called Cognition for Technical Systems (CoTeSys), describe their invention as a flight simulator for flies.
Chemical helps female flies say buzz offJuly 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A chemical produced by male fruit flies and transferred to females during mating enables the female to tell other males to buzz off. Harvard Medical School (HMS) researchers, along with German colleagues, discovered the chemical pheromone, which they named CH503.
New pheromone helps female fruit flies tell potential mates to 'buzz off'July 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists at the Harvard Medical School have discovered a previously unidentified pheromone that contributes to the anti-aphrodisiac effects observed in female fruit flies after copulation. In study, which has been published in Current Biology, Harvard Medical School (HMS) researchers, along with German colleagues, report on a newly discovered pheromone produced by male fruit flies.
Myth that fasting leads to longer life spans debunkedJuly 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a study on fruit flies, scientists have debunked the belief that fasting extends life spans in various organisms, including humans, when they suffer infection. In their study, researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine wanted to see if reduced caloric intake also helps creatures cope with infection.
Genes that affect aggression in fruit flies identifiedJune 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have identified a set of genes that affect aggression in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. By studying male flies from a large panel of lines, which each carry a mutation in a single gene but are otherwise genetically identical, researchers identified particularly angry and particularly placid insects, uncovering 59 mutations in 57 genes that affect aggressive behaviour.
Short-term memories 'don't fade away gradually'April 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - For many years, scientists have held that short-term memories don't suddenly disappear, but grow gradually more imprecise over the course of several seconds. However, a new study has found just the opposite.
Novel compound can treat addiction by shutting drug-related memoriesApril 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have found that a novel compound could treat addiction by warding off memories linked with the time of prior drug use. Despite being abstinent for long periods of time, many addicts remain vulnerable to their own memories of drug use in the past.
Stressful memories may soon be historyMarch 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have suggested a new strategy to treat the distress related to traumatic memories. Their strategy is based on the study of a drug, RU38486, which blocks the effects of the stress hormone cortisol.
Fruit flies use evolved antennae to detect wind directionMarch 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists at Caltech University, US, have discovered that fruit flies have evolved a specialized population of neurons in their antennae that let them know not only when the wind is blowing, but also the direction from which it is coming. The behavior of fruit flies in the face of a stiff breeze is remarkable in and of itself, according to David J.
Scientists identify mechanism that can prolong life in 'Indy' fruit fliesJanuary 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have identified a cellular mechanism in mutated 'Indy' fruit flies that could help prolong life by cutting down the output of free radicals. The finding by Stephen Helfand and Nicola Neretti of Brown University and others adds another piece to the puzzle that Helfand, a professor of biology first discovered in 2000.
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