Scientists power artificial cells with non-stop mobility

October 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a breakthrough study, scientists have successfully created nerve cell connections with the help of artificial substances, a major advance, which the researchers say, will help make nerve cell repair possible. Scientists from Montreal NeurologicaI Institute and Hospital (The Neuro) and McGill University created the artificial nerve cell connections using plastic beads coated with a substance that encourages adhesion, and attracts nerve cells.

October 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Natural killer (NK) cells, part of our immune system, kill cells infected with a given virus. Researchers have now found that the cells also help keep T-cells from over-responding.

September 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists claim to have unravelled the mystery surrounding the developmental origin of specialized skin cells involved in touch sensation. Merkel cells are neuroendocrine cells that reside in the vertebrate epidermis, passing mechanical stimuli on to sensory neurons.

September 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Vikas Nanda, a scientist of Indian origin, has won the prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's New Innovator Award this year. Dr. Nanda is assistant professor of biochemistry and a member of the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

July 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, US, have discovered in fish yet another type of cell that can sense light and contribute to vision. The team of neuroscientists shows that retinal horizontal cells, which are nerve cells once thought only to talk to neighboring nerve cells and not even to the brain, are light sensitive themselves.

June 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - While animal drug trials have been facing huge criticism from ethical groups, scientists have now created artificial organs like liver, skin, intestine and windpipe that may revolutionise the way new medicines are being tested. Developed by Professor Heike Mertsching of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart, in collaboration with Dr.

June 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An American study has confirmed that light touch-the sense that lets musicians find the right notes on a keyboard, a seamstress revel in the feel of cool silk, the artisan feel a curve in material and the blind read Braille-depends upon the activity of Merkel cells, which are found in the crescent-shaped clusters in the skin. "Human, primates and any animal that relies on hands for dexterity use their Merkel cells to feel texture and shape.

June 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists, using a new analytical method, have been able to demonstrate the presence of several artificial sweeteners in waste water in Germany. The method, which simultaneously extracts and analyses seven commonly used artificial sweeteners, was developed by Marco Scheurer, Heinz-Jurgen Brauch and Frank Thomas Lange from the Water Technology Center in Karlsruhe, Germany.

May 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - If you thought that Star Trek scanners that fix injuries with beams of light was just a piece of fiction, just be ready for this-scientists have developed a new optical technology that could lead to better artificial tissues and wounds that heal faster with less scarring. The new technology lines up living cells and controls their movements to effectively heal the wounds faster.

May 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists at Cambridge University have found that bees make use of small cone-shaped cells on flower petals, which act like 'velcro' on their feet, to stick to flowers and collect nectar. In a new study, the scientists have shown that bumblebees can recognise the texture of petal surfaces by touch alone, and they prefer landing on petals with conical cells that make it easier to grip, rather than on flat, smooth surfaces.

May 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have now shown that skin cells can be coaxed to behave like muscle cells and muscle cells like skin cells. The fickleness of the cells, and the relative ease with which they make the switch, provide a glimpse into the genetic reprogramming that must occur for a cell to become something it's not.

May 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Spring season is often accompanied by allergies and increased problems for asthmatic people. Now, American scientists have identified a previously unknown cellular switch that turns allergies and asthma both on and off.

April 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Ever wondered how you could hear those whispers while gossiping with friends in class? Well, scientists have now found that a nano motor of sorts in the ear makes us comprehend quiet sounds. Human ears have bundles of tiny, hair-like tubes atop "hair cells" in the ear, which move back and forth and act like miniature 'flexoelectric' motors to amplify sound, according to Utah and Texas researchers.

April 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Burdening yourself with excess weight early on is likely to impair your old-age mobility, even if those extra pounds are shed, says a new research. 'In both men and women, being overweight or obese put them at greater risk of developing mobility limitations in old age, and the longer they had been overweight or obese, the greater the risk,' said lead investigator Denise Houston.

March 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Genes from fireflies and jellyfish are virtually shedding light on possible causes of infertility and auto-immune diseases in humans. Auto-immune diseases are those in which something goes wrong with your immune system and it attacks healthy cells and tissues and makes you sick.