“Does your body run like clockwork? As Week 7 fatigue sets in, Michael Hastings writes on what recent discoveries in genetics mean for our sleeping patterns … Dr Michael Hastings is a Cambridge neuroscientist, based at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, specialising in the molecular neurobiology of circadian body clocks.” More…
LMB In The News
Newly elected Fellows
“Seventy-eight microbiologists have been elected to Fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology. Fellows of the Academy are elected annually through a highly selective, peer-review process, based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology… including Andrew A. Travers”. This article is no longer available from the source website: American […]
Genetic coding revamp
“Scientists have developed a new genetic language using a ribosome that can read instructions that are 4 base pairs long, enabling the construction of designer proteins containing a variety of unnatural elements, according to a study published online today (February 14) in Nature… synthetic biologist Jason Chin of the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular […]
A new line of research in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
“Etienne-Emile Baulieu’s research team (Inserm research unit 788 “Steroids, neuroprotection et neuroregeneration”), in collaboration with Michel Goedert (who originally characterised the Tau protein in Alzheimer’s disease in 1998) have just identified an interaction between the dysfunctional Tau protein and another protein, FKBP52. Using tools from biochemistry and molecular biology, the researchers established that there was […]
Flash frozen under the electron microscope: Examining the mechanical properties of Alzheimer’s amyloid fibrils
“By using electron microscopic images of flash frozen samples, researchers have now been able to examine the exact structure of Alzheimer’s amyloid fibrils and to assess their mechanical properties. As the team reports in the journal Angewandte Chemie, the fibrils are very stiff — one of the underlying causes of their pathogenicity. Because amyloid fibrils […]
Venki Ramakrishan chosen for ‘Padma Vibhushan’, India’s highest civilian award
“Padma Awards, the country’s highest civilian awards, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri… ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year and are conferred by the President of India at a function held at Rashtrapati […]