University of Utah geneticists have engineered mice that can develop synovial sarcoma "“ a significant early step toward developing new treatments for the aggressive, deadly cancer that most often kills teenagers and young adults. The mice were used to determine that synovial sarcoma develops in muscle cell precursors known as myoblasts, the researchers report in the journal Cancer Cell.
Soon after humans began domesticating dogs 12,000 to 15,000 years ago, they started breeding small canines. Now, scientists from the University of Utah and seven other institutions have identified a piece of doggy DNA that reduces the activity of a growth gene, ensuring that small breeds stay small.
Modern technology uses many frequencies of electromagnetic radiation for communication, including radio waves, TV signals, microwaves and visible light. A University of Utah study shows how far-infrared light "“ the last unexploited part of the electromagnetic spectrum "“ could be harnessed to build much faster wireless communications and to detect concealed explosives and biological weapons.
Ape-like human ancestors known as australopiths had short legs because a squat physique helped males fight over access to females, a University of Utah study concludes. "The old argument was that they retained short legs to help them climb trees," says biologist David Carrier. "My argument is that they retained short legs because short legs helped them fight."
A 17-year University of Utah study of ground movements shows that the power of the huge volcanic hotspot beneath Yellowstone National Park is much greater than previously thought when the giant volcano is slumbering. Findings show gradual ground movements overpower quake movements at Yellowstone, and the hotspot makes the Teton fault behave unexpectedly.
Terrorism, values and violence will be the theme of an international conference on human rights, human dignity and international cooperation, to take place March 1-2 at the University of Utah. Topics include female terrorists, a critique of the war on terror and much more.
University of Utah scientists designed a "molecular condom" women could use daily to prevent AIDS by vaginally inserting a liquid that would turn into a gel-like coating and then, when exposed to semen, return to liquid form and release an antiviral drug.
A University of Utah study suggests that memories are held in our brains because certain proteins serve as anchors, holding other proteins in place to strengthen synapses, which are connections between nerve cells.
A University of Utah physicist took a step toward developing a superfast computer based on the weird reality of quantum physics by showing it is feasible to read data stored in the form of the magnetic "spins" of phosphorus atoms.
A brand new approach to treating severe nerve pain "“ by aiming drugs at a previously unrecognized molecular target "“ has been discovered by University of Utah scientists who study the venoms of deadly, sea-dwelling cone snails.
Using material similar to bathtub caulk, University of Utah engineers invented a tiny, inexpensive "micropump" that could be used to move chemicals, blood or other samples through a card-sized medical laboratory known as a lab-on-a-chip. The goal is to make medical test results available to patients while they are in the doctor's office.
University of Utah scientists improved a method of testing fossil teeth, and showed that early human relatives varied their diets with the seasons 1.8 million years ago, eating leaves and fruit when available in addition to seeds, roots, tubers and perhaps grazing animals.
University of Utah biologists invented a chemical-free, hairdryer-like device "“ the LouseBuster "“ and conducted a study showing it eradicates head lice infestations on children by exterminating the eggs or "nits" and killing enough lice to prevent them from reproducing.
University of Utah History Professor Bob Goldberg, author of the 2001 "Enemies Within: The Culture of Conspiracy in Modern America," is available for comment and analysis on theories of conspiracy relating to the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
University of Utah historian Martha Sonntag Bradley is available for comment and analysis on stories related to Warren Jeffs and the FLDS' practice of polygamy. Bradley can provide perspective on the many complex legal and religious issues surrounding the history and practice of polygamy in Utah.
While primary and secondary students may still be enjoying the dog days of summer, the countdown to the start of school has begun. Less than three weeks of summer vacation are left for most primary and secondary students across the nation. Should parents spend these weeks focusing on fun"”or multiplication tables?
The regions near international borders often suffer from unique problems. The air quality along the United States/Mexico border region is an excellent example. To address this issue, a group of University researchers has been selected by the Southwest Consortium for Environmental Research and Policy (SCERP) to search for solutions.
Three years after the preliminary results first were presented at a scientific meeting and drew wide attention, University of Utah psychologists have published a study showing that motorists who talk on handheld or hands-free cellular phones are as impaired as drunken drivers.
Instead of punching ballots in this summer's primary elections, voters will use new touch screen voting machines. This will be the first time the technologies, touted as more accurate, will be put to the test in official elections. Nationally recognized voting expert Thad Hall is available for comment and analysis.
Construction is accelerating on a $17 million cosmic ray observatory west of Delta, Utah, thanks to two U.S. agencies: the Bureau of Land Management issued a permit, and the National Science Foundation approved a $2.4 million grant.
Atmospheric temperature measurements by satellites indicate Earth's hot, tropical zone has expanded farther from the equator since 1979, say scientists from Utah and Washington state. But they don't know if the tropical expansion was triggered by natural climate variation or by human-caused phenomena such as depletion of the atmosphere's ozone layer or global warming due to the greenhouse effect.
Arctic climate is particularly prone to global warming caused by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Now, a University of Utah study finds a surprising new way society's pollutants warm the far north: the Arctic's well-known haze "“ made of particulate pollution from mid-latitude cities "“ mixes with thin clouds, making them better able to trap heat.
Utah and Texas researchers combined miniature medical CT scans with high-tech computer methods to produce detailed three-dimensional images of mouse embryos "“ an efficient new method to test the safety of medicines and learn how mutant genes cause birth defects or cancer.
Hardening of the coronary arteries is more likely in wives when they and their husbands express hostility during marital disagreements, and more common in husbands when either they or their wives act in a controlling manner, according to a University of Utah study.
Pioneers were astonished by the abundance of birds and other wildlife at San Francisco Bay. Since then, people assumed such faunal wealth represented California's natural condition. That assumption is collapsing due to a study by University of Utah archaeologist Jack Broughton.
Dr. James McGreevy will have little time to rest as he returns from duty in Iraq as a flight surgeon. He is co-founder and co-inventor of the technology behind Vestan "” a University of Utah spin-off company that is working to make surgical removal of tumors more effective.
By analyzing chemicals in tail hair from elephants that wore radio collars, researchers tracked the diet and movements of elephants in Kenya "“ a method aimed at reducing human-elephant conflicts and determining where to establish sanctuaries to protect the endangered creatures.
Conifers such as Christmas trees suffer a severe plumbing problem. The "pipes" that carry water through conifers are 10 times shorter than in flowering trees. But a University of Utah study suggests why conifers not only survive but thrive: efficient microscopic valves let water flow easily.
A method used to track drugs, explosives, counterfeit bills and bioweapons may have new uses -- detecting fast-growing cancers and studying obesity and eating disorders -- thanks to a study that challenges the dogma that water inside cells is chemically identical to water outside cells.
University of Utah biologists studied the genetics of "whale lice" "“ small crustaceans that are parasites on endangered "right whales" "“ and showed the whales split into three species about 6 million years ago, and that all three species probably were abundant before whaling.
Children of divorced parents often vow not to repeat the same mistakes. They want to avoid putting themselves and their own children through the pain that comes from the dissolution of a marriage. But these children's aspirations face unfavorable odds, a University of Utah researcher says.
When human bones were found in 1967 near Kibish, Ethiopia, they were thought to be 130,000 years old. A few years ago, researchers found 154,000- to 160,000-year-old human bones elsewhere. A new study of the 1967 site indicates the earliest known Homo sapiens lived 195,000 years ago.
If you have been stuck in traffic behind a motorist yakking on a cellular phone, a new University of Utah study will sound familiar: When young motorists talk on cell phones, they drive like elderly people, moving and reacting more slowly and increasing their risk of accidents.
University of Utah scientists taught baby sparrows to sing a complete song even though the birds were exposed only to overlapping segments of the tune, not the full melody. The study suggests how musical memories are stored in the brain and how those memories help birds learn to sing.
Computer simulations show a close encounter with a passing star about 4 billion years ago may have given our solar system its abrupt edge and put small, alien worlds into distant orbits around our sun.
Humans evolved from ape-like ancestors because they needed to run long distances "“ perhaps to hunt animals or scavenge carcasses "“ and the ability to run shaped our anatomy, making us look like we do today, says a new study from the University of Utah and Harvard University.
University of Utah scientists took early but significant steps to fight a deadly childhood muscle cancer by identifying some genetic events that cause the disease and engineering mice that develop the tumors. The genetic events might be targets for new drugs.
A University of Utah study showing how lice evolved with the people they infested reveals that a now-extinct species of early human came into direct contact with our species about 25,000 years ago and spread the parasites to our ancestors.
University of Utah biologists discovered a gene that allows a plant's roots to tell the leaves to stop growing, presumably when water is scarce, soil is too compacted or other conditions are bad.
A University of Utah experiment conducted in Peru's Amazon Basin shows insects increase the diversity of the rainforest when they munch on trees. Such seemingly destructive behavior keeps dominant tree species under control but allows other trees to thrive.
Even before marble-shaped pebbles nicknamed "blueberries" were discovered on Mars, geologists studied similar rocks in Utah's national parks and predicted such stones would be found on the Red Planet. They believe the Mars and Utah rocks formed in groundwater.
A University of Utah study indicates that genes involved in embryo development must work at both ends of a nerve before the nerve is able to link the brain to each body part it controls.
A powerful earthquake that rocked Alaska in 2002 not only triggered small earthquakes 2,000 miles away at Yellowstone National Park "“ as was reported at the time "“ but also changed the timing and behavior of some of Yellowstone's geysers and hot springs, a new study says.
Meteorologists are using a NASA research jet to examine icy, wispy cirrus clouds high in the atmosphere "“ a study aimed at determining how much the clouds warm Earth's climate and how much they cool it.
Tom Ridge, the first secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will address the class of 2003-2004 on Friday, May 7, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
WIMPs speeding at 670,000 mph on a "highway" in space may be raining onto Earth "“ a phenomenon that might prove the existence of "dark matter" that makes up most our galaxy and one-fourth of the universe, says a study co-authored by a University of Utah physicist.
Physicists have taken an important step toward a new generation of faster, cheaper computers and electronics by building the first "organic spin valves" "“ electrical switches that integrate organic semiconductor electronics and spin electronics, or spintronics.
The University of Utah and a group of Japanese and U.S. universities plan to build a $17 million to $18 million cosmic ray observatory named the Telescope Array in central Utah. It will try to determine the mysterious source of the most energetic particles in the universe.
Biologists twirled louse-infested bird feathers on an electric fan and flew pigeons and doves like kites on strings in a study that found small lice stick to small birds and big lice prefer big birds. The study also showed why size matters to parasites.
A staggering 98 tons of prehistoric, buried plant material is required to produce each gallon of gasoline we burn in our cars, SUVs, trucks and other vehicles, according to a study conducted at the University of Utah.
RSS
Medicine keyboard_arrow_right
Sciencekeyboard_arrow_right
Life keyboard_arrow_right
Business keyboard_arrow_right
Journal News keyboard_arrow_right
By Location keyboard_arrow_right
Meetings, Grants, and Events keyboard_arrow_right