Salk Institute

Researchers find a way to delay aging of stem cells

Stem cells are essential building blocks for all organisms, from plants to humans. They can divide and renew themselves throughout life, differentiating into the specialized tissues needed during development, ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created May 24, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists find how plants grow to escape shade

Mild mannered though they seem, plants are extremely competitive, especially when it comes to getting their fair share of sunlight. Whether a forest or a farm, where plants grow a battle wages for the sun's ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Apr 15, 2012 | popularity 3.6 / 5 (8) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists open new window into how cancers override cellular growth controls

Rapidly dividing cancer cells are skilled at patching up damage that would stop normal cells in their tracks, including wear and tear of telomeres, the protective caps at the end of each chromosome.

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Mar 21, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Discovery of extremely long-lived proteins may provide insight into cell aging

One of the big mysteries in biology is why cells age. Now scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies report that they have discovered a weakness in a component of brain cells that may explain ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Feb 03, 2012 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (13) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Fruit fly intestine may hold secret to the fountain of youth

One of the few reliable ways to extend an organism's lifespan, be it a fruit fly or a mouse, is to restrict calorie intake. Now, a new study in fruit flies is helping to explain why such minimal diets are ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Nov 02, 2011 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (17) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Bionic bacteria may help fight disease and global warming

A strain of genetically enhanced bacteria developed by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies may pave the way for new synthetic drugs and new ways of manufacturing medicines and biofuels, ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Sep 21, 2011 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Are genes our destiny? 'Hidden' code in DNA evolves more rapidly than genetic code, scientists discover

A "hidden" code linked to the DNA of plants allows them to develop and pass down new biological traits far more rapidly than previously thought, according to the findings of a groundbreaking study by researchers ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Sep 16, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (27) | comments 26 | with audio podcast

Scientists take a giant step for people -- with plants!

Science usually progresses in small steps, but on rare occasions, a new combination of research expertise and cutting-edge technology produces a 'great leap forward.' An international team of scientists, whose ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jul 28, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New technique boosts efficiency of blood cell production from human stem cells

Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have developed an improved technique for generating large numbers of blood cells from a patient's own cells. The new technique will be immediately useful ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Jul 15, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Editing scrambled genes in human stem cells may help realize the promise of stem cell-gene therapy

In principle, genetic engineering is simple, but in practice, replacing a faulty gene with a healthy copy is anything but. Using mutated versions of the lamin A gene as an example to demonstrate the versatility of their virus-based ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created May 19, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

It's not easy being green: Scientists grow understanding of how photosynthesis is regulated

The seeds sprouting in your spring garden may still be struggling to reach the sun. If so, they are consuming a finite energy pack contained within each seed. Once those resources are depleted, the plant cell ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created May 18, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

A new ending to an old 'tail'

In stark contrast to normal cells, which only divide a finite number of times before they enter into a permanent state of growth arrest or simply die, cancer cells never cease to proliferate. Now, scientists ...

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Apr 21, 2011 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

'SKIP'-ing splicing forces tumor cells to undergo programmed cell death

When cells find themselves in a tight spot, the cell cycle regulator p21 halts the cell cycle, buying cells time to repair the damage, or if all else fails, to initiate programmed cell death. In contrast to other stress-induced ...

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Apr 01, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

What the brain saw

The moment we open our eyes, we perceive the world with apparent ease. But the question of how neurons in the retina encode what we "see" has been a tricky one. A key obstacle to understanding how our brain ...

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Mar 31, 2011 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Scientists crack molecular code regulating neuronal excitability

A key question in protein biochemistry is how proteins recognize "correct" interaction partners in a sea of cellular factors. Nowhere is that more critical to know than in the brain, where interactions governing ...

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Mar 22, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast