http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (Phys.org)—A plant can reproduce successfully only if it flowers at the appropriate time. Therefore, a complex network of photoreceptors and other proteins has evolved to monitor environmental conditions such as light and temperature. It has long been thought that plants must also ensure that they have sufficient resources for the energy intensive process of building flowers. As scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam and the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen now report, the sugar molecule trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) takes on a key role in monitoring energy reserves in thale cress, Arabidopsis thaliana, thereby controlling flowering time in relation to energy reserves. http://phys.org/news279481720.html Biology Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:48:53 EST news279481720 (Phys.org)—New research which could help to deter and conserve sharks has confirmed that many of the ocean predators are probably completely colour blind.  http://phys.org/news267255639.html Biology Wed, 19 Sep 2012 06:42:34 EST news267255639 (Phys.org)—The eye, whether in humans or other animals, is truly one of nature's most sophisticated advancements, able to convert light into signals the brain can interpret as imagery, all in real time. Most of the actual work is done at the back of the eye where rods and cones, two types of photoreceptors are located. Cones are primarily responsible for the eye's sensitivity to color, while rods, which are far more numerous (some 120 million exit in one human eye), are more sensitive to light in general. To find out just how sensitive rods are, researchers in Singapore have been studying single rod photoreceptors taken from an African Clawed Frog, and have found, as they describe in their paper published in Physical Review Letters, that such rods are able to discern and count single photons and are also able to determine the coherence of very weak pulses of light. http://phys.org/news266825802.html Physics Fri, 14 Sep 2012 07:17:02 EST news266825802 How does a plant know when to sprout a leaf, fold its petals or bloom? Why do humans experience jet lag after a trip abroad? http://phys.org/news264955227.html Biology Thu, 23 Aug 2012 15:40:45 EST news264955227 Plants do not have eyes or legs, yet they are able to "see" and move toward and away from light. This ability, called phototropism, is controlled by a series of molecular-level signals between proteins inside and between plant cells. In a paper published in The Plant Cell, University of Missouri scientists report for the first time the elusive role a critical protein plays in this molecular signaling pathway that regulates phototropism in plants. http://phys.org/news237658120.html Biology Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:08:55 EST news237658120 Do animals that have evolved for millions of years underground, completely isolated from the day-night cycle, still "know" what time it is? Does a normal circadian clock persist during evolution under constant darkness? A new study directly tackles these fundamental questions by investigating a species of cavefish, Phreatichthys andruzzii, which has lived isolated for 2 million years beneath the Somalian desert. Many fish species have evolved in the absence of sunlight in cave systems around the world, sharing a common set of striking adaptations including eye loss. The new study, published September 6 in the online, open access journal PLoS Biology, reports that this cavefish has an unusual circadian clock; it ticks with an extremely long period (up to 47 hours), and is completely blind. http://phys.org/news234551221.html Biology Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:07:26 EST news234551221 Research groups in several countries are making progress in retinal prosthesis development. If they achieve their aims, patients who have gone blind, due to loss of their photoreceptors, could recover a better simplified form of vision than with available prostheses. One of the groups shows that diamonds could lead the way. http://phys.org/news227540484.html Nanotechnology Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:41:37 EST news227540484 The first clinical trials that examine the use of stem cells to treat two forms of blindness are ready to begin now that patients have been enrolled, a US company announced on Thursday. http://phys.org/news227441842.html Medicine & Health Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:17:48 EST news227441842 (PhysOrg.com) -- Plants are very sensitive to light conditions because light is their source of energy and also a signal that activates the special photoreceptors that regulate growth, metabolism, and physiological development. Scientists believe that these light signals control plant growth and development by activating or inhibiting plant hormones. New research from Carnegie plant biologists has altered the prevailing theory on how light signals and hormones interact. Their findings could have implications for food crop production. http://phys.org/news211478766.html Biology Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:40:08 EST news211478766 Retinitis pigmentosa is an inherited eye disorder characterized by progressive loss of vision that in many instances leads to legal blindness at the end stage. http://phys.org/news209300232.html Medicine & Health Thu, 18 Nov 2010 10:57:44 EST news209300232 (PhysOrg.com) -- New research in the U.S. has discovered that fruit fly larvae have a series of photoreceptors covering the body that can detect light even when their primitive "eyes" are covered or removed. http://phys.org/news208762520.html Biology Fri, 12 Nov 2010 06:40:01 EST news208762520 (PhysOrg.com) -- University College London scientists are pioneering a stem cell treatment to replace diseased parts of the retina, which could lead to a future treatment for retinal diseases that affect around 3,000 children in the UK. http://phys.org/news204391060.html Medicine & Health Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:40:01 EST news204391060 For a plant, light is life. It drives everything from photosynthesis to growth and reproduction. Yet the chain of molecular events that enables light signals to control gene activity and ultimately a plant's architecture had remained in the dark. Now a team of researchers from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Duke University have identified the courier that gives the signal to revamp the plant's gene expression pattern after photoreceptors have been activated by light. http://phys.org/news196603773.html Biology Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:09:58 EST news196603773 Exposure to extraordinarily brief, millisecond flashes of bright light improves alertness at night, according to a research abstract that will be presented Monday, June 7, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC. http://phys.org/news195105938.html Medicine & Health Mon, 07 Jun 2010 05:05:52 EST news195105938 Deep inside the ear, specialized cells called hair cells detect vibrations in the air and translate them into sound. Ten years ago, Stefan Heller, PhD, professor of otolaryngology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, came up with the idea that if you could create these cells in the laboratory from stem cells, it would go a long way toward helping scientists understand the molecular basis of hearing in order to develop better treatments for deafness. http://phys.org/news192974218.html Medicine & Health Thu, 13 May 2010 12:57:18 EST news192974218 Poinsettias can be a lucrative crop for ornamental plant growers, particularly during the Christmas season. In the temperate regions of the southern hemisphere, where poinsettias are grown for both export and local markets, high-demand time for holiday sales occurs during the summer, when warm temperatures and stronger light can accelerate plant growth, often resulting in unmarketable plants. http://phys.org/news176568793.html Biology Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:00:02 EST news176568793 The eyes of nocturnal bats possess two spectral cone photoreceptor types for daylight and colour vision. Reporting in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt and the University of Oldenburg have detected cones and their visual pigments in two flower-visiting species of bat. http://phys.org/news167978678.html Biology Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:45:21 EST news167978678 About one in 3,500 people are affected with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a disease of the retina's visual cells that eventually leads to blindness. Now, a University of Missouri researcher has identified a genetic link between cats and humans for two different forms of RP. This discovery will help scientists develop gene-based therapies that will benefit both cats and humans. http://phys.org/news155395035.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:17:57 EST news155395035