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. The latest Perspectives in General Physiology series examines the ion selectivity of cation-selective channels and transporters. The series appears in the May 2011 issue of the Journal of General Physiology. http://phys.org/news222953406.html Medicine & Health Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:30:28 EST news222953406 (PhysOrg.com) -- Most people are familiar with the seven deadly sins - pride, envy, gluttony, lust, wrath, greed and sloth - but could there be molecular solutions for this daily struggle between good and evil? http://phys.org/news221728207.html Other Sciences Mon, 11 Apr 2011 08:10:26 EST news221728207 What do you have when you line up a martial artist, acrobatic gymnast, police officer, firefighter, NASCAR driver, and NFL running back? "Watson," the IBM super-computer that recently routed humanity's best on Jeopardy might have guessed the answer was "the Village People," to which host Alex Trebek could have replied, "Sorry. The answer we were looking for is 'Batman'." At least that is the correct answer for physiologist E. Paul Zehr. http://phys.org/news218827076.html Other Sciences Tue, 08 Mar 2011 17:18:12 EST news218827076 In order for medical students to ultimately provide quality patient care medical schools should turn to radiologists to help them teach physiology, one of the core disciplines of medicine, according to a study in the February issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology. Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. http://phys.org/news215759108.html Medicine & Health Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:05:20 EST news215759108 A team of scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and the University of Virginia has determined the structure of the protein package that delivers the genetic material of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to human cells. http://phys.org/news214665704.html Medicine & Health Wed, 19 Jan 2011 13:22:13 EST news214665704 New research into the health benefits of beetroot juice suggests it's not only athletes who can benefit from its performance enhancing properties – its physiological effects could help the elderly or people with heart or lung-conditions enjoy more active lives. http://phys.org/news211800249.html Medicine & Health Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:24:26 EST news211800249 A group of scientists has rediscovered the world's rarest and strangest fly in a cave in Kenya, collecting the first "terrible hairy fly" specimen since 1948, a statement said Wednesday. http://phys.org/news211026511.html Biology Wed, 08 Dec 2010 10:29:37 EST news211026511 (PhysOrg.com) -- In theory, plants could be the ultimate green factories, engineered to pump out the kinds of raw materials we now obtain from petroleum-based chemicals. But in reality, getting plants to accumulate high levels of desired products has been an elusive goal. Now, in a first step toward achieving industrial-scale green production, scientists from the U.S. Department of Energys (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborators at Dow AgroSciences report engineering a plant that produces industrially relevant levels of compounds that could potentially be used to make plastics. The research is reported online in Plant Physiology, and will appear in print in the December issue. http://phys.org/news208439042.html Biology Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:44:18 EST news208439042 Turning up the heat might be the best thing for athletes competing in cool weather, according to a new study by human physiology researchers at the University of Oregon. http://phys.org/news207236217.html Medicine & Health Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:50:01 EST news207236217 The role of a key nutrient which prevents cataracts in salmon has been revealed by eye specialists at the University of East Anglia. http://phys.org/news205069549.html Biology Thu, 30 Sep 2010 13:00:01 EST news205069549 Washington State University researchers have discovered the mechanism by which the brain switches from a wakeful to a sleeping state. The finding clears the way for a suite of discoveries, from sleeping aids to treatments for stroke and other brain injuries. http://phys.org/news203674219.html Medicine & Health Tue, 14 Sep 2010 09:10:31 EST news203674219 Consuming energy drinks during team sports could help young people perform better, a study suggests. http://phys.org/news203159010.html Medicine & Health Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:03:53 EST news203159010 Bethesda, MD-Stress can take a daily toll on us that has broad physical and psychological implications. Science has long documented the effect of extreme stress, such as war, injury or traumatic grief on humans. Typically, such situations cause victims to decrease their food intake and body weight. Recent studies, however, tend to suggest that social stress--public speaking, tests, job and relationship pressures--may have the opposite effect--over-eating and weight gain. With the rise of obesity rates, science has increasingly focused on its causes and effects--including stress. http://phys.org/news202574310.html Medicine & Health Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:39:12 EST news202574310 Research from the University of Exeter has revealed taking a dietary supplement to boost nitric oxide in the body can significantly boost stamina during high-intensity exercise. http://phys.org/news202037102.html Medicine & Health Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:25:32 EST news202037102 A clue to the causes of autism and mental retardation lies in the synapse, the tiny intercellular junction that rapidly transfers information from one neuron to the next. According to neuroscientists at Tufts University School of Medicine, with students from the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts, a protein called APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) plays a key role in synapse maturation, and APC dysfunction prevents the synapse function required for typical learning and memory. The findings are published in the August 18 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. http://phys.org/news201781542.html Medicine & Health Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:40:06 EST news201781542 The latest Perspectives in General Physiology series introduces the newest technologies in the field of calcium signaling, which plays a central role in many cellular processes. The Perspectives appear in the August issue of the Journal of General Physiology. http://phys.org/news199365761.html Medicine & Health Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:23:09 EST news199365761 (PhysOrg.com) -- When it infects the lungs, the Legionnaire’s bacterium Legionella pneumophila causes acute pneumonia. The pathogen’s modus operandi is particularly ingenious: it infiltrates deliberately into cells of the human immune system and injects a host of proteins which then interfere in the normal cellular processes. http://phys.org/news199085061.html Biology Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:24:54 EST news199085061 It's no secret that UVB radiation from the sun causes wrinkles. However, a Japanese study published in the American Journal of Physiology -- Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology indicates that oxygen may help combat the formation of wrinkles by lessening tissue damage done by UVB rays. http://phys.org/news197034476.html Medicine & Health Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:48:15 EST news197034476 (PhysOrg.com) -- A mechanism that regulates stem-cell differentiation in mice testes suggests a similar process that may trigger degenerative disease in humans, according to a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences reproductive physiologist. http://phys.org/news196692783.html Biology Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:54:37 EST news196692783 A protein whose primary role is in the embryonic development of kidneys may play a future role in treating kidney failure. http://phys.org/news196429180.html Medicine & Health Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:39:51 EST news196429180 One way obese people become salt sensitive and hypertensive has been identified by Medical College of Georgia researchers. http://phys.org/news195985980.html Medicine & Health Thu, 17 Jun 2010 09:33:21 EST news195985980 For years, researchers have known that resistance exercise training -such as weightlifting, in which muscles work against gravity or another force — can be one of the most effective ways to fight the debilitating muscle loss caused by aging. But many older people are unable to get the full benefits of such training because they suffer from conditions such as arthritis that prevent them from lifting enough weight to stimulate muscle growth. And, while younger men and women continue to produce significant amounts of muscle protein for hours after a resistance exercise workout, seniors receive a much smaller post-workout benefit. http://phys.org/news193072912.html Medicine & Health Fri, 14 May 2010 16:22:22 EST news193072912 (PhysOrg.com) -- All life on earth is threatened by chaos. In this sense, a cell is like a ship which could at any moment sink in a sea of chaos. It must constantly consume energy to maintain the same level of order to avoid going under - metaphorically speaking, the infiltrating water of chaos needs to be pumped out, permanently. http://phys.org/news191857015.html Chemistry Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:37:32 EST news191857015 Measuring body composition - the amount of fatty tissue, muscle tissue and bone present in the body - can provide valuable information for determining an individual's overall health status. However, obtaining accurate measurements can be difficult and expensive, according to Steve Ball, University of Missouri Extension fitness specialist. Now, MU researchers are comparing measurement techniques to determine the most efficient and cost-effective method for assessing body composition. http://phys.org/news190459697.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Apr 2010 10:40:01 EST news190459697 Sudden Cardiac Arrest syndrome (SCA) is poorly understood, but it's a real danger for the otherwise young and healthy. For no apparent reason, the heart suddenly stops beating, and without treatment death may follow within minutes. It's why some athletes drop dead on the track and why a young man, without any warning, suddenly dies while sitting at his desk. SCA accounts for approximately 300,000 deaths per year in the U.S. http://phys.org/news187529969.html Medicine & Health Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:40:01 EST news187529969 Cornell researchers have found a protein that may lead to a new way to control mosquitoes that spread dengue fever, yellow fever and other diseases when they feed on humans: Prevent them from urinating as they feed on blood. http://phys.org/news186854815.html Biology Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:40:01 EST news186854815 For winter sports athletes, including Olympians competing in Vancouver this week, the altitude of the sports venue can have a significant impact on performance, requiring athletes in skill sports, such as figure skating, ski jumping and snowboarding, to retool highly technical moves to accommodate more or less air resistance. http://phys.org/news185545110.html Medicine & Health Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:30:01 EST news185545110 As the world turns its sporting gaze towards Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics, The Physiological Society journal Experimental Physiology marks the occasion with a special issue exploring the biological and environmental challenges elite winter athletes must overcome to win gold. http://phys.org/news185025904.html Medicine & Health Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:40:06 EST news185025904 (PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of researchers has found an explanation for why some people seem to be more responsive than others to regular endurance exercise - which, in turn, might increase their chances of having a long and healthy life. The cause lies in their DNA, where the scientists have been able to identify 11 gene variants that are particularly important in the maximisation of the body's aerobic capacity. http://phys.org/news184598982.html Medicine & Health Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:30:32 EST news184598982 Many of the health benefits of aerobic exercise are due to the most recent exercise session (rather than weeks, months and even years of exercise training), and the nature of these benefits can be greatly affected by the food we eat afterwards, according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. http://phys.org/news183900096.html Medicine & Health Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:31:36 EST news183900096