The biofuel that you put in your car could one day be, quite literally, peachy. A recent survey published in Biotechnology for Biofuels presents interesting findings on the feedstock potential of endocarp drupes (stones from soft fruit). Venugopal Mendu and colleagues report that the inedible parts of olives, black walnuts, peaches and coconuts have high… Read more »
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) malaria kills nearly 800,000 people every year worldwide. In recent years, there has been a shift from just controlling malaria to actually working towards eradicating the disease. In countries where the disease is prevalent, governments and healthcare agencies are starting programmes to achieve elimination of the disease on a… Read more »
Clinical Epigenetics, the official journal of the Clinical Epigenetics Society, has published its first open access articles today. Led by Professor Ulrich Mahlknecht, the journal publishes articles covering all aspects of epigenetic principles and mechanisms, along with reports on defects of epigenetic regulation, in relation to human disease, diagnosis and therapy. “Clinical Epigenetics is the… Read more »
Global population growth poses many challenges. As highlighted in a recent article in Nature, it is imperative to balance the environmental impacts of agriculture with delivering sustainable food production in both the developed and developing world. Agriculture & Food Security, a new open access journal from BioMed Central, is now receiving submissions. The journal… Read more »
The 23rd Retroviral Pathogenesis meeting will take place in Montpellier on November 2-5, 2011. The meeting is organized by Marc Sitbon, Jean-Luc Battini, Valerie Courgnaud and Hung Fan. The website for the meeting is : https://23retropath.igmm.cnrs.fr/ You can also view the program at: https://23retropath.igmm.cnrs.fr/spip.php?rubrique1 This is an exciting meeting for which you still have time… Read more »
Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant disorder, caused by mutation in one of the tumor-suppressor genes, TSC1 or TSC2. The condition is characterized by the formation of multiple non-malignant tumours throughout the brain and other vital organs of the body, and is prevalent in nearly one million people worldwide, with symptoms ranging from… Read more »
The Island of Madagascar, home of lemurs and famous as a hotspot for biodiversity, is hosting the ‘Circulation des zoonoses et des parasitoses dans l’océan Indien‘ between 9th and 11th November. The meeting focusses on the parasitological and veterinary research undertaken in the region. Open access offers many opportunities for scientists in the developing… Read more »
The cannabis plant has been exploited by humanity primarily for textiles and for intoxication, with hemp strains used for fabrics and marijuana strains for altering the mind. The changes to the genome that led to drug-producing plants is a mystery of cannabis evolution, but one that has now been solved, thanks to an article published… Read more »
The 23rd Retroviral Pathogenesis meeting will take place in Montpellier on November 2-5, 2011. The meeting is organized by Marc Sitbon, Jean-Luc Battini, Valerie Courgnaud and Hung Fan. The website for the meeting is : https://23retropath.igmm.cnrs.fr/ You can also view the program at: https://23retropath.igmm.cnrs.fr/spip.php?rubrique1 This is an exciting meeting for which you still have time… Read more »
Who owns your DNA sequence? "You do" might seem like the obvious answer, but it wasn't one that everyone attending the 12th International Congress of Human Genetics in Montreal could agree on. In a debate on gene patenting, the conference heard how an astonishing 20% of human genes currently have intellectual property claims on them… Read more »