Nature does some pretty cool things and some very cruel things. Scientists have been fascinated by zombie ants for some time. These ants depart from their nest and normal duties to bite a piece of vegetation, after which they soon die. New research at the University of Central Florida sheds light on the mechanism by
What is siRNA? Short interfering RNAs, sometimes referred to as silencing RNAs or siRNA for short, are a common tool to induce transitory suppression of coding genes. In 1928, the Plant Pathology head at Virginia Tech, SA Wingard, noticed that as tobacco plants infected with ringspot virus continued to grow, their outer leaves showed signs
Heading to the doctor’s office to get a flu shot may become a remnant of the past. Unlike vaccines for other viruses, the flu vaccine requires annual renewal to be effective. Researchers are aiming to change this paradigm by designing a universal vaccine that would be effective against most flu strains. Caused by the influenza
Microglia cells play an essential role in the central nervous system. Accounting for 10-15% of all cells in the brain, these phagocytic cells are involved in neural development, protection from immunological threats, and inflammatory processes. In a new study, published in the December issue of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, an international team of researchers describe
Can exposing unborn babies to classical music make them smarter later in life? It’s a common enough belief that it has a name – the Mozart effect – and some research has in fact supported a link between prenatal sound exposure and improved brain function. However, scientists have not been able to pinpoint any brain
Researchers have identified a two-step mechanism responsible for activating a protein that triggers blood clotting in humans. The protein, called the von Willebrand factor, walks a fine line: clotting too much can lead to life-threatening blood clots, while clotting too little can cause uncontrollable bleeding. The research team captured video of the von Willebrand factor
Jonas Salk, best known as the creator of the polio vaccine, was born 103 years ago this October 24. In honor of the anniversary of his birth – now celebrated globally as World Polio Day – we’re highlighting his life’s many achievements, from his early work protecting US soldiers from influenza during World Word II,
Last week was HUBweek in Boston, a week of activities that feature innovation in art, science and technology. Over the course of the week, participants visited a variety of venues around the cities of Boston and Cambridge, including pop-up domes on Boston’s City Hall Plaza. Boston has long been recognized as a leader in innovation
At Kerafast, we are celebrating our broad catalog of antibodies by offering a 30% discount on a selection of our antibody portfolio. Until October 31, 2017, use promo code Ab30 during checkout to receive 30% off the following antibodies: Advanced Glycosylation End Products (AGE), Carboxy-Methyl Lysine (CML) [6C7] Antibody Advanced Glycosylation End Products (AGE), Methylglyoxal
A group of Kerafast employees visited a local charity, Room to Grow, last week as part of our mission to give back to our local and global communities. Room to Grow is dedicated to enriching the lives of babies born into poverty during their first three years of development, and we spent a great morning