Science In Public
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Life and health ultimately depend on the interactions of large biological molecules, such as proteins and carbohydrates. And those interactions depend on the 3D shapes and structures of the molecules.
[Read more…] about Cryo-EM: A machine to shape the future of molecular medicine
The launch of the Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Centre for Structural Cryo-Electron Microscopy provides a missing piece in Australia’s most extensive and comprehensive suite of technologies to support biomedical research, all based around the Clayton campus of Monash University.
[Read more…] about Monash biomedical facilities: New microscope adds lustre to the cluster
By shedding light on the action of two naturally-occurring hormones, Monash University scientists and their collaborators may have discovered a way to assist in the shedding of excess fat.
The researchers have unravelled a molecular mechanism that depends on the combined action of two hormones—leptin, an appetite suppressant generated in fat cells, and insulin, produced in the pancreas in response to rising levels of glucose in the blood. Their paper, published in the journal Cell today, shows that the two hormones act in concert on a group of neurons in the brain to stimulate the burning of body fat via the nervous system.
Their findings may lead to more effective ways of losing weight and preventing obesity by promoting the conversion of white fat to brown fat.
[Read more…] about Could our brain instruct our bodies to burn more fat?
By blocking a widespread enzyme, Centenary researchers have shown they can slow down the movement of cells and potentially stop tumours from spreading and growing.
Using a new super-resolution microscope they’ve been able to see single molecules of the enzyme at work in a liver cancer cell line. Then they’ve used confocal microscopes to see how disrupting the enzyme slows the cells down in living cancer cells.
The enzyme is DPP9 (dipeptidyl peptidase 9) which the researchers at the Centenary Institute and the Sydney Medical School were first to discover and clone, in 1999. Ever since they’ve been studying what it does, with a view to its possible use as a cancer drug target.
“It was exciting to be able to watch the enzyme at work and then block DPP9, and see the cells slow down,” says A/Prof Mark Gorrell from Centenary’s Molecular Hepatology unit. “This gives us our clearest evidence yet that this enzyme will be a good cancer drug target.”
These topics and more on the final day of the national physics conference, Thursday 11 December [Read more…] about Quantum cats, could science have shortened WW1, and Lawrence Krauss
Good science happens when clever people ask insightful questions. Some papers at the national physics congress in Canberra last week took on their colleagues—asking penetrating questions of mainstream science. [Read more…] about Challenging the orthodoxy in dark matter, dark energy, fusion and more
Victorian government supports plans to build a dark matter laboratory deep in Stawell Gold Mine.
The Victorian government has committed $1.75 million to help Australian scientists hunt for dark matter a kilometre underground in the Stawell gold mine in regional Victoria. The project will commence once the Federal government provides matching support from their regional development program.
[Read more…] about Stawell to join the search for the missing 85 per cent of our galaxy
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Physicists recognised this week at the national physics congress in Canberra have won recognition for:
[Read more…] about Quantum lasers and better ways to engage students win gold medals for physicists
These topics and more on day three of the national physics conference, Wednesday 10 December [Read more…] about Football physics and hammies; dark matter in a gold mine and more