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| News Around World |
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| The discovery of an anti-freeze gene that allows Antarctic grass to survive temperatures as low as -30°C may potentially help cut multimillion agricultural losses from frost. The gene has been identified to produce a novel protein that binds twice preventing the growth of ice in the colonizing saltgrass. Having the capacity of surviving the condition of being frozen and then thawing, the Antarctic Hairgrass has been able to colonise the Antarctic peninsular.
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| A new era in medical science is here, and it is known as the era of “spare part” medicine. With the successes in growing entire human organs in the laboratory, to their successful transplants, it was observed in The Lancet the possibility of transplanting entire engineered organs. Such measures may one day help solve the shortage of organ donors of organs like hearts, livers, kidneys etc. |
Scientists at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Centre have been tapping into the potential of spices to aid in the fight of cancer. To date, the results have been promising, with tests showing popular spices having the ability of slowing or preventing cancer. Among the identified compounds, it was shown that capsaicin, the compound that causes spiciness in chili peppers shrink cancerous tumours, and ginger can kill ovarian cancer cells.
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Scientists
at the Scripps Research Institute have been able to convert an RNA enzyme
to a DNA enzyme with accelerated in vitro evolution, possibly
replicating the shift from RNA Enzyme to DNA Enzyme in the early period
during the birth of life on Earth. The conversion provides an interesting
snapshot of evolutionary processes that may have resulted in the creation
of life as we know it. |
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