Mathematical model may offer better understanding of embryonic development
Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:00:00 EST
A mathematical model can predict complex signaling patterns that could help scientists determine how stem cells in an embryo later become specific tissues, knowledge that could be used to understand and treat developmental disorders and some diseases.

Repeated anesthesia can affect children's ability to learn
Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST
There is a link between repeated anesthesia in children and memory impairment, though physical activity can help to form new cells that improve memory, reveals new research.

Natural and artificial sheaths used to mend traumatic bone loss
Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST
A research team has shown that the stem-cell rich periosteum sheath around bone can be used to mend serious bone loss faster and more simply than bone grafts. The researchers have developed an artificial periosteum that can be implanted in patients who have too little of the natural covering left.

Deceptive model: Stem cells of humans and mice differ more strongly than suspected
Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:00:00 EST
Mice are in many ways similar to Homo sapiens on a fundamental level. That is why the law in this part of the world only permits scientists to conduct research on human embryonic stem cells when they have "clarified in advance" their specific questions by using animal cells as far as possible. However, such tests are often pointless -- and sometimes even misleading, as a recent study demonstrates.

Predicting the fate of stem cells: New method decodes cell movements, accurately predicts how cells will divide
Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST
Researchers have discovered a new method for predicting -- with up to 99 percent accuracy -- the fate of stem cells. Using advanced computer vision technology to detect subtle cell movements that are impossible to discern with the human eye, scientists can successfully forecast how a stem cell will split and what key characteristics the daughter cells will exhibit.