A novel strategy has recently been developed which allows the visualization of DNA synthesis in intact cells or organisms. This strategy, developed by the University of Zurich’s Institute of Organic Chemistry, utilizes a tailor-made nucleic acid which can be incorporated into a normal DNA strand to allow this biochemical process to be seen using fluorescent probes.

A Spanish research team has recently published evidence which may provide the first direct functional link between differential expression of mRNA-specific translational regulators and tumor development.

A German research team has recently uncovered evidence that orcein, a compound used for hundreds of years as a food dye, and the related compound O4 both act to accelerate the aggregation of β-amyloid monomers into mature amyloid plaques.

US Department of Energy researchers from the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) reported in a recent paper that they have engineered the first bacterial strain that can digest the biomass of non-food crops and synthesize the sugars into all three forms of transportation fuel - gasoline, diesel and jet biofuels.

Researchers at Kansas State University have developed a new mechanical adhesive whose unique properties might make it well suited to be in every astronaut's toolbox. Unlike traditional chemical adhesives which can become brittle when moisture is removed, this new adhesive - made from peptides - actually forms a stronger bond.

Some disorders of the brain are obvious — the massive death of brain cells after a stroke, the explosion in the growth of cells that marks a tumor. Other disorders, such as autism, schizophrenia and mental retardation show no physical signs of damage and are believed to be caused by problems in how brain cells communicate with one another.

Researchers have produced a lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice by giving them a safe vaccine that combines bits of the common cold virus with a particle that mimics cocaine.

In their study, published Jan. 4 in the online edition of Molecular Therapy and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the researchers say this novel strategy might be the first to offer cocaine addicts a fairly simple way to break and reverse their habit, and it might also be useful in treating other addictions, such as to nicotine, heroin and other opiates.

Europe's latest public opinion poll shows concern yet optimism toward emerging technologies and new fields within science. A clear optimistic trend appears in this latest report, "Europeans and biotechnology in 2010 Winds of change?". This is of course balanced with a public concern for safety and a need for further public awareness on some topics.

Researchers from George Washington University Medical Center have discovered a way to detect a specific autism spectrum disorder by using blood samples. Additionally the researchers discovered that drugs which affect the methylation state of genes may reverse some of autism's effects.

A March 24, 2010 press release from Johns Hopkins details a research team that screened hundreds of thousands of small chemical compounds, and identified a class of compounds that - at least in a test tube - blocks tuberculosis growth. The scientists screened 175,000 small chemical compounds and identified a potent class of compounds that selectively slows down this protein’s activity.