Biologist Modifies Theory of Cells' Engines

piggy submitted, created time 3 weeks 3 days (www.sciencedaily.com)

Biologists have known for decades that cells use tiny molecular motors to move chromosomes, mitochondria, and many other organelles within the cell, but no one has been able to understand what "steers" these engines to their destinations. Now, researchers at the University of Rochester have shed new light on how cells accomplish this feat, and the results may eventually lead to new approaches to fighting pathogens and neurological diseases

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Molecular Motor Tied to Memory

sea-maid submitted, created time 2 months 6 days (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)

How does the brain record a memory? Somehow our experiences and interactions can be imprinted in the mind, but exactly how neurons alter their connections to enable memory has been murky. Now a team of researchers out of Duke University say they have identified the molecular machinery that links experience with learning--and it all comes down to one microscopic motor.

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