Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Single Gene Deficiency Makes Mice "Neurotic"
31 Mar 00 | Mice are not usually noted for their stalwart natures, but a new Salk Institute study shows that the loss of a single gene can render them especially anxious. The resulting "neurotic" mice approach new situations tentatively.

We Live In The Past, Salk Scientists Discover
16 Mar 00 | If you think you're living in the past, you're right — and science can tell you just how far behind the times you are. According to a new Salk study, it's at least 80 milliseconds, just slightly longer than the blink of an eye.

Plant "DWARF" Gene Found By Salk Scientists
20 Dec 99 | Manicuring golf courses and the ritual mowing of suburban lawns may soon be relegated to history with the discovery of a new "dwarf" gene that limits plant stem length. Think of hedges that never need pruning or instant bonsai.

HIV Movement Visualized by Salk Scientists
11 Dec 99 | A new technique developed by Salk scientists allows the first glimpse of HIV inside a living cell and shows how the virus advances toward its ultimate target, the nucleus.

Gene That Speeds Maturation In Plants Isolated By Scientists At The Salk Institute
02 Dec 99 | A gene that speeds up the maturation process in plants, resulting in earlier development and flowering, has been isolated by a team of scientists at The Salk Institute.

Structure of Molecular Scissors Critical for the Shaping of Cells Revealed by Structural Biologists at The Salk Institute
02 Dec 99 | The living cell is the prototypical shapeshifter. At any given moment, it will reorganize itself to move, grow, replicate and even die. To achieve its Gumby-like existence, the cell's internal protein scaffolding is split apart and put back together.

Exercise Makes Mice Smarter, Salk Scientists Demonstrate
08 Nov 99 | Should you hit the treadmill before hitting the books? A new Salk study shows that physical exercise triggers chemical changes in the brain that spur learning - at least in mice. Associated work suggests that similar mechanisms may operate in humans.

Vitamin A Shown To Be Critical For Heart Location In Vertebrate Animals
28 Sep 99 | According to new research led by scientists at The Salk Institute, the vitamin plays a critical role in helping to guide the embryonic heart to its final destination in the left side of the body of all vertebrates, including humans.

Finding Suggests New Therapy For Genetic Disorder
16 Aug 99 | For babies born with the rare genetic disease ataxia-telangiectasia, commonly known as A-T, what may seem like normal and adorable lack of polish accelerates into a progressive and pervasive loss of muscle control and early death.

Plant Enzyme Important For Nutraceuticals Deciphered By Salk Scientists
28 Jul 99 | The three-dimensional structure of a linchpin enzyme plants need to thrive — and one viewed as a key player in the growing nutraceutical market — has been revealed in atomic detail by scientists at The Salk Institute.

Flower Pattern Switch Found By Salk Scientists
22 Jul 99 | Though science has yet to design flowers capable of fulfilling the wishes of a bygone era, researchers at The Salk Institute are learning more about the genetic power behind flower formation that one day could yield designer blooms.

Plant Genome Project Leader Joins The Salk Institute
26 May 99 | Joseph R. Ecker, one of the nation's leading authorities on the molecular biology and genetics of plants, will be joining the faculty of The Salk Institute, effective next summer.

Gene Switches Wing To Leg, Salk Scientists Find
28 Apr 99 | A single gene can transform embryonic tissue destined to form a wing into a leg instead, Salk Institute investigators have found. Their studies were performed in chickens, and the gene appears to be involved in limb formation in mammals as well.

Mice Cured Of Hemophilia By Salk Gene Therapy Protocol
29 Mar 99 | The results demonstrate the potential for curing this and similar bleeding disorders in humans. These debilitating genetic ailments can exact health care costs totaling millions of dollars during an inflicted person's life.

Computer Program Trained To Read Faces Developed By Salk Team
17 Mar 99 | A computer program developed by a Salk-led team has been trained to distinguish among a number of facial cues, helping to sort false from genuine expressions. What's more, the program performs as well as a psychologist trained to read faces.

Running Boosts Number Of Brain Cells, According To New Salk Study
22 Feb 99 | Can regular exercise strengthen the brain? According to a new Salk study, animals that get regular voluntary exercise on running wheels grow more new brain cells than sedentary counterparts.

Genetic Combination That Steers Newborn Nerve Cells Identified by Salk Scientists
06 Jan 99 | Like a sextant that helps guide ships at sea, a specific combination of genes has been identified that directs newly born nerve cells to their final destinations in developing organisms.

Zinc Found To Be Integral Part Of Brain Communication Channels
06 Jan 99 | Zinc has long been recognized as an essential trace element, and a current study led by Salk Institute investigators shows it to be an integral part of ion channels, structures that regulate communication among nerve cells.

Dissatisfied Flies Show Link Between Gene And Sexual Behavior
22 Dec 98 | Now researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have isolated that gene, called dissatisfaction, and gained clues to how it works in fly brains to affect sexual choice in both males and females.

Link Between Vitamin A And Learning Abilities Established By Team Led By Salk Researchers
22 Dec 98 | Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have discovered that vitamin A promotes learning, and they have provided the first evidence that the vitamin affects brain cell activity in a region linked to learning and memory.