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A team of researchers that includes a professor of ecology at the University of Minnesota has concluded that chimpanzees in the wild do not undergo menopause in the way that women do, despite the fact that reproduction tends to diminish at a similar ages in both species. The study draws on data from chimpanzees at several sites in Africa, including Gombe National Park, where renowned chimp researcher Jane Goodall began her work in 1960. The Gombe data is now stored at the University’s Jane Goodall Institute’s Center for Primate Studies. Researchers found that chimpanzee and human birth rates show similar patterns of decline after age 40, suggesting that the “biological clock” has been relatively conserved over the course of human evolution. However, in contrast to humans, healthy female chimpanzees maintain high birth rates late into life, but their fertility tends to drop along with their chances of surviving. The oldest chimp known to give birth in the wild is estimated to have been 55, and she began reproductive cycling again shortly before her death at age 63. Human menopause, on the other hand, is remarkable in that reproductive deterioration is markedly accelerated relative to the aging of the rest of the body, leaving an extended post-reproductive survival period for most women.

A discovery by a multinational team, including a University of Minnesota scientist in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, could lead to more environmentally friendly manufacturing in the electronic device industry. the researchers found that the bacterium shewanella has the unique ability to convert arsenate, an inorganic form of the naturally occurring element arsenic, into arsenic sulfi de nanotubes, tiny filaments that may fi nd use in the optical, medical, and electronics industries. Shewanella and arsenate are found in soil and water, as is arsenic, which is found in rock and air as well. when shewanella converts arsenate to arsenic sulfide, it leaves behind a yellow residue that researchers realized is a tangle of nanotubes that can be used to make fuel cells, batteries, and other components in the electronics industry. It’s the first time that arsenic-sulfide nanotubes have been produced by biological rather than chemical means, and researchers believe the discovery could lead to the production of novel semiconductor devices that could not be made otherwise or in an environmentally friendly way.

A University of Minnesota cancer researcher has discovered how key genes cause breast and ovarian cancer cells to either multiply or die. The discovery opens the door to developing drugs that target these genes, giving women with breast or ovarian cancer a greater chance for long-term survival. Researchers have long known that certain proteins regulate genes that are essential for cancer cells to either proliferate or die. The new finding means that scientists now know which specific genes serve the dual functions of turning cancer cells on or off and how those functions operate in breast or ovarian cancers.

Gender and Eating Disorders

Teenage girls who frequently eat meals with their families appear less likely to use diet pills, laxatives, and other extreme measures to control their weight, but the same does not hold true for teenage boys, according to research at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health. Researchers studied more than 2,500 adolescents at 31 Minnesota schools over the course of five years. Girls who ate five or more meals with their families each week were significantly less likely to engage in disordered eating behaviors, while among adolescent boys, regular family meals did not predict lower levels of disordered eating behaviors over the five-year period. Researchers said the reasons for the gender differences are unclear.A Cure for Cyanide Poisoning

Researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Drug Design and the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center have discovered a new, fast-acting antidote to cyanide poisoning. Cyanide is a rapid-acting toxin that prevents the body from using oxygen. Because cyanide occurs naturally in pitted fruits, some grasses, and other foods, the body has mechanisms to detoxify small amounts in the diet. The new antidote takes advantage of this natural detoxification process by providing the substance the body naturally uses to convert cyanide to the non-toxic compound thiocyanate. The antidote has the potential to save the lives of those exposed to the chemical, most likely firefighters and industrial workers. Current cyanide antidotes, which must be administered intravenously, work slowly and are ineffective when administered after a certain point. The new antidote is effective over a wider time window, works in less than three minutes, and can be taken orally.

Flipping the Switch on T Cells

People who suffer from autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis could one day benefit from the discovery by University of Minnesota researchers of a new way to turn off human T cells, an important cog in the body’s immune system. Researchers used a novel approach that combines molecular biology and computational analysis to identify the sequence responsible for turning off the T cells. T cells are activated when the body has an infection, and once the infection is cleared, the cells need to turn off so the body can return to a stable condition. If they don’t turn off, they can cause damage to the body. The research could lead to the development of new drugs that turn off the T cells in people with autoimmune diseases.

More rural drivers than their urban counterparts dispense with seat belts and tend to think that drunk driving isn’t all that dangerous, according to University of Minnesota researchers who surveyed drivers in three urban and three rural Minnesota counties. In the survey, rural drivers more frequently admitted to driving while under the influence and to not using their seat belt every time they drive. Rural pickup drivers were the least likely to wear seat belts. Crash data in rural areas showing more crashes caused by drunk driving support these findings, prompting researchers to conclude that rural drivers are more likely to have fatal crashes due to their decreased perception of the importance of safe driving. The upside to the findings: Researchers concluded that education about the importance of safe driving may help prevent crashes for these risk factors.