MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'innate'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:55:04 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4951889&cid=t_275087_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2F7Gen_bjEBM0%2F Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Raul Andino Vincent meets up with Raul Andino in San Francisco to discuss the RNAi-based antiviral defense system of Drosophila, the fruit fly, and how it is antagonized by viruses. Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #138 (53 MB .mp3, 73 minutes). Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes , at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, by email, or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app. Links for this episode: Antiviral immunity in Drosophila requires RNAi spread (Nature) Cricket paralysis virus antagonizes Argonaute 2 in Drosophila (Nature Struct Biol) Dicistroviridae at ViralZone TWiV on Facebook Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv, or call them in to 908-312-0760. You can al... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4951889 Sun, 19 Jun 2011 18:07:24 +0100 4951889 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862473&cid=t_275087_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F008103.html Frugality is (at least partially) in your genes. In a study of identical twins, which was published in the April edition of Journal of Consumer Research, marketing professors Itamar Simonson of Stanford University and Aner Sela of the University of Florida report that individual consumer preferences — for such products as chocolate, hybrid cars, movies and jazz — are genetically linked. Those preferences, the authors suggest, are a reflection of individual “prudence” — an inheritable predisposition to living “in the mainstream” or “on the edge” or somewhere in between. This sort of research tends to undermine the credibility of movements that call for a turning away from materialism, restraint in lifestyles for ecological protection, and other movements that argue that... (Source:... FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862473 Tue, 24 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4862473 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4747587&cid=t_275087_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F008039.html If you could suppress your brain's "pregenual anterior cingulate cortex" you could probably avoid the feeling of embarrassment. The twist to the experiment was that most of the subjects had neurodegenerative diseases, which helped scientists identify a thumb-sized bit of tissue in the right hemisphere of the front part of the brain called the "pregenual anterior cingulate cortex" as integral to embarrassment. The degree to which the singers were embarrassed in hearing themselves sing "My Girl" – the 1964 hit by the Temptations – depended on the integrity of this particular region. "In healthy people, watching themselves sing elicits a considerable embarrassment reaction," said Virginia Sturm, a postdoctoral fellow at UCSF. Their blood pressure goes up, their heart rate increases,... (Sou... FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4747587 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4747587 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4742348&cid=t_275087_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F008039.html If you could suppress your brain's "pregenual anterior cingulate cortex" you could probably avoid the feeling of embarrassment. The twist to the experiment was that most of the subjects had neurodegenerative diseases, which helped scientists identify a thumb-sized bit of tissue in the right hemisphere of the front part of the brain called the "pregenual anterior cingulate cortex" as integral to embarrassment. The degree to which the singers were embarrassed in hearing themselves sing "My Girl" – the 1964 hit by the Temptations – depended on the integrity of this particular region. "In healthy people, watching themselves sing elicits a considerable embarrassment reaction," said Virginia Sturm, a postdoctoral fellow at UCSF. Their blood pressure goes up, their heart rate increases,... (Sou... FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4742348 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4742348 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4636109&cid=t_275087_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftraffic.libsyn.com%2Ftwiv%2FTWiV121.mp3 Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Katze, Michael Gale, Deborah Fuller, and Shawn Iadonato Episode #121 of the podcast This Week in Virology is a conversation about careers in virology, systems biology, innate immunity, and antiviral research recorded at the University of Washington in Seattle. Download TWiV #121 (65 MB .mp3, 90 minutes). To download, right-click or control-click on the link, then select save as. Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes , at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, or by email, or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app. Links for this episode: A systems biology approach to infectious disease research (mBio) Infectious Curiosity (thanks, Gopal!) Astronomy Cast (thanks, Jacob!) The Journal of Negative Results (thanks, Patricia!) Scientist Solutions... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4636109 Sun, 20 Feb 2011 23:23:10 +0100 4636109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4394398&cid=t_275087_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007852.html Not exactly a Blank Slate view of human nature... DURHAM, N.C. -- A long-term study has found that children who scored lower on measures of self-control as young as age 3 were more likely to have health problems, substance dependence, financial troubles and a criminal record by the time they reached age 32. Self-control in the more than 1,000 New Zealand children who participated in the study was assessed by teachers, parents, observers and the children themselves. It included measures like "low frustration tolerance, lacks persistence in reaching goals, difficulty sticking with a task, over-active, acts before thinking, has difficulty waiting turn, restless, not conscientious." Fast-forward to adulthood, and the kids scoring lowest on those measures scored highest for things... (Source: F... FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4394398 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4394398 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4151719&cid=t_275087_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007633.html Be careful around vegetarians. They rarely get the calming benefit of looking at meat. A researcher found that the sight of meat made men less aggressive. Frank Kachanoff was surprised. He thought the sight of meat on the table would make people more aggressive, not less. After all, don’t football coaches feed their players big hunks of red meat before a game in hopes of pumping them up? And what about our images of a grunting or growling animal snarling at anyone who dares take their meat away from them? Wouldn’t that go for humans, too? Kachanoff, a researcher with a special interest in evolution at McGill University’s Department of Psychology, has discovered quite the reverse. According to research presented... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4151719 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4151719 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060087&cid=t_275087_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.rawvoice.com%2Fpmn_twiv%2Fwww.twiv.tv%2FTWiV102.flv Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Andrew Baker, Karl-Klaus Conzelmann, Peter Palese, and Katharina Eisenächer Episode #102 of the podcast This Week in Virology is a conversation about the RNA sensor RIG-I, adenovirus gene therapy, a universal influenza vaccine, and rabies virus, recorded in Munich, Germany at the SFB455 symposium ‘Viral offense and immune defense’. Download TWiV #102 (67 MB .mp3, 95 minutes) Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes , at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, or by email, or listen on your mobile device with Stitcher Radio. Links for this episode: SFB455 Symposium scientific program Letters read on TWiV 102 Virologists having fun (YouTube video) Video of this episode – view below or download .mov (394 MB) or .wmv (506 MB) Weekly Science Picks... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060087 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 00:06:02 +0100 4060087 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3914942&cid=t_275087_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007449.html If you ignore surveys in the mail and hang up on surveyors on the phone your genes are telling you to do it. Next time a phone surveyor calls up I'm going to tell them "My genes compel me to hang up on you". So I've got that to look forward to. A new study from North Carolina State University shows that genetics play a key factor in whether someone is willing to take a survey. “We wanted to know whether people are genetically predisposed to ignore requests for survey participation,” says Dr. Lori Foster Thompson, an associate professor of psychology at NC State and lead author of a paper describing the research. “We found that there is a pretty... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3914942 Sun, 29 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3914942 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3407961&cid=t_275087_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.virology.ws%2F013_W3310_10.wmv Download: .wmv (327 MB) | .mp4 (90 MB) Visit the virology W3310 home page for a complete list of course resources. (Source: virology blog) virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3407961 Fri, 26 Mar 2010 02:45:33 +0100 3407961 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3003707&cid=t_275087_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006724.html Babies less prone to feel fear are more likely to commit crimes. Even at the tender age of 3, children who will go on to be convicted of a crime are less likely to learn to link fear with a certain noise than those who don't. This may mean that an insensitivity to fear could be a driving force behind criminal behaviour. Adult criminals tend to be fearless, but whether this characteristic emerges before or after they commit a crime wasn't clear, says Adrian Raine, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Will people choosing genetic alleles for their genetically engineered children make them more or less predisposed to feel pain than the average human today? The answer... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3003707 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3003707 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2950709&cid=t_275087_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006674.html You've heard that we shouldn't judge people by their appearances and that appearances are only skin deep. Well no. People can predict the aggressiveness of other people after viewing their facial pictures for less than a second. Angry words and gestures are not the only way to get a sense of how temperamental a person is. According to new findings in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, a quick glance at someone's facial structure may be enough for us to predict their tendency towards aggression. Facial width-to-height ratio (WHR) is determined by measuring the distance between the right and left cheeks and the distance from the upper lip to the mid-brow. During childhood, boys and girls... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2950709 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2950709 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3016941&cid=t_275087_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2FAAd62pyT5Ec%2F Antibodies produced by infection with a virus, or after immunization with viral vaccines, are effective at preventing viral disease. However humans and higher primates contains “natural antibodies” which are present in serum before viral infection. Natural antibodies can activate the classical complement pathway leading to lysis of enveloped virus particles long before the adaptive immune response is activated. Many natural antibodies are directed against the disaccharide galactose α(1,3)-galactose (α-Gal) (illustration), which is found as a terminal sugar on glycosylated cell surface proteins. Humans, apes, and Old World monkeys lack the gene encoding the enzyme galactosyltransferase, which attaches α-Gal to membrane proteins. Lower primates, most other animals, and bact... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3016941 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:37:01 +0100 3016941 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3016945&cid=t_275087_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2FDY9BKhA9ABU%2F is a collection of blood and cell surface proteins that is a major primary defense and a clearance component of innate and adaptive immune responses. At least 30 different complement proteins act sequentially to produce a wide ranges of activities, from cell lysis to augmentation of the adaptive response. The complement system has four major antimicrobial functions. Lysis – Polymerization of specific activated complement components on a foreign cell or enveloped virus leads to the formation of pores. The lipid bilayer of the cell or virus is disrupted. Activation of inflammation – Several peptides produced by proteolytic cleavage of complement proteins bind to vascular endothelial cells and lymphocytes. These cells then produce cytokines which stimulate inflammation and enhan... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3016945 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:18:04 +0100 3016945 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3016947&cid=t_275087_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2FB_kwBKpERVk%2F During a discussion about blogging on the Coast to Coast Bio Podcast, it was suggested that science professors should spend more time writing about their research – by explaining what problems they are trying to solve, how they approach them, and why they are interesting. My goal here at virology blog is mainly to teach virology. But explaining what we do in my virology laboratory can be an effective instructional tool. About five years ago I became very interested in the innate immune response to viral infections. The innate response is considered the first line of immune defense because it is active even before infection begins. Many viral infections are halted by the innate immune system, which responds very quickly – within minutes to hours after infection. The key to innate de... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3016947 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:00:56 +0100 3016947 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2757705&cid=t_275087_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006500.html Mozart doesn't speak to them. Beethoven didn't have them in mind. Bach was writing to a more ascended audience. Go hear and listen to music composed for tamarin monkeys. What... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2757705 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2757705 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2747922&cid=t_275087_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006494.html The amygdala in your brain determines the distance you prefer for people standing near you. The ability to manipulate the brain to adjust this distance would have practical applications such... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2747922 Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2747922 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2702305&cid=t_275087_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006451.html Human brains treat living and non-living objects very differently. The brain has different regions for processing images of living and non-living. For unknown reasons, the human brain distinctly separates the... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2702305 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2702305 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2625997&cid=t_275087_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006383.html We are all Dr. Doolittle as babies. New research shows babies have a handle on the meaning of different dog barks – despite little or no previous exposure to dogs.Infants... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2625997 Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2625997 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2074150&cid=t_275087_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F005839.html We do not learn to associate emotions with contorting our faces in particular ways. San Francisco State University Psychology Professor David Matsumoto compared the facial expressions of sighted and blind... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2074150 Thu, 01 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2074150 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1908781&cid=t_275087_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F005655.html Our brains can estimate upper body strength for fighting just from facial pictures. The idea here is that our ancestors needed to know when to fight or back off. So... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1908781 Sun, 26 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1908781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1683007&cid=t_275087_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F005419.html Here's another research result that will some day guide prospective parents who want to select and modify embryos to guarantee the success of their kids. Our brains are wired up... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1683007 Tue, 05 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1683007 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1470181&cid=t_275087_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F05%2F27%2Fmoral-psychology-primer%2F Dan Jones has a terrific article in the April issue of Prospect, titled “The Emerging Moral Psychology.” We’ve included some excerpts from the article below. * * * Long thought to be a topic of enquiry within the humanities, the nature of human morality is increasingly being scrutinised by the natural sciences. This shift is now beginning to provide impressive intellectual returns on investment. Philosophers, psychologists, neuroscientists, economists, primatologists and anthropologists, all borrowing liberally from each others’ insights, are putting together a novel picture of morality—a trend that University of Virginia psychologist Jonathan Haidt has described as the “new synthesis in moral psychology.” The picture emerging shows the moral sense to be the prod... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1470181 Tue, 27 May 2008 14:41:35 +0100 1470181