|
Bitter is Bigger Than Just a Bad Taste in Your Mouth: How a Tiny Genetic Mutation is Helping Us Map Human Migration Out of Africa
For someone who studies things that are very small, Dennis Drayna thinks big. A seemingly run-of-the-mill discussion on the molecular underpinnings of bitter taste receptors can quickly veer into a story about the migrations of ancient peoples out of Africa 70 thousand years ago. Remarkably, we can learn a lot more than just about tastebuds by trying to figure out why some people taste bitter and others don’t. Read More
Smell Study Asks: Do People Perceive Some Odors Differently?
Charles J. Wysocki, Ph.D., an NIDCD-supported researcher at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, is investigating genetic differences in smell perception. He and his team are testing a large population of Caucasian and African-American volunteers on their sensitivity to a dozen different smells, or odorants, looking for differences in the expression of specific genes that are associated with individual odor preferences. Read More
Proteins Linked to Congenital Deafness Help Build, Maintain Stereocilia in the Inner Ear
NIDCD researcher Bechara Kachar, M.D., and others have now learned that two proteins that have been implicated in some forms of inherited deafness are responsible for building and maintaining the stereocilia. Read More
New Research Shows Tectorial Membrane Plays a More Active Role in Helping Us Hear
Richard Chadwick, Ph.D., and Núria Gavara, Ph.D., both of NIDCD’s Auditory Mechanics Section, used nanotechnology techniques to devise a new method for studying the properties of the tectorial membrane. They wanted to test how soft or stiff the membrane is along the cochlea, and how these properties might affect a hair cell’s ability to convert sound vibrations into an electrical signal. Read More
NIDCD Names Dr. Andrew Griffith as Scientific Director
Andrew Griffith, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the Molecular Biology and Genetics Section and the Otolaryngology Branch at the NIDCD, has been appointed the institute’s new scientific director. Dr. Griffith succeeds Robert J. Wenthold, Ph.D., who will remain chief of the Section on Neurotransmitter Receptor Biology in the Laboratory of Neurochemistry. Read More
NIDCD Welcomes Five New Members to Its Advisory Council
NIDCD director James F. Battey, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., welcomed five new members to the National Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NDCD) Advisory Council during its regular meeting on June 5, 2009, at the NIH. Read More
Concert Teaches Kids to Enjoy Tunes Safely
More than a thousand first- and second-graders from 14 public and private schools in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area joined award-winning musical artist Billy Jonas and his band for an hour-long interactive concert about how to protect their hearing. The concert was held at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium on April 29th. Read More
NIDCD Awards ARRA Dollars
As part of the Recovery Act, the NIDCD received approximately $100 million to be used in Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010. A significant portion of dollars will be awarded to supplement existing NIDCD grants, thus helping to stimulate the economy by accelerating the pace of NIDCD-funded research. Read More
|