Will the IKEA TV Be as Hard to Assemble as Conan's Parody Is? [Video]

IKEA recently broke into the consumer electronics industry with the launch of its Uppleva TV set. Most of us have probably experienced the pain and suffering that can go along with assembling IKEA products. The team at Conan is no different, and their parody ad illustrates the logical conclusion of the IKEA do-it-yourself tradition. Look out for the Fl?arb! [Team CoCo] More »

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Unlike ?Thermonuclear? Steve Jobs, Apple CEO Tim Cook Says He?d Rather Settle Litigation

Looks like Tim Cook doesn't quite want to go as "thermonuclear" on rival phone makers as Apple founder Steve Jobs did. Cook didn't sound so eager to pursue patent infringement suits against Samsung, Motorola and HTC on today's quarterly earnings call. "I'd highly prefer to settle versus battle," Cook said. "But you know the key thing that's very important is that Apple doesn't become the developer to the world." He added very pointedly, "I?ve always hated litigation. We need people to invent their own stuff." His words are at odds with what iconic Apple founder Steve Jobs in Walter Isaacson's biography:

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Romney prepared to declare 'semi-official' end to primaries as five states vote (CNN)

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Target Assembles Everyday Stuff For These Awesome Avengers Ads [Avengers]

Check out these slick ads from Target featuring weapons, costumes, and symbols from the upcoming Avengers movie made entirely from things you can buy in its stores. When even the movie tie-in ads for a big box chain store are jaw-droppingly amazing, you know you've got a blockbuster hit on your hands. More »

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New yeast prion helps cells survive

ScienceDaily (Apr. 23, 2012) ? One of the greatest mysterious in cellular biology has been given a new twist thanks to findings reported in Science. Researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute show that prions, proteins that transmit heritable information without DNA or RNA, can contribute to drug resistance and cellular adaptation. Their discovery of a yeast prion with these properties demonstrates the active role of the prion conversion in cellular fitness adaptation, providing new insights into the potentially broader function of prions in living organisms.

Since their discovery in the 1960s, the class of misfolded proteins known as prions has posed a fundamental challenge to the foundation of molecular biology: the idea that heritable information flows from DNA and RNA to protein, but never from protein to any other molecule. Contrary to this rule, prions are able to transmit information from one molecule to another through the transmission of their misfolded shape, with devastating consequences in diseases such as mad cow disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The broader implications of this unusual transmission mechanism, however, are not well understood.

Among these implications, research on yeast prions has suggested that beyond their well-known role in diseases, some prions may confer survival advantages by helping organisms respond to environmental stress. To explore this idea, the BSI research team screened a wide range of different genes in budding yeast for previously-undiscovered prions. Out of 6000 genes screened, they found a new yeast prion protein "Mod5" with the unusual property that it lacks the glutamine and asparagine-rich amino acid sequences characteristic of other yeast prions. Sequences like these are thought to contribute to forming amyloid aggregates, the mechanism by which prions propagate.

Despite lacking these sequences, Mod5 forms amyloid aggregates just like other yeast prions. Unlike the destructive role such aggregates play in well-known prion diseases, however, the researchers showed that Mod5 aggregates actually help the yeast, by granting it cellular resistance to antifungal agents. This advantage is so important that the yeast actually increases prion conversion when the pressure is on, as the researchers found when they applied antifungal drugs to the yeast.

These results demonstrate that the Mod5 yeast prion contributes to cell survival under environmental stress, through selection playing a key role in evolutionary adaptation. This insight marks a breakthrough in our understanding of the evolutionary role of prions and their unique form of inheritance, promising new avenues in the battle to contain and treat some of the world's most dangerous infectious diseases.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by RIKEN.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. G. Suzuki, N. Shimazu, M. Tanaka. A Yeast Prion, Mod5, Promotes Acquired Drug Resistance and Cell Survival Under Environmental Stress. Science, 2012; 336 (6079): 355 DOI: 10.1126/science.1219491

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Here's How Much Money Facebook Makes Off of You [Facebook]

We'd gotten a glimpse at Facebook's financials when the company first filed for an IPO in early February, but now an amended S-1 filing has shed even more light on the giant pile of money hoarded by the Zuck dragon. Including, reports TechCrunch, how much he made off of you. More »

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Neil Diamond Weds His Young Manager Katie McNeil

Neil Diamond Weds His Young Manager Katie McNeil

Neil Diamond, 71, tied the knot with one of his managers, who is 30 years his junior!. The singer and Katie McNeil, 41, married in [...]

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Acer's First Ivy Bridge Computers Are... Desktops??? [PCs]

Hey hey! Intel's new Ivy Bridge processors are here! As such, there are some new Ivy Bridge-equipped machines from Acer, which means they'll be within financial reach for many. But I hope you like desktop PCs, because that's all you're getting for now. More »

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