Computer simulation helps explain how plants grow
The petals of every flower and the leaves sprouting from every plant stalk have characteristic arrangements, a phenomenon called phyllotaxis. For two centuries, botanists have puzzled over the force...
Jul, 01, 2007
August 2007 saw a surge of new open-source software for simulating musculoskeletal movement. In addition to OpenSim 1.0 (described in the Fall 2007 issue of this magazine), FEBio arrived on the scene...
Apr, 01, 2008
Injury type matters
When the bones and discs of the spinal column are broken, crushed, or displaced, the spinal cord itself may be devastatingly damaged. Now, a new computer model suggests that the manner in...
Jul, 01, 2008
Gene therapy to correct inherited illnesses hinges on successful delivery of DNA into a person’s cells. Most gene therapists work with viruses to ferry their DNA cargo. Yet the body tends to...
Oct, 01, 2009
Understanding how actin produces force by pushing rather than squeezing
Rocketing within and between human gut cells, Listeria monocytogenes—a motile, foodborne bacterium—leaves a comet-like tail of actin protein behind it and makes us sick. Scientists have...
Jan, 01, 2010
Computer model supports one theory of why sex is such a good idea
Sex is a costly undertaking. Finding partners takes time and energy. Sexual contact can transmit disease. And if reproductive success is measured by how many genes you pass on, females would be...
Jul, 01, 2007
The fittest organisms survive and produce offspring, according to the Darwinian theory of natural selection. And the changes that make an organism fit happen at the molecular level: when genes mutate...
Oct, 01, 2007
Simulating how cell membranes form vesicles
Whenever a cell needs to get rid of waste, transport materials, sort proteins, or build new organelles, membranes remodel themselves. Often that means forming small enclosed compartments called...
Jul, 01, 2007
Navigating the oviduct and other mysteries
The essential elements of human fertilization are clear: sperm swim through the uterus, travel up the fallopian tube, and fertilize an egg. Not as well understood are the the nitty-gritty details of...
Jun, 19, 2013
Several big-dollar initiatives received NIH funding in late 2010
In the current economic climate, every research dollar counts. Fortunately, when it comes to biomedical computing, not everyone has been left counting change. Several big-dollar initiatives received...
Apr, 01, 2011
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