Free Republic

Like the masterless samurai for whom it is named, the protein Ronin chooses an independent path, maintaining embryonic stem cells in their undifferentiated state and playing essential roles in genesis of embryos and their development, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers who reported on this novel cellular regulator in the current issue of the journal Cell. Three proteins - Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog -- had previously been considered the "master" regulators of embryonic stem cells, but "Ronin could be as important as these three," said Dr. Thomas Zwaka, assistant professor in the Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine (STaR) Center at...

Democrats target black voters on radio Blacks, women hold key to who gets into the gubernatorial runoff, analysts say John Hill Posted on October 3, 2003 BATON ROUGE - Democratic candidates for governor of Louisiana are slugging it out on black radio, targeting the 29 percent of the state's electorate who likely will decide who comes out a winner in Saturday's primary. "Anybody who can get a sizable portion of the black vote and put it together with white (votes that) he or she can get is on the way to the runoff," Southern University political scientist Frank Ransburg said.

<p>Lt. Gov. Kathleen Blanco told supporters Thursday at the 2003 International Invitational Boxing Championship that her campaign is progressing full speed ahead.</p> <p>The campaign is "going great," she said at the Louisiana Convention Centre Thursday.</p> <p>"People are bending over backwards to let me know they support me."</p>