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UrduNew Berkeley Lab breakthroughs: engineering chemical-producing microbes; watching enzyme reactions in real time; capturing the first image of ‘electron ice’; revealing how skyrmions really move
Tag: Biology
Expert in Ecological Applications of AI Joins Newly Announced Imageomics Institute
Chuck Stewart, an expert in the ecological applications of computer vision, is part of the newly created Imageomics Institute, founded with a $15 million grant from the National Science Foundation to use images of living organisms to understand biological processes.
Regulator Proteins or Symphonies of Genes: Statistical Modeling Points Way Toward Unified Theory for DNA Folding
Researchers seek to point a way toward a unified theory for how DNA changes shape when expressing genes. Presenting their work in Biophysics Reviews, the scientists use an approach called statistical mechanics to explore the phenomenon of so-called expression waves of gene regulation.
Darwin’s short-beak enigma solved
University of Utah biologists discovered that a mutation in the ROR2 gene is linked to beak size reduction in numerous breeds of domestic pigeons. Surprisingly, different mutations in ROR2 also underlie a human disorder called Robinow syndrome. The ROR2 signaling pathway plays an important role in the craniofacial development of all vertebrates.
False spring: Climate change may erode frogs’ ability to withstand salt pollution
Climate change may erode frogs’ ability to withstand road salt pollution, according to researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Study shows how aspen forests maintain the diversity needed to adapt to changing environments
A new decade-long study by University of Wisconsin¬–Madison researchers reveals how aspen stands change their genetic structure over the years as trees balance defending themselves from pests with growth to compete for sunlight.
In a first, scientists capture a ‘quantum tug’ between neighboring water molecules
Researchers have made the first direct observation of how hydrogen atoms in water molecules tug and push neighboring water molecules when they are excited with laser light.
NSF Taps Danforth Center to Lead New Institute to Advance the Restoration of Natural and Agricultural Ecosystems
The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center today announced a $12.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish the New Roots for Restoration Biology Integration Institute (NRR-BII).
Shih-Ting (Christine) Wang: Designing Materials for Biomedicine
Using DNA-based assembly, the Center for Functional Nanomaterials postdoc has assembled functional proteins into ordered lattices and coated nanostructures for drug delivery.
Existing drug is shown to inhibit virus that causes COVID-19
Scientists using the Advanced Photon Source have discovered that a drug used to fight tumors in animals might be effective against many types of coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2.
New research on the brain’s relay processes could guide treatment for certain brain disorders
New research shows cells gather more data than once believed inside the thal-amus, a relay station of sensory and motor abilities in the brain. That could change how medicine treats schizophrenia, epilepsy and other brain disorders.
Fungus That Tastes Just Right
PNNL researchers are forming a clearer picture of how plant matter is transformed in the microbial gardens created by leaf-cutter ants
Oncotarget: Replication-stress sensitivity in breast cancer cells
Taken together these Oncotarget findings show that the CTD and OD domains of mtp53 R273H play critical roles in mutant p53 GOF that pertain to processes associated with DNA replication.
Oncotarget: TERT and its binding protein: overexpression of GABPA/B in gliomas
This Oncotarget study confirms the upregulation of TERT in primary glioblastomas while all GABP proteins rise with the malignancy of the gliomas
Juicy past of favorite Okinawan fruit revealed
Citrus fruits from the mandarin family have important commercial value but how their diversity arose has been something of a mystery Researchers analyzed the genomes of the East Asian varieties and found a second center of diversity in the Ryukyu…
International collaboration of scientists rewrite the rulebook of flowering plant genetics
How do you study a group of organisms with over 300,000 species, dispersed across all seven continents, and with up to 50 times as much DNA content as the human genome? This is the question posed to biologists studying the…
The National Academy of Sciences admits IPK scientist Nicolaus von Wirén as member
“When I received the news about my election by the members of the Leopoldina, I was of course surprised, but also extremely pleased. On the one hand, I see the acceptance as a great honour and obligation to represent plant…
Topology in biology
When can we say that a certain property of a system is robust? Intuitively, robustness implies that, even under the effect of external perturbations on the system, no matter how strong or random, said property remains unchanged. In mathematics, properties…
Reverse optogenetic tool developed
A new optogenetic tool, a protein that can be controlled by light, has been characterized by researchers at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB). They used an opsin – a protein that occurs in the brain and eyes – from zebrafish and introduced…
Blushing plants reveal when fungi are growing in their roots
Almost all crop plants form associations with a particular type of fungi – called arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi – in the soil, which greatly expand their root surface area. This mutually beneficial interaction boosts the plant’s ability to take up nutrients…
Scientists identify five new plant species in Bolivia
Scientists have identified five new plant species in the Bolivian Andes. The species are all part of the genus Jacquemontia , which are twining or trailing plants with pretty blue flowers. With rapid biodiversity loss taking place across South America…
New understanding of cell stability with potential to improve immune cell therapies
Findings highlight pathway to remove unstable cells
Early antiviral response in the nose may determine the course of COVID-19
Cells sampled at the time of diagnosis from patients who later developed severe COVID-19 show a muted antiviral response, study finds
New measure of tropical forest vulnerability to help avoid ‘tipping point’
Humid tropical forests, vital in global efforts to limit rising temperatures, are under threat as a result of changes in land use and climate. Now, researchers reporting in the journal One Earth on July 23 have developed a new way…
‘Feel good’ brain messenger can be willfully controlled, new study reveals
Neuroscientists show that mice can learn to manipulate random dopamine impulses for reward
Oncotarget: Fgr and Numb in retinoic differentiation and G0 arrest of non-APL AML cells
In sum the Oncotarget data support a paradigm where signaling molecules bound to a Numb scaffold in a signalsome are activated by RA-induced Fgr expression
Southeastern US herbaria digitize three million specimens, now freely available online
A network of over 100 herbaria spread out across the southeastern United States recently completed the herculean task of fully digitizing more than three million specimens collected by botanists and naturalists over a span of 200 years. The project, which…
Bio-based coating for wood outperforms traditional synthetic options
Researchers turn a non-toxic residue into wood coating that resists abrasion, stain, and sunlight.
Parkinson’s disease: How lysosomes become a hub for the propagation of the pathology
Over the last few decades, neurodegenerative diseases became one of the top 10 global causes of death. Researchers worldwide are making a strong effort to understand neurodegenerative diseases pathogenesis, which is essential to develop efficient treatments against these incurable diseases.…
Clever cockatoos learn through social interaction
World-first research proves ‘cockies’ learn unique bin-opening behavior by copying others
Synlogic publishes papers in Nature journals demonstrating proof-of-mechanism and potential of synth
Data show dose-responsive, non-saturated increases in gastrointestinal consumption of Phe in humans by SYNB1618 — SYNB1618 Phase 2 study in patients with PKU ongoing with proof-of-concept readout anticipated in 2H 2021 — Phase 1 study of SYNB1934
Characterized drugs show unexpected effects
Known and yet unexpected: many active substances influence the cholesterol homeostasis and thereby possibly a SARS-CoV-2 infection
Less-sensitive COVID-19 tests may still achieve optimal results if enough people tested
Analysis suggests same epidemiological outcomes possible with rapid-antigen versus RT-PCR tests
Neurotransmitter levels predict math ability
Glutamate and GABA in the brain have reverse relationships with math ability, which switch during development
Cardio-cerebrovascular disease history complicates hematopoietic cell transplant outcomes
Researchers find pre-transplant cardiovascular diseases indirectly affect mortality and survival through increased post-transplant disease occurrence
Global warming may limit spread of dengue fever, new research finds
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Infection with dengue virus makes mosquitoes more sensitive to warmer temperatures, according to new research led by Penn State researchers. The team also found that infection with the bacterium Wolbachia, which has recently been used to…
Linda Partridge to present at the 8th Aging Research & Drug Discovery Meeting 2021
Linda Partridge to present new research in the biology of aging at the world’s largest aging research for drug discovery conference
Palaeontology: Newly-hatched pterosaurs may have been able to fly
Newly-hatched pterosaurs may have been able to fly but their flying abilities may have been different from adult pterosaurs, according to a study published in Scientific Reports . Pterosaurs were a group of flying reptiles that lived during the Triassic,…
HKU scientists harness the naturally abundant CRISPR-Cas system to edit superbugs with the hope of treating infections caused by drug resistant pathogens
A research team led by Dr Aixin YAN, Associate Professor from the Research Division for Molecular & Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, in collaboration with Honorary Clinical Professor Patrick CY WOO from the Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty…
Stanford researchers develop tool to drastically speed up the study of enzymes
For much of human history, animals and plants were perceived to follow a different set of rules than the rest of the universe. In the 18th and 19th centuries, this culminated in a belief that living organisms were infused by…
Trash-bin foragers: Innovation and spread of complex culture in suburban parrots
In the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, sulphur-crested cockatoos routinely loot lidded household waste bins to scavenge for food. In a new study, researchers document the emergence and geographic spread of innovative bin-opening behaviors in urban parrot populations, revealing the presence…
Drought changes rice root microbiome
Drought can have a lasting impact on the community of microbes that live in and around roots of rice plants, a team led by UC Davis researchers has found. Root-associated microbes help plants take up nutrients from the soil, so…
Untwisting DNA reveals new force that shapes genomes
Transcription generates a force that moves across DNA strands like ripples through water
Scientists reverse age-related memory loss in mice
Scientists at Cambridge and Leeds have successfully reversed age-related memory loss in mice and say their discovery could lead to the development of treatments to prevent memory loss in people as they age. In a study published today in Molecular…
Cell-analysis technique could combat tuberculosis
ITHACA, N.Y. – A new method that analyzes how individual immune cells react to the bacteria that cause tuberculosis could pave the way for new vaccine strategies against this deadly disease, and provide insights into fighting other infectious diseases around…
Early-life social connections influence gene expression, stress resilience
Having friends may not only be good for the health of your social life, but also for your actual health–if you’re a hyena, that is. Strong social connections and greater maternal care early in life can influence molecular markers related…
DeepMind and EMBL release the most complete database of predicted 3D structures of human proteins
Partners use AlphaFold, the AI system recognised last year as a solution to the protein structure prediction problem, to release more than 350,000 protein structure predictions including the entire human proteome to the scientific community
Cattle losing adaptations to environment, MU researchers find
Researchers pave the way for genetic tests of cattle that can look for the presence of specific adaptations, such as heat resistance
Mentoring and inclusion are top priority for 50 new Gilliam Fellows and their advisers
They come from 38 schools across the country. Their research spans the life sciences, from plant biology to evolution. And they represent the largest group of fellows selected in the Gilliam Program’s history . Today, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute…
New insight on the reproductive evolution of land plants
International consortium offers novel insight into the reproductive evolution of land plants, in new study published in Nature Plants