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Categories: Chemistry: Organic Chemistry, Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published New computational strategy boosts the ability of drug designers to target proteins inside the membrane



Hitting targets embedded within the cell membrane has long been difficult for drug developers due to the membrane's challenging biochemical properties. Now, chemists have demonstrated new custom-designed proteins that can efficiently reach these 'intramembrane' targets.
Published Sonic youth: Healthy reef sounds increase coral settlement



Healthy coral reefs have rich soundscapes, full of the croaks, purrs, and grunts of various fishes and the crackling of snapping shrimp. Larval coral uses these sounds as cues to identify the best places to settle and grow. The authors found that sound could potentially be a vital tool in the effort to restore coral reefs. Broadcasting the sounds of a healthy reef to a reef that is degraded encourages coral larvae to settle there. This indicates that it's possible that 'acoustic enrichment' can be a key intervention to support imperiled reefs.
Published Milk to the rescue for diabetics? Cow produces human insulin in milk



An unassuming brown bovine from the south of Brazil has made history as the first transgenic cow capable of producing human insulin in her milk. The advancement could herald a new era in insulin production, one day eliminating drug scarcity and high costs for people living with diabetes.
Published A simple and robust experimental process for protein engineering



A protein engineering method using simple, cost-effective experiments and machine learning models can predict which proteins will be effective for a given purpose, according to a new study.
Published Who knew that coprophagy was so vital for birds' survival?



New research explains how eating feces (known as coprophagy) shapes wild birds' digestive tracts (gut biota), enabling them to absorb lost or deficient nutrients and adjust to seasonal variations in food sources.
Published Scientists develop a rapid gene-editing screen to find effects of cancer mutations



Researchers found a way to screen cancer-linked gene mutations much more easily and quickly than existing approaches, using a variant of CRISPR genome-editing known as prime editing.
Published Cheetahs' unrivalled speed explained by their 'sweet spot' size, finds Imperial study



A new study has answered a long-held question about why medium-sized land animals like cheetahs tend to be fastest.
Published Cicadas' unique urination unlocks new understanding of fluid dynamics



While most small insects and mammals urinate in droplets, cicadas urinate in jets. Researchers say the finding could be used to create better robots and small nozzles.
Published Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life



For the first time, scientists have developed artificial nucleotides, the building blocks of DNA, with several additional properties in the laboratory.
Published Earth's earliest forest revealed in Somerset fossils



The oldest fossilized forest known on Earth -- dating from 390 million years ago -- has been found in the high sandstone cliffs along the Devon and Somerset coast of South West England.
Published Researchers develop new machine learning method for modeling of chemical reactions



Researchers have used machine learning to create a model that simulates reactive processes in organic materials and conditions.
Published Bee-2-Bee influencing: Bees master complex tasks through social interaction



Bumblebees successfully learned a two-step puzzle box task through social observation. This task was too complex for individual bees to learn on their own. Observing trained demonstrator bees performing the first unrewarded step was crucial for successful social learning. Individual bees failed to solve the puzzle without previous demonstration, despite extensive exposure.
Published Universal tool for tracking cell-to-cell interactions



An updated method for directly observing physical interactions between cells, could allow scientists to one day map every possible cell interaction.
Published New deep-sea worm discovered at methane seep off Costa Rica



Marine biologists have discovered a new species of deep-sea worm living near a methane seep some 50 kilometers (30 miles) off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
Published Genetic mutation in a quarter of all Labradors hard-wires them for obesity



New research finds around a quarter of Labrador retriever dogs face a double-whammy of feeling hungry all the time and burning fewer calories due to a genetic mutation.
Published New type of nanoparticle makes vaccines more powerful



A type of nanoparticle called a metal organic framework (MOF) could be used to deliver vaccines and act as an adjuvant. Researchers find these particles provoke a strong immune response by activating the innate immune system through cell proteins called toll-like receptors.
Published Do some electric fish sense the world through comrades' auras?



It would be a game-changer if all members of a basketball team could see out of each other's eyes in addition to their own. Biologists have found evidence that this kind of collective sensing occurs in close-knit groups of African weakly electric fish, also known as elephantnose fish. This instantaneous sharing of sensory intelligence could help the fish locate food, friends and foes.
Published Key advance toward removing common herbicide from groundwater



Chemists are closing in on a new tool for tackling the global problem of weedkiller-tainted groundwater.
Published Aluminum nanoparticles make tunable green catalysts



A nanotechnology pioneer has uncovered a transformative approach to harnessing the catalytic power of aluminum nanoparticles by annealing them in various gas atmospheres at high temperatures.
Published Tiny worms tolerate Chornobyl radiation



A new study finds that exposure to chronic radiation from Chornobyl has not damaged the genomes of microscopic worms living there today -- which doesn't mean that the region is safe, the scientists caution, but suggests that these worms are exceptionally resilient.