Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

An advance in cryo-EM could be a significant boon for research on potential cancer therapies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A technology called cryo-electron microscopy enables scientists to see the atomic structure of biological molecules in high resolution. But to date, it has been ineffective for imaging small molecules. A team of biochemists devised a solution that makes it possible to hold small protein molecules in place while they're being imaged, which will enable cryo-EM to produce much clearer images of such molecules. The advance is significant because small and medium-sized protein molecules are an area of focus in research on potential new drugs for cancer and other diseases.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Toxic formaldehyde's dual nature to be probed with new chemical tool      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Newly developed ompounds aim to reveal the dual nature of formaldehyde, a chemical that is known to cause cancer but is also believed to play important roles in our biology.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Why are killer whales harassing and killing porpoises without eating them?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For decades, fish-eating killer whales in the Pacific Northwest have been observed harassing and even killing porpoises without consuming them —- a perplexing behavior that has long intrigued scientists.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Tiny CRISPR tool could help shred viruses      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists mapped out the three-dimensional structure of one of the smallest known CRISPR-Cas13 systems then used that knowledge to modify its structure and improve its accuracy.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees
Published

New research reveals dynamic factors shaping biodiversity at small scales      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers studying arboreal ants in a Florida forest explore the fundamental question of how resource availability and competition shape biodiversity.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: General
Published

Strength is in this glass's DNA      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists were able to fabricate a pure form of glass and coat specialized pieces of DNA with it to create a material that was not only stronger than steel, but incredibly lightweight.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Separating molecules requires lots of energy. This new, heat-resistant membrane could change that      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has created a new, heat-resistant membrane that can withstand harsh environments -- high temperatures, high pressure and complex chemical solvents -- associated with industrial separation processes. It could eventually be used as a less energy intensive alternative to distillation and other industrial processes that separate molecules that ultimately serve as ingredients in medicine, chemicals and other products.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water
Published

How to save plants from climate change? Just ask them      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Climate change and a range of human-caused factors have disrupted the habitats of many California native trees and other plant species. Efforts to protect or relocate plant species would be bolstered by understanding which habitats are best suited for each species. A new study identified a range of characteristics from more than 100 types of plants that can be analyzed to determine each species' preferred temperature and rainfall amount.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry Physics: Optics
Published

How organic solar cells could become significantly more efficient      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The sun sends enormous amounts of energy to the earth. Nevertheless, some of it is lost in solar cells. This is an obstacle in the use of organic solar cells, especially for those viable in innovative applications. A key factor in increasing their performance: Improved transport of the solar energy stored within the material. Now a research group has shown that certain organic dyes can help build virtual highways for the energy.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Genetically engineering associations between plants and nitrogen-fixing microbes could lessen dependence on synthetic fertilizer      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant growth, but the overuse of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture is not sustainable. A team of bacteriologists and plant scientists discuss the possibility of using genetic engineering to facilitate mutualistic relationships between plants and nitrogen-fixing microbes called 'diazotrophs.' These engineered associations would help crops acquire nitrogen from the air by mimicking the mutualisms between legumes and nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature
Published

Caribbean parrots thought to be endemic are actually relicts of millennial-scale extinction      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For the first time, researchers have extracted ancient DNA from Caribbean parrot fossils and archaeological specimens, showing that species thought to be endemic to particular islands were historically more widespread and diverse.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Despite being properly treated and highly diluted, wastewater still impacts on the river ecosystem      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An experiment using water from a large wastewater treatment plant has shown that this water continues to affect river diversity and the trophic web (food web) despite being properly treated and highly diluted before discharge. The study shows that the limits currently in place and the procedures used to treat wastewater may not be sufficient to protect the natural properties of food webs.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Drug discovery on an unprecedented scale      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Boosting virtual screening with machine learning allowed for a 10-fold time reduction in the processing of 1.56 billion drug-like molecules. Researchers teamed up with industry and supercomputers to carry out one of the world's largest virtual drug screens.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels Engineering: Graphene
Published

Efficient fuel-molecule sieving using graphene      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team has successfully developed a new method that can prevent the crossover of large fuel molecules and suppress the degradation of electrodes in advanced fuel cell technology using methanol or formic acid. The successful sieving of the fuel molecules is achieved via selective proton transfers due to steric hindrance on holey graphene sheets that have chemical functionalization and act as proton-exchange membranes.

Biology: Botany Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature
Published

AI increases precision in plant observation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Artificial intelligence (AI) can help plant scientists collect and analyze unprecedented volumes of data, which would not be possible using conventional methods. Researchers have now used big data, machine learning and field observations in the university's experimental garden to show how plants respond to changes in the environment.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Conversations with plants: Can we provide plants with advance warning of impending dangers?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Plant scientists have engineered a light-controlled gene expression system (optogenetics system) from a prokaryotic system into a eukaryotic system that is tailored for plants.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

We could sequester CO2 by 're-greening' arid lands, plant scientists say      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Reducing CO2 levels in the atmosphere will take more than cutting emissions -- we will also need to capture and store the excessive volumes of already-emitted carbon. A team of plant scientists argue that arid lands such as deserts could be one answer to the carbon-capture problem.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

This parasitic plant convinces hosts to grow into its own flesh--it's also an extreme example of genome shrinkage      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Balanophora shed one third of its genes as it evolved into a streamlined parasitic plant -- an extreme degree of genome shrinkage even among parasites. Along the way this subtropical plant developed the ability to induce the host plant to grow into the parasite's own flesh -- forming chimeric organs that mix host and parasite tissues.