Showing 20 articles starting at article 1
Categories: Biology: General, Offbeat: General
Published CRISPR-based genome editing in Nile grass rats
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of researchers has discovered a set of methods that enabled the first successful CRISPR-based genome editing in Nile grass rats.
Published Two epicenters led to Japan's violent Noto earthquake on New Year's Day
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The 7.5- magnitude earthquake beneath Japan's Noto Peninsula on Jan. 1, 2024, occurred when a 'dual-initiation mechanism' applied enough energy from two different locations to break through a fault barrier -- an area that locks two sides of a fault in place and absorbs the energy of fault movement, slowing it down or stopping it altogether.
Published Bioengineers develop lotus leaf-inspired system to advance study of cancer cell clusters
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Bioengineers have harnessed the lotus effect to develop a system for culturing cancer cell clusters that can shed light on hard-to-study tumor properties. The new zinc oxide-based culturing surface mimics the lotus leaf surface structure, providing a highly tunable platform for the high-throughput generation of three-dimensional nanoscale tumor models.
Published Strength training activates cellular waste disposal
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The elimination of damaged cell components is essential for the maintenance of the body's tissues and organs. An international research team has made significant findings on mechanisms for the clearing of cellular wastes, showing that strength training activates such mechanisms. The findings could form the basis for new therapies for heart failure and nerve diseases, and even afford benefits for manned space missions.
Published NASA's DART impact permanently changed the shape and orbit of asteroid moon
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study provides insights on the geophysics behind asteroid formation and evolution.
Published Innovative field experiments shed light on biological clocks in nature
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study has used a series of innovative field experiments to show how plants combine circadian clock signals with environmental cues under naturally fluctuating conditions.
Published Chlamydia can settle in the intestine
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Chlamydiae are sexually transmitted pathogens that can apparently survive in the human gut for a long time.
Published Toward a code-breaking quantum computer
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Building on a landmark algorithm, researchers propose a way to make a smaller and more noise-tolerant quantum factoring circuit for cryptography.
Published Colorful traits in primates ease tensions between groups
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Primate ornamentation plays a crucial role in communication not only within social groups but also between them, according to a new study. The research reveals that the males of species with overlapping home ranges often display vibrant colors or elaborate features, traits that may help reduce intergroup aggression by enabling quick assessments of potential rivals.
Published Life after (feigned) death
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study has revealed what animals do after they have feigned death in order to avoid being killed by a predator and what the context of this behavior is.
Published Mitochondria are flinging their DNA into our brain cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study finds that mitochondria in our brain cells frequently fling their DNA into the cells' nucleus, where the mitochondrial DNA integrates into chromosomes, possibly causing harm.
Published Revealing DNA behavior in record time
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Studying how single DNA molecules behave helps us to better understand genetic disorders and design better drugs. Until now however, examining DNA molecules one-by-one was a slow process. Biophysicists have developed a technique that speeds up screening of individual DNA molecules at least a thousand times. With this technology, they can measure millions of DNA molecules within a week instead of years to decades.
Published Creature the size of a dust grain found hiding in California's Mono Lake
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Mono Lake is a beautiful but harsh environment, its salty and arsenic-laced water home to brine shrimp, alkali flies and little else. Scientists recently discovered an unsuspected resident, however, a microscopic creature -- a choanoflagelatte -- that forms colonies that harbor their own unique bacterial microbiomes. The creature, part of the sister group to all animals, could shed light on the evolution of animals' intimate interactions with bacteria and the rise of multicellular life.
Published Engineers design lookalike drug carrier to evade lung's lines of defense
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Managing hard-to-treat respiratory illnesses like asthma and pulmonary fibrosis just got easier if a new drug-carrying molecule is as sneaky as its inventors think.
Published T cells manipulate the memory of innate immune cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Research reveals that T cells from the adaptive immune system can manipulate the memory of innate immune cells. Previously, it was believed that the memory of innate immune cells operated independently. This surprising connection opens up new possibilities for the treatment of various diseases. A mouse model shows that no immunosuppressive drugs are needed after an organ transplantation if this interaction between T cells and the innate immunity is temporarily blocked after the transplantation.
Published Fighting coastal erosion with electricity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research has systematically demonstrated that a mild zap of electricity can strengthen a marine coastline for generations -- greatly reducing the threat of erosion in the face of climate change and rising sea levels. The new process forms natural cement between grains of sand, transforming it into solid, immoveable rock. Mollusks use a similar process to turn naturally occurring minerals into shells.
Published DNA tech offers both data storage and computing functions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have demonstrated a technology capable of a suite of data storage and computing functions -- repeatedly storing, retrieving, computing, erasing or rewriting data -- that uses DNA rather than conventional electronics. Previous DNA data storage and computing technologies could complete some but not all of these tasks.
Published Will EEG be able to read your dreams? The future of the brain activity measure as it marks 100 years
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source One hundred years after the human brain's electrical activity was first recorded, experts are celebrating the legacy of its discovery and sharing their predictions and priorities for its future. A survey saw respondents -- with 6,685 years of collective experience -- presented with possible future developments for EEG, ranging from those deemed 'critical to progress' to the 'highly improbable,' and asked to estimate how long it might be before they were achieved.
Published Tarantulas have surprising partnerships with other species and their hairiness may be a defense mechanism
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study reveals that tarantulas are often on friendly terms with amphibians, reptiles, and even army ants, which are known to feed on spiders. The researchers suggest that the dense hair covering tarantulas may have in fact evolved as a defense mechanism against these predatory ants.
Published From pets to pests: How domestic rabbits survive the wilderness
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source How do rabbits go from fluffy pets to marauding invaders? Rabbits have colonized countries worldwide, often with dire economic and ecological consequences, but their secret has until now been a mystery. Biologists sequenced the genomes of nearly 300 rabbits from across three continents to unveil the key genetic changes that make these animals master colonizers.