Biology: Developmental
Published

New study challenges our understanding of the immune system      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have created a radical new view of how immune cells recognise threats such as viruses. The discovery could be used to design better vaccines and to gain a deeper insight into autoimmune diseases and allergies.

Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

New insights into cellular 'bridges' shed light on development, disease      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Most cells in the bodies of living things duplicate their contents and physically separate into new cells through the process of cell division. But across many species, germ cells, those that become eggs or sperm, don't fully separate. They remain interconnected through small bridges called ring canals and cluster together. In a new study, researchers uncover how it is that germ cells in fruit flies form these ring canals, a finding that they say will provide new insights into a widely shared feature of development and into diseases in which cell division is disrupted.

Computer Science: Encryption Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published

New breakthrough enables perfectly secure digital communications      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have achieved a breakthrough to enable 'perfectly secure' hidden communications for the first time. The method uses new advances in information theory methods to conceal one piece of content inside another in a way that cannot be detected. This may have strong implications for information security, besides further applications in data compression and storage.

Biology: Botany Biology: Developmental Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature
Published

An internal thermometer tells the seeds when to germinate      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Germination is a crucial stage in the life of a plant as it will leave the stage of seed resistant to various environmental constraints (climatic conditions, absence of nutritive elements, etc.) to become a seedling much more vulnerable. The survival of the young plant depends on the timing of this transition. It is therefore essential that this stage be finely controlled. Botanists have now discovered the internal thermometer of seeds that can delay or even block germination if temperatures are too high for the future seedling. This work could help optimize plant growth in a context of global warming.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Phage attacks shown in new light      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New methodology and tools provide an opportunity to watch in unprecedented detail as a phage attacks a bacterium.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

Rhythmic eating pattern preserves fruit fly muscle function under obese conditions      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Obese fruit flies are the experimental subjects in a study of the causes of muscle function decline due to obesity. In humans, skeletal muscle plays a crucial role in metabolism, and muscle dysfunction due to human obesity can lead to insulin resistance and reduced energy levels.

Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology
Published

Illuminating the evolution of social parasite ants      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The findings offer a new way to understand how some ants become total layabouts.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Biology: Zoology
Published

Fluorescent protein sheds light on bee brains      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An international team of bee researchers has integrated a calcium sensor into honey bees to enable the study of neural information processing including response to odors. This also provides insights into how social behavior is located in the brain.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Molecular
Published

Researchers bioengineer an endocrine pancreas for type 1 diabetes      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists recently developed an efficient way to transplant pancreatic islets and demonstrated that the method can effectively reverse type 1 diabetes in nonhuman primates.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Microbiology
Published

Pseudomonas aeruginosa Bacteria produce a molecule that paralyzes immune system cells      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have discovered a strong immunological effect of the molecule LecB -- and a way to prevent it.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

New study unveils epigenetic 'traffic lights' controlling stop and go for gene activity      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A major new study reveals a 'traffic light' mechanism controlling genetic activity within cells -- a system which could potentially be targeted by cancer drugs already in development. The research describes how 'epigenetic' changes to the structure of DNA can act as a stop-go signal in determining whether a gene should be read. Unlike our genetic make-up, which is well understood, the world of epigenetics is still largely unexplored and referred to as the 'dark matter' of the genome.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

Cells avoid multitasking      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Textbooks will tell you that in dividing cells, production of new DNA peaks during the S-phase, while production of other macromolecules, such as proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides, continues at more or less the same level. Molecular biologists have now discovered that this is not true: protein synthesis shows two peaks and lipid synthesis peaks once.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Successful cure of HIV infection after stem cell transplantation, study suggests      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for the treatment of severe blood cancers is the only medical intervention that has cured two people living with HIV in the past. An international group of physicians and researchers has now identified another case in which HIV infection has been shown to be cured in the same way. The successful healing process of this third patient was for the first time characterized in great detail virologically and immunologically over a time span of ten years.

Biology: Developmental
Published

Using the power of artificial intelligence, new open-source tool simplifies animal behavior analysis      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A team has developed a new software tool to help researchers across the life sciences more efficiently analyze animal behaviors.

Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Marine Biology: Molecular Ecology: Sea Life
Published

Single gene causes sea anemone's stinging cell to lose its sting      (via sciencedaily.com) 

When scientists disabled a single regulatory gene in a species of sea anemone, a stinging cell that shoots a venomous miniature harpoon for hunting and self-defense shifted to shoot a sticky thread that entangles prey instead, according to a new study.

Biology: Developmental
Published

Rewiring blood cells to give rise to precursors of sperm      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists transform blood cells to regain a flexible fate, growing into a precursor of sperm cells.

Biology: Developmental Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Animals
Published

First stem cells from a bat species known to harbor SARS-CoV-2 could shed light on virus survival and molecular adaptability      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have generated the first induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from bats, gaining valuable insights into the close relationship between bats and viruses.

Biology: Developmental
Published

Scientists make stunning discovery, find new protein activity in telomeres      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers made the stunning discovery that telomeres contain genetic information to produce two small proteins, one of which they found is elevated in some human cancer cells, as well as cells from patients suffering from telomere-related defects.

Biology: Developmental Mathematics: General Mathematics: Modeling
Published

AI analyzes cell movement under the microscope      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Using artificial intelligence (AI), researchers can now follow cell movement across time and space. The method could be very helpful for developing more effective cancer medications.