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

Dual action antibiotic could make bacterial resistance nearly impossible      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New drug that disrupts two cellular targets would make it much harder for bacteria to evolve resistance.

Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Fruit fly post-mating behavior controlled by male-derived peptide via command neurons, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have succeeded in pinpointing the neurons within a female fruit fly's brain that respond to signals from the male during mating.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Researchers enhance tool to better predict where and when wildfires will occur      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A newly enhanced database is expected to help wildfire managers and scientists better predict where and when wildfires may occur by incorporating hundreds of additional factors that impact the ignition and spread of fire.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Controlling mosquito populations through genetic breeding      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have found a new way to identify genetic targets useful for control of mosquito populations, potentially offering an alternative to insecticides. Their study focused on the genetic basis of species incompatibility. They crossed Ae. aegypti, a major global arboviral disease vector, and its sibling species, Ae. mascarensis, from the Indian Ocean. When offspring is crossed back with one parent, about 10 percent of the progeny becomes intersex and is unable to reproduce.

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

Transient structure in fly leg holds clue to insect shape formation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A little leg may reveal something big about how closely related insect species can drastically differ in body shape, according to a new study. The team imaged live cells of fruit flies in the last stages of development over several days and found a new structure that appears to help guide a section of the leg into its final shape.

Computer Science: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Severe Weather Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Scientists use AI to predict a wildfire's next move      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a new model that combines generative AI and satellite data to accurately forecast wildfire spread.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

New dawn for space storm alerts could help shield Earth's tech      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Space storms could soon be forecasted with greater accuracy than ever before thanks to a big leap forward in our understanding of exactly when a violent solar eruption may hit Earth. Scientists say it is now possible to predict the precise speed a coronal mass ejection (CME) is travelling at and when it will smash into our planet -- even before it has fully erupted from the Sun.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology
Published

Ancient viruses fuel modern-day cancers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The human genome is filled with flecks of DNA left behind by viruses that infected primate ancestors tens of millions of years ago. Scientists used to think they were harmless, but new research shows that, when reawakened, they help cancer survive and thrive.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Researchers predict fewer, pricier strawberries as temperatures warm      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Strawberries could be fewer and more expensive because of higher temperatures caused by climate change, according to new research.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

Genome recording makes living cells their own historians      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Genomes can now be used to store information about a variety of transient biological events inside of living cells, as they happen, like a flight recorder collecting data from an aircraft. The method, called ENGRAM, aims to turn cells into their own historians. ENGRAM couples each kind of biological signal or event inside a cell to a symbolic barcode. This new strategy traces and archives the type and timing of biological signals inside the cell by inserting this information into the genome. For example, this record-keeping can track the commands that turn genes on or off.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

Weather experts discover new effect of storm -- in a teacup      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study reveals that Storm Ciaran cut an invisible path of mayhem across southern Britain last autumn, destroying any possibility that 20 million people could have a proper cup of tea at breakfast. The storm's record-breaking low pressure meant the boiling point of water was below the crucial 100 degrees Celsius required for a decent cuppa.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Ancient microbes offer clues to how complex life evolved      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered that a single-celled organism, a close relative of animals, harbors the remnants of ancient giant viruses woven into its own genetic code. This finding sheds light on how complex organisms may have acquired some of their genes and highlights the dynamic interplay between viruses and their hosts.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics
Published

Big boost for new epigenetics paradigm: CoRSIVs, first discovered in humans, now found in cattle      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study opens new possibilities to improve production efficiency in the cattle industry and potentially animal agriculture more broadly.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Molecular
Published

New ways to study spinal cord malformations in embryos      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have successfully created mechanical force sensors directly in the developing brains and spinal cords of chicken embryos, which they hope will improve understanding and prevention of birth malformations such as spina bifida.

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

Opening the right doors: 'Jumping gene' control mechanisms revealed      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

International joint research led by Akihisa Osakabe and Yoshimasa Takizawa of the University of Tokyo has clarified the molecular mechanisms in thale cresses (Arabidopsis thaliana) by which the DDM1 (Decreased in DNA Methylation 1) protein prevents the transcription of 'jumping genes.' DDM1 makes 'jumping genes' more accessible for transcription-suppressing chemical marks to be deposited. Because a variant of this protein exists in humans, the discovery provides insight into genetic conditions caused by such 'jumping gene' mutations.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

First ever 3D reconstruction of 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth chromosomes thanks to serendipitously freeze-dried skin      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international research team has assembled the genome and 3D chromosomal structures of a 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth -- the first time such a feat has been achieved for any ancient DNA sample. The fossilized chromosomes, which are around a million times longer than most ancient DNA fragments, provide insight into how the mammoth's genome was organized within its living cells and which genes were active within the skin tissue from which the DNA was extracted. This unprecedented level of structural detail was retained because the mammoth underwent freeze-drying shortly after it died, which meant that its DNA was preserved in a glass-like state.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Planted mangroves' ability to store carbon      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Ecologists have published new findings on how planted mangroves can store up to 70% of carbon stock to that found in intact stands after only 20 years.