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Categories: Biology: Developmental, Paleontology: Fossils
Published LSH genes associated with defining the shapes of stems, flowers and leaves required for N-fixing root nodules
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The developmental regulators that confer the identity of N-fixing root nodules belong to a transcription factor family (LSH) more commonly associated with defining the shapes of stems, flowers and leaves.
Published Did dementia exist in ancient Greek and Rome?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Did the ancient Greeks and Romans experience Alzheimer's? Medical texts from 2,500 years ago rarely mention severe memory loss, suggesting today's widespread dementia stems from modern environments and lifestyles, a new analysis shows.
Published Using computers to design proteins allows researchers to make tunable hydrogels that can form both inside and outside of cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research demonstrates a new class of hydrogels that can form not just outside cells, but also inside of them. These hydrogels exhibited similar mechanical properties both inside and outside of cells, providing researchers with a new tool to group proteins together inside of cells.
Published Scientists pinpoint growth of brain's cerebellum as key to evolution of bird flight
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Evolutionary biologists report they have combined PET scans of modern pigeons along with studies of dinosaur fossils to help answer an enduring question in biology: How did the brains of birds evolve to enable them to fly?
Published DNA particles that mimic viruses hold promise as vaccines
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Using a DNA-based delivery particle, researchers created a vaccine that can induce a strong antibody response against SARS-CoV-2.
Published 'Genomic time machine' reveals secrets of our DNA
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers reveal a novel method to uncover bits of our genetic blueprint that come from ancient genetic parasites, offering fresh insights into human evolution and health.
Published How did humans learn to walk? New evolutionary study offers an earful
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study, which centers on evidence from skulls of a 6-million-year-old fossil ape, Lufengpithecus, offers important clues about the origins of bipedal locomotion courtesy of a novel method: analyzing its bony inner ear region using three-dimensional CT-scanning. The inner ear appears to provide a unique record of the evolutionary history of ape locomotion.
Published How macrophages regulate regenerative healing in spiny mice
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of researchers is delving deeper into the science behind how spiny mice can regenerate lost tissue and using what they learn to trigger regeneration in other types of mice -- advances which one day may be translated into humans. Whereas adult laboratory mice heal injuries with scar tissue, spiny mice have the unique ability to regrow lost skin and regenerate musculoskeletal tissues in their body.
Published Cellular scaffolding rewired to make microscopic railways
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers were able to control the growth of thin, branching networks that support cellular structure and help cells function. The networks, called microtubules, can exert force and precisely transport chemicals at a subcellular level.
Published Researchers pinpoint most likely source of HIV rebound infection
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Antiretroviral therapy (ART) does an excellent job at suppressing HIV to undetectable levels in the blood. However, small amounts of latent virus hide throughout the body, and when treatment is stopped, it opens the door for the virus to rebound. Researchers identified which tissues SIV, the nonhuman primate version of HIV, reemerges from first, just seven days after ART is stopped.
Published World's first successful embryo transfer in rhinos paves the way for saving the northern white rhinos from extinction
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have succeeded in achieving the world's first pregnancy of a rhinoceros after an embryo transfer. The southern white rhino embryo was produced in vitro from collected egg cells and sperm and transferred into a southern white rhino surrogate mother at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya on September 24, 2023. The BioRescue team confirmed a pregnancy of 70 days with a well-developed 6.4 cm long male embryo. The successful embryo transfer and pregnancy are a proof of concept and allow to now safely move to the transfer of northern white rhino embryos -- a cornerstone in the mission to save the northern white rhino from extinction.
Published DNA from preserved feces reveals ancient Japanese gut environment
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source DNA from ancient feces can offer archaeologists new clues about the life and health of Japanese people who lived thousands of years ago, according to a new study.
Published Ancient brown bear genomes sheds light on Ice Age losses and survival
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The brown bear is one of the largest living terrestrial carnivores, and is widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere. Unlike many other large carnivores that went extinct at the end of the last Ice Age (cave bear, sabretoothed cats, cave hyena), the brown bear is one of the lucky survivors that made it through to the present. The question has puzzled biologists for close to a century -- how was this so?
Published New tool reveals gene behavior in bacteria
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers showed that the way in which genes are turned on and off as bacteria grow provide clues to their regulation.
Published New pieces in the puzzle of first life on Earth
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Microorganisms were the first forms of life on our planet. The clues are written in 3.5 billion-year-old rocks by geochemical and morphological traces, such as chemical compounds or structures that these organisms left behind. However, it is still not clear when and where life originated on Earth and when a diversity of species developed in these early microbial communities. Evidence is scarce and often disputed. Now, researchers have uncovered key findings about the earliest forms of life. In rock samples from South Africa, they found evidence dating to around 3.42 billion years ago of an unprecedentedly diverse carbon cycle involving various microorganisms. This research shows that complex microbial communities already existed in the ecosystems during the Palaeoarchaean period.
Published Complex green organisms emerged a billion years ago
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Of all the organisms that photosynthesize, land plants have the most complex form. How did this morphology emerge? A team of scientists has taken a deep dive into the evolutionary history of morphological complexity in streptophytes, which include land plants and many green algae. Their research allowed them to go back in time to investigate lineages that emerged long before land plants existed.
Published Student discovers 200-million-year-old flying reptile
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Gliding winged-reptiles were amongst the ancient crocodile residents of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England, researchers at the have revealed.
Published The megalodon was less mega than previously believed
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study shows the Megalodon, a gigantic shark that went extinct 3.6 million years ago, was more slender than earlier studies suggested. This finding changes scientists' understanding of Megalodon behavior, ancient ocean life, and why the sharks went extinct.
Published DNA construction led to unexpected discovery of important cell function
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have used DNA origami, the art of folding DNA into desired structures, to show how an important cell receptor can be activated in a previously unknown way. The result opens new avenues for understanding how the Notch signalling pathway works and how it is involved in several serious diseases.
Published Why animals shrink over time explained with new evolution theory
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The new theoretical research proposes that animal size over time depends on two key ecological factors.