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Categories: Biology: Developmental, Paleontology: Climate
Published Studies reveal cell-by-cell changes caused when pig hearts and kidneys are transplanted into humans



Two new studies detail the changes seen at the single-cell level in pig organs and recipient human bodies before, during, and just after the xenotransplantation surgeries in the decedents.
Published New research reveals that prehistoric seafloor pockmarks off the California coast are maintained by powerful sediment flows



New research on a field of pockmarks -- large, circular depressions on the seafloor -- offshore of Central California has revealed that powerful sediment flows, not methane gas eruptions, maintain these prehistoric formations.
Published Diverse headgear in hoofed mammals evolved from common ancestor



From the small ossicones on a giraffe to the gigantic antlers of a male moose -- which can grow as wide as a car -- the headgear of ruminant hooved mammals is extremely diverse, and new research suggests that despite the physical differences, fundamental aspects of these bony adaptations likely evolved from a common ancestor.
Published New mechanisms behind antibiotic resistance



Two newly discovered mechanisms in bacteria have been identified that can contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance. Changing the number of copies of resistance genes in bacteria increases antibiotic resistance, and can do so very quickly. These two mechanisms, along with a third known mechanism, can occur independently of each other, even within the same bacterial cell.
Published Record low Antarctic sea ice 'extremely unlikely' without climate change



Scientists have found that the record-low levels of sea ice around Antarctica in 2023 were extremely unlikely to happen without the influence of climate change. This low was a one-in-a-2000-year event without climate change and four times more likely under its effects.
Published Chronic wasting disease unlikely to move from animals to people



A new study of prion diseases, using a human cerebral organoid model, suggests there is a substantial species barrier preventing transmission of chronic wasting disease (CWD) from cervids -- deer, elk and moose -- to people. The findings are consistent with decades of similar research in animal models.
Published Plants restrict use of 'Tipp-Ex proteins'



Plants have special corrective molecules at their disposal that can make retrospective modifications to copies of genes. However, it would appear that these 'Tipp-Ex proteins' do not have permission to work in all areas of the cell, only being used in chloroplasts and mitochondria. A study has now explained why this is the case. It suggests that the correction mechanism would otherwise modify copies that have nothing wrong with them, with fatal consequences for the cell.
Published Fruit fly wing research offers window into birth defects



If fruit fly wings do not develop into the right shape, the flies will die. Researchers have learned how fly embryo cells develop as they need to, opening a window into human development and possible treatments for birth defects.
Published Early arrival and expansion of palaeolithic people on Cyprus



The patterns of dispersal of early humans across continents and islands are hotly debated, but researchers have found that Pleistocene hunter-gatherers settled in Cyprus thousands of years earlier than previously thought. In examining the timing of the first human occupation of Cyprus, research found that large islands in the Mediterranean Sea were attractive and favorable destinations for palaeolithic peoples. These findings refute previous studies that suggested Mediterranean islands would have been unreachable and inhospitable for Pleistocene hunter-gatherer societies.
Published A new 'rule of biology' may have come to light, expanding insight into evolution and aging



A molecular biologist may have found a new 'rule of biology.' The rule challenges long-held notions that most living organisms prefer stability over instability because stability requires less energy and fewer resources.
Published Summers warm up faster than winters, fossil shells from Antwerp show



In a warmer climate, summers warm much faster than winters, according to research into fossil shells. With this knowledge we can better map the consequences of current global warming in the North Sea area.
Published Today's world: Fastest rate of carbon dioxide rise over the last 50,000 years



Today's rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide increase is 10 times faster than at any other point in the past 50,000 years, researchers have found through a detailed chemical analysis of ancient Antarctic ice.
Published Like dad and like mum ... all in one plant



Scientists have established a system to generate clonal sex cells in tomato plants and used them to design the genomes of offspring. The fertilization of a clonal egg from one parent by a clonal sperm from another parent led to plants containing the complete genetic information of both parents.
Published Research on centromere structure yields new insights into the mechanisms of chromosome segregation errors



Researchers have made a surprising new discovery in the structure of the centromere, a structure that is involved in ensuring that chromosomes are segregated properly when a cell divides. Mistakes in chromosome segregation can lead to cell death and cancer development. The researchers discovered that the centromere consists of two subdomains. This fundamental finding has important implications for the process of chromosome segregation and provides new mechanisms underlying erroneous divisions in cancer cells. The research was published in Cell on May 13th 2024.
Published Cellular activity hints that recycling is in our DNA



Introns are perhaps one of our genome's biggest mysteries. They are DNA sequences that interrupt the sensible protein-coding information in your genes, and need to be 'spliced out.'
Published New tool to boost battle against childhood undernutrition



The tool will help researchers better understand major challenges that afflict undernourished children, such as changes in cognitive development and higher infection rates.
Published New sex-determining mechanism in African butterfly discovered



In a study of a species of African butterfly, researchers have discovered a previously undescribed molecular mechanism of how the sex of an embryo is initially specified.
Published An epigenome editing toolkit to dissect the mechanisms of gene regulation



A recent study led to the development of a powerful epigenetic editing technology. The system unlocks the ability to precisely program chromatin modifications at any specific position in the genome, to understand their causal role in transcription regulation. This innovative approach will help to investigate the role of chromatin modifications in many biological processes, and to program desired gene activity responses, which may prove useful in disease settings.
Published Human activity is making it harder for scientists to interpret oceans' past



New research shows human activity is significantly altering the ways in which marine organisms are preserved, with lasting effects that can both improve and impair the fossil record.
Published It flickers, then it tips -- study identifies early warning signals for the end of the African humid period



Tipping points in the climate system can be the result of a slow but linear development. However, they can also be accompanied by a 'flickering', with two stable climatic states that alternate before a final transition occurs -- and the climate tips permanently.