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Categories: Biology: Developmental, Paleontology: Climate
Published Then vs. now: Did the Horn of Africa reach a drought tipping point 11,700 years ago?



If climate models predict that much of tropical Africa will become wetter with a warming climate, then why does it keep getting drier in the Horn of Africa?
Published The 'unknome': A database of human genes we know almost nothing about



Researchers hope that a new, publicly available database they have created will shrink, not grow, over time. That's because it is a compendium of the thousands of understudied proteins encoded by genes in the human genome, whose existence is known but whose functions are mostly not.
Published Mineralization of bone matrix regulates tumor cell growth



Tumor cells are known to be fickle sleeper agents, often lying dormant in distant tissues for years before reactivating and forming metastasis. Numerous factors have been studied to understand why the activation occurs, from cells and molecules to other components in the so-called tissue microenvironment.
Published Astonishing complexity of bacterial circadian clocks



Bacteria make up more than 10% of all living things but until recently we had little realization that, as in humans, soil bacteria have internal clocks that synchronize their activities with the 24-hour cycles of day and night on Earth. New research shows just how complex and sophisticated these bacterial circadian clocks are, clearing the way for an exciting new phase of study.
Published Parasites of viruses drive superbug evolution



Researchers have discovered a previously unknown mechanism by which bacteria share their genetic material through virus parasites. The insights could help scientists to better understand how bacteria rapidly adapt and evolve, and how they become more virulent and resistant to antibiotics.
Published Invasion of the Arctic Ocean by Atlantic plankton species reveals a seasonally ice-free ocean during the last interglacial



A subpolar species associated with Atlantic water expanded far into the Arctic Ocean during the Last Interglacial, analysis of microfossil content of sediment cores reveals. This implies that summers in the Arctic were ice free during this period.
Published Study finds a surprising new role for a major immune regulator



The immune regulatory protein STING has a previously unknown function: acting as an ion channel that allows protons to leak into cells. This discovery makes it the first human immune sensor that can translate danger signals into ion flow.
Published DNA tilts and stretches underlie differences in mutation rates across genomes



Researchers have changed the way to look at DNA. They show that DNA is much more than a linear sequence of building blocks; it has a 3D structure that influences the variation of human genome-wide mutation rates meaningfully and consistently, and this is likely conserved among species.
Published Past climate warming driven by hydrothermal vents



An international drilling expedition off the Norwegian coast confirms the theory that methane emissions from hydrothermal vents were responsible for global warming about 55 million years ago. The study shows that the vents were active in very shallow water depth or even above sea level, which would have allowed much larger amounts of methane to enter the atmosphere.
Published Nature's kitchen: how a chemical reaction used by cooks helped create life on Earth



A chemical process used in the browning of food to give it its distinct smell and taste is probably happening deep in the oceans, where it helped create the conditions necessary for life. Known as the Maillard reaction after the French scientist who discovered it, the process converts small molecules of organic carbon into bigger molecules known as polymers. In the kitchen, it is used to create flavors and aromas out of sugars. But a research team argues that on the sea floor, the process has had a more fundamental effect, where it has helped to raise oxygen and reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, to create the conditions for complex life forms to emerge and thrive on Earth.
Published Scientists develop gene-editing technology that eliminates EV-A71 RNA viruses



A team of scientists has made an important breakthrough in the fight against RNA viruses that cause human diseases and pandemics.
Published Organoids revolutionize research on respiratory infections



In a breakthrough for bioengineering, researchers have developed organoids that can model the human respiratory tract. The organoids, called AirGels, allow them to uncover the mechanism by which antibiotic-resistant pathogens like Pseudomonas aeruginosa infect the respiratory tract.
Published North Atlantic Oscillation contributes to 'cold blob' in Atlantic Ocean



A patch of ocean in the North Atlantic is stubbornly cooling while much of the planet warms. This anomaly -- dubbed the 'cold blob' -- has been linked to changes in ocean circulation, but a new study found changes in large-scale atmospheric patterns may play an equally important role, according to an international research team.
Published How flies develop sight: Scientists use single-cell sequencing to identify cell types in the visual system



Researchers have discovered new cell types in the visual system of flies, made possible by their creation of a tool that finds and labels neurons during development. The study combines single-cell sequencing data with a novel algorithm to identify pairs of genes that point to previously unknown cells in the brains of fruit flies.
Published Insolation affected ice age climate dynamics



In past ice ages, the intensity of summer insolation affected the emergence of warm and cold periods and played an important role in triggering abrupt climate changes, a study by climate researchers, geoscientists, and environmental physicists suggests. Using stalagmites in the European Alps, they were able to demonstrate that warm phases appeared primarily when the summer insolation reached maxima in the Northern Hemisphere.
Published Scientists discover secret of virgin birth, and switch on the ability in female flies



Scientists have pinpointed a genetic cause for virgin birth for the first time, and once switched on the ability is passed down through generations of females.
Published Cell biology: How cellular powerhouses call for help when under stress



Originally, the powerhouses of higher cells, the mitochondria, were independent organisms. Researchers have investigated to what extent their metabolism has blended with that of their host cells in the course of evolution, using the example of a mitochondrial stress response. They have discovered that mitochondria send two different biochemical signals. These are processed together in the cell and trigger a support mechanism to restore cellular balance (homeostasis).
Published Alternative cellular 'fuels' boost immunity



A metabolic by-product that is more prevalent during fasting may supercharge immune cells as they fight infection and disease, reports an early stage study. The findings may pave the way for future personalized dietary recommendations to augment treatments for infection, cancer and other diseases.
Published Bees and wasps use the same architectural solutions to join large hexagons to small hexagons



Bees and wasps have converged on the same architectural solutions to nest-building problems, according to new research.
Published Researchers develop 'in vivo' RNA-based gene editing model for blood disorders



In a step forward in the development of genetic medicines, researchers have developed a proof-of-concept model for delivering gene editing tools to treat blood disorders, allowing for the modification of diseased blood cells directly within the body. If translated into the clinic, this approach could expand access and reduce the cost of gene therapies for blood disorders, many of which currently require patients receive chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant.