Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General
Published

Seeing the unseen: How butterflies can help scientists detect cancer      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

There are many creatures on our planet with more advanced senses than humans. Turtles can sense Earth's magnetic field. Mantis shrimp can detect polarized light. Elephants can hear much lower frequencies than humans can. Butterflies can perceive a broader range of colors, including ultraviolet (UV) light.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology
Published

Viral impostors: Breakthrough for virus research      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The penetration of viruses into cells can now be tracked with unprecedented accuracy thanks to an innovative design for pseudoviruses.

Anthropology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals
Published

New secrets about cat evolution revealed      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

By comparing genomes of several cat species, the project has helped researchers understand why cat genomes tend to have fewer complex genetic variations (such as rearrangements of DNA segments) than other mammal groups, like primates. It also revealed new insights into which parts of cat DNA are most likely to evolve rapidly and how they play a role in species differentiation.

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

New antibiotic approach proves promising against lyme bacterium      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using a technique that has shown promise in targeting cancer tumors, a team has found a way to deploy a molecular warhead that can annihilate the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Rats have an imagination, new research suggests      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a novel system to probe a rat's thoughts, finding that animals can control their brain activity to imagine remote locations.  

Biology: Biochemistry Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Chimpanzees use hilltops to conduct reconnaissance on rival groups, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Research on neighboring chimpanzee communities in the forests of West Africa suggests a warfare tactic not previously seen beyond humans is regularly used by our closest evolutionary relatives.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

To restore ecosystems, think about thwarting hungry herbivores      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Re-establishing plantings of trees, grasses and other vegetation is essential for restoring degraded ecosystems, but a new survey of almost 2,600 restoration projects from nearly every type of ecosystem on Earth finds that most projects fail to recognize and control one of the new plants' chief threats: hungry critters that eat plants.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Ecology: Animals
Published

Research outlines how sex differences have evolved      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have shown that sex differences in animals vary dramatically across species, organs and developmental stages, and evolve quickly at the gene level but slowly at the cell type level.

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

A known environmental hazard can change the epigenetics of cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of researchers has discovered that formaldehyde, a widely spread pollutant and common metabolite in our body, interferes in the epigenetic programming of the cell. This finding expands the knowledge of formaldehyde, previously considered only as a DNA mutagen, and helps establishing a further link with cancer.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Black holes are messy eaters      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New observations down to light-year scale of the gas flows around a supermassive black hole have successfully detected dense gas inflows and shown that only a small portion (about 3 percent) of the gas flowing towards the black hole is eaten by the black hole. The remainder is ejected and recycled back into the host galaxy.

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

Research connecting gut bacteria and oxytocin provides a new mechanism for microbiome-promoted health benefits      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers found that the hormone oxytocin, known to be involved in regulating feeding and social behavior and until now to be produced mostly in the brain, is also produced in the human intestine. Furthermore, gut resident bacteria L. reuteri can affect the production of gut-made oxytocin, providing the first insights into a mechanism by which these bacteria can influence human health.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology
Published

Observation of a virus attaching to another virus      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

'Satellite' viruses must be in proximity to their 'helper' virus to replicate, but this research reports the first documented case of a satellite virus attaching itself to its helper virus. Out of 50 observed helpers, 40 had a satellite bound. Bioinformatic analysis of the satellite and helper viruses' genomes provides clues as to why the satellite may have evolved to attach to the helper, and suggests this pair may have been co-evolving for about 100 million years.

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

Immunology: Dysfunction of mitochondria drives the exhaustion of T cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In the immune system's fight against cancer and infections, the T cells often lose their power. Now immunologists may have found a possible explanation for this phenomenon.

Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Researchers find gravitational lensing has significant effect on cosmic birefringence      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Future missions will be able to find signatures of violating the parity-symmetry in the cosmic microwave background polarization more accurately after a pair of researchers has managed to take into account the gravitational lensing effect, reports a new study.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology
Published

New antibodies neutralize resistant bacteria      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Broadly neutralizing antibodies are already being used to fight viruses. This approach could also help to treat infections with multi-resistant bacteria in the future.

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

New study sheds light on the molecular mechanisms underlying lipid recycling within cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Our understanding of how cells recycle lipids through autophagy -- a form of cellular degradation -- has grown significantly, thanks to a recent study. Using yeast as a model organism, the researchers explored the molecular mechanisms leading to the degradation of the phospholipid bilayers making up the cell membranes. Their findings improve our understanding of cellular degradation processes and related metabolic disorders.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Exploding stars      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

When massive stars or other stellar objects explode in the Earth's cosmic neighborhood, ejected debris can also reach our solar system. Traces of such events are found on Earth or the Moon and can be detected using accelerator mass spectrometry, or AMS for short.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General
Published

Making gluten-free, sorghum-based beers easier to brew and enjoy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Though beer is a popular drink worldwide, it's usually made from barley, which leaves those with a gluten allergy or intolerance unable to enjoy the frothy beverage. Sorghum, a naturally gluten-free grain, could be an alternative, but complex preparation steps have hampered its widespread adoption by brewers. Now, researchers reporting the molecular basis behind sorghum brewing have uncovered an enzyme that could improve the future of sorghum-based beers.