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

Scientists create special 'telomouse' with human-like telomeres      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers introduce the 'Telomouse'. By making a subtle genetic alteration in standard lab mice, they've made the mouse telomeres, which protect the chromosome ends, more closely resemble those in humans. The Telomouse model, developed by incorporating a genetic variation from a mouse species with naturally shorter telomeres, provides a valuable resource for in-depth aging and cancer research. This discovery promises to reveal new insights into the genetics of aging and may contribute to enhanced longevity and well-being.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Ecology: Animals Ecology: Invasive Species
Published

Two bee species become one as researchers solve identity puzzle      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study has found that what were thought to be two different species of native Australian bee are in fact one.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General
Published

How to protect biocatalysts from oxygen      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

There are high hopes for hydrogen as the key to the energy transition. A specific enzyme group found in algae and in bacteria can produce molecular hydrogen simply by catalyzing protons and electrons. However, the enzyme group is so sensitive to oxygen that commercial use of the hydrogen produced by this process as a green energy source is not yet possible. Researchers have now increased the oxygen stability of a hydrogen-producing enzyme by genetically generated channel blockages.

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

Intestinal bacteria metabolite promotes capture of antigens by dendritic cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Dendritic cells are immune cells that capture and present antigens to T cells, activating an immune response. Researchers have discovered that short-chain fatty acids produced by intestinal bacteria regulate a crucial step in this process, the extension of dendritic 'arms.' This breakthrough finding could potentially lead to the development of disease prevention strategies involving beneficial bacteria and new drugs targeting the regulation of dendritic cell function.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Biochemistry Physics: Optics
Published

Controlling organoids with light      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Organoids help researchers understand biological processes in health and in disease. It is, however, difficult to influence the way in which they organize themselves into complex tissues. Now a group has found a new way to do so.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals
Published

Evolutionary chance made this bat a specialist hunter      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

It is generally believed that, for millions of years, bats and the insects they hunt at night have adapted to each other in an evolutionary arms race to become better at finding or avoiding each other. Now, a new study shows that this may not be the case at all.

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

Researchers solve protein mystery      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have uncovered that proteins use a common chemical label as a shield to protect them from degradation, which in turn affects motility and aging.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Genetic methods enable the use of fossil lipids as biomarkers for oxygen-producing primordial bacteria      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Cyanobacteria are a key species in Earth's history, as they introduced atmospheric oxygen for the first time. The analysis of their evolution therefore provides important insights into the formation of modern aerobic ecosystems. For a long time, a certain type of fossil lipid, so-called 2-methylhopanes, was considered to be an important biomarker for Cyanobacteria in sediments, some of which are hundreds of millions of years old. However, this came into doubt when it turned out that not only Cyanobacteria but also Alphaproteobacteria are genetically capable of producing these lipids.

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

Mammalian cells may consume bacteria-killing viruses to promote cellular health      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Bacteriophages, also called phages, are viruses that infect and kill bacteria, their natural hosts. But from a macromolecular viewpoint, phages can be viewed as nutritionally enriched packets of nucleotides wrapped in an amino acid shell. A study suggests that mammalian cells internalize phages as a resource to promote cellular growth and survival.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Ecology: Animals
Published

Researcher finds proof of menopause in wild chimpanzees      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of researchers studying the Ngogo community of wild chimpanzees in western Uganda's Kibale National Park for two decades has published a report showing that females in this population can experience menopause and post-reproductive survival.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Ecology: Animals
Published

Fruit, nectar, bugs and blood: How bat teeth and jaws evolved for a diverse dinnertime      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Noctilionoid bat species evolved wildly different faces as they adapted to exploit diverse food sources -- including insects, fruit, nectar, blood and fish. New research shows that those adaptations include dramatic, but also consistent, modifications to tooth number, size, shape and position.

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

Cutting-edge imaging sheds new light on cells that break down bone      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Imaging technology shows that bone-resorbing osteoclasts gather in distinct pockets, leading to new insights for osteoporosis and cancer treatment.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Discovery of three novel minorisa species, the smallest predatory marine picoplankton      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have made a significant discovery by identifying and characterizing three novel species within the Minorisa genus of marine picoplankton. Before this study, only one species of Minorisa was recognized. This finding reveals previously unseen diversity of Minorisa, thereby enhancing species identification and our understanding of its ecological functions in marine ecosystems.  

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

Membrane transporter ensures mobility of sperm cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Special proteins -- known as membrane transporters -- are key to the mobility of sperm cells. A research team has, with the aid of cryo-electron microscopy, succeeded in decoding the structure of such a transporter and its mechanism. These findings will enable a better understanding of the molecular foundations of reproductive capacity and could, in the long term, contribute to developing new approaches to treating fertility disorders and new methods of specific contraception.

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

Uranus aurora discovery offers clues to habitable icy worlds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers confirm the existence of an infrared (IR) aurora on Uranus. This could help astronomers identify exoplanets that might support life, a large number of which are icy worlds.

Biology: Biochemistry
Published

CBD and CBG may promote bone fracture healing, manage pain      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG) might someday help bone fracture patients manage their pain, according to a new study. In a study in mice, the researchers unexpectedly found that the cannabinoids also promoted fracture healing.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Analysis finds diversity on the smallest scales in sulfur-cycling salt marsh microbes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have discovered that even among the sulfur-cycling microbes that are responsible for the 'rotten egg gas' smell in salt marsh air, diversity extends all the way to genomes and even to individual nucleotides.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Venus had Earth-like plate tectonics billions of years ago, study suggests      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Venus, may have once had tectonic plate movements similar to those believed to have occurred on early Earth, a new study found. The finding sets up tantalizing scenarios regarding the possibility of early life on Venus, its evolutionary past and the history of the solar system.

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

Deep learning speeds up galactic calculations      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Supernovae, exploding stars, play a critical role in the formation and evolution of galaxies. However, key aspects of them are notoriously difficult to simulate accurately in reasonably short amounts of time. For the first time, a team of researchers apply deep learning to the problem of supernova simulation. Their approach can speed up the simulation of supernovae, and therefore of galaxy formation and evolution as well. These simulations include the evolution of the chemistry which led to life.