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Categories: Biology: Biochemistry, Space: Structures and Features
Published New pipeline makes valuable organic acid from plants -- saving money and emissions



In a breakthrough for environmentally friendly chemical production, researchers have developed an economical way to make succinic acid, an important industrial chemical, from sugarcane. The team has created a cost-effective, end-to-end pipeline for this valuable organic acid by engineering a tough, acid-tolerant yeast as the fermenting agent, avoiding costly steps in downstream processing. Succinic acid is a widely used additive for food and beverages and has diverse applications in agricultural and pharmaceutical products. This same pipeline can be used to produce other industrially important organic acids from crops rather than petroleum-based processes, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Published Bursts of star formation explain mysterious brightness at cosmic dawn



In the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) first images of the universe’s earliest galaxies, the young galaxies appear too bright, too massive and too mature to have formed so soon after the Big Bang. Using new simulations, a team of astrophysicists now has discovered that these galaxies likely are not so massive after all. Although a galaxy’s brightness is typically determined by its mass, the new findings suggest that less massive galaxies can glow just as brightly from irregular, brilliant bursts of star formation.
Published Gut bacteria found in wild wolves may be key to improving domestic dogs' health



Gut microbes found in wild wolves may be the key to alleviating a debilitating gastrointestinal condition common to domestic dogs.
Published When cells go boom: Study reveals inflammation-causing gene carried by millions



Researchers have found that a genetic change that increases the risk of inflammation, through a process described as ‘explosive’ cell death, is carried by up to 3% of the global population.
Published Metal-loving microbes could replace chemical processing of rare earths



Scientists have characterized the genome of a metal-loving bacteria with an affinity for rare earth elements. The research paves the way towards replacing the harsh chemical processing of these elements with a benign practice called biosorption.
Published Scientists identify evolutionary gateway helping pneumonia bacteria become resistant to antibiotics



An evolutionary gateway which helps pneumonia cells become resistant to antibiotics has been discovered.
Published How new plant cell walls change their mechanical properties after cell division



Scientists reveal new plant cell walls can have significantly different mechanical properties compared to surrounding parental cell walls, enabling cells to change their local shape and influence the growth of plant organs.
Published DNA from discarded whale bones suggests loss of genetic diversity due to commercial whaling



Commercial whaling in the 20th century decimated populations of large whales but also appears to have had a lasting impact on the genetic diversity of today’s surviving whales, new research shows.
Published Preventing spread of parasitic DNA in our genomes



Researchers have identified a new enzyme called PUCH, which plays a key role in preventing the spread of parasitic DNA in our genomes. These findings may reveal new insights into how our bodies detect and fight bacteria and viruses to prevent infections.
Published Swap red meat for Quorn protein to improve heart health and reduce waist circumference, study finds



People looking to reduce their cholesterol and trim fat from around their waist could try swapping meat for Quorn protein, according to the findings from a new study, which saw positive effects in both areas in just two weeks.
Published Pheromones influence death feigning behavior in beetles



In the natural world, predators play a significant role in shaping how animals defend themselves. A previously documented tactic called 'death feigning' involves prey insects faking death when targeted by predators. However, the impact of chemical substances called pheromones on death-feigning remains largely unexplored. A team of researchers recently found out how the aggregation pheromone 4,8-dimethyldecanal affects the death-feigning behavior of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum.
Published Water makes all the difference



Water is a major driving force in the formation of separate reaction compartments within cells.
Published Genetics of attraction: Mate choice in fruit flies



Genetic quality or genetic compatibility? What do female fruit flies prioritize when mating? Researchers show that both factors are important at different stages of the reproductive process and that females use targeted strategies to optimize the fitness of their offspring.
Published Colliding neutron stars provide a new way to measure the expansion of the Universe



In recent years, astronomy has seen itself in a bit of crisis: Although we know that the Universe expands, and although we know approximately how fast, the two primary ways to measure this expansion do not agree. Now astrophysicists suggest a novel method which may help resolve this tension.
Published A hygiene program for chromosomes



Researchers identified and characterized a new cellular compartment in vertebrate cells that might be a precursor of today's eucaryotic nucleus. The study reveals that mammalian cells recognize, cluster, sort and keep extrachromosomal DNA -- like transfected plasmid DNA and endogenous circular DNAs originating from telomeres of the chromosome -- away from chromosomal DNA. That suggests that there is a cell autonomous genome defense system.
Published Distributed workload in the fly brain



To distinguish motion patterns, a neuronal computation is performed three times in a row.
Published A more effective experimental design for engineering a cell into a new state



A new machine-learning approach helps scientists more efficiently identify the optimal intervention to achieve a certain outcome in a complex system, such as genome regulation, requiring far fewer experimental trials than other methods.
Published Researchers studied thousands of fertility attempts hoping to improve IVF



By genetically testing nearly one thousand embryos, scientists have provided the most detailed analysis of embryo fate following human in vitro fertilization.
Published Edges cause cilia to quickly synchronize their beating pattern



Border regions can cause cilia to coordinate their motion creating a unidirectional wave that is essential for biological functions. Scientists proposed a new model describing this synchronized pattern driven by the border region.
Published Small but mighty new gene editor



A new CRISPR-based gene-editing tool has been developed which could lead to better treatments for patients with genetic disorders. The tool is an enzyme, AsCas12f, which has been modified to offer the same effectiveness but at one-third the size of the Cas9 enzyme commonly used for gene editing. The compact size means that more of it can be packed into carrier viruses and delivered into living cells, making it more efficient.