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Categories: Biology: Biochemistry, Environmental: Wildfires

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Contrary to previous assumptions, nerve cells in the human neocortex are wired differently than in mice. The study found that human neurons communicate in one direction, while in mice, signals tend to flow in loops. This increases the efficiency and capacity of the human brain to process information. These discoveries could further the development of artificial neural networks.

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Researchers have identified a potential new treatment for persistent neurological symptoms of Lyme disease, commonly seen even after antibiotic use. The study found that fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitors, previously studied in cancer, significantly reduced inflammation and cell death in infected brain and nerve tissues.

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The annual influenza vaccine has become less effective on average over time. One reason may be reduced vaccine efficacy in people with obesity than those with a healthier body mass index (BMI), while the number of people with high BMI grows. Findings showed switching mice to a healthy diet four weeks before influenza vaccination protected 100% from a later flu exposure, despite still having a high BMI.

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Animal and plant populations have been extensively studied, which has helped to understand ecosystem processes and evolutionary adaptations. However, this has not been the case with microbial populations due to the impossibility of isolating, culturing and analyzing the genetic content of the different species and their individuals in the laboratory. Therefore, although it is known that populations of microorganisms include a great diversity, this remains largely uncharacterized.

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The origin of life continues to remain a matter of debate. The ribonucleic acid (RNA) world hypothesis proposes that 'ribozymes' which store genetic information and possess catalytic functions may have supported the activities of early life forms. Now, researchers explore how RNA elongation is regulated allosterically, shedding light on its impact on early life processes and offering insights into the fabrication of arbitrary RNA nanostructures with various modern applications.

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The rate at which human cells age is influenced by multiple interconnected factors. New research examined how restricting calories influences telomere length and biological aging.

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It's not a single pesticide or virus stressing honey bees, and affecting their health, but exposure to a complex web of multiple interacting stressors encountered while at work pollinating crops, found new research. Scientists have been unable to explain increasing colony mortality, even after decades of research examining the role of specific pesticides, parasitic mites, viruses or genetics. This led the research team to wonder if previous studies were missing something by focusing on one stressor at a time.

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The growing need for antibiotic-free products has challenged producers to decrease or completely stop using antimicrobials as feed supplements in the diet of broiler chickens to improve feed efficiency, growth rate and intestinal health. A research team conducted a study of natural feed additives that are promising alternatives to substitute for antimicrobial growth promoters.

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Researchers have discovered toxic protein particles, shaped like umbrellas, that soil bacteria known as Streptomyces secrete to squelch competitors in their crowded microbial communities, especially others of their own species. What makes these newly detected antibacterial toxins different is that, unlike the Streptomyces' small-molecule antibiotics, umbrella toxins are large complexes composed of multiple proteins. They are also far more specific in the bacteria they target. They tend to go after bacteria that form branching filaments, an usual growth pattern among bacteria. The scientists are intrigued by the potential clinical clinical applications of this discovery, because they suspect the pathogens that cause tuberculosis and diphtheria might be sensitive to umbrella toxins.

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Mountain chickadees have among the best spatial memory in the animal kingdom. New research identifies the genes at play and offers insight into how a shifting climate may impact the evolution of this unique skill.

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Trying to hit a target size before dividing seems like the best strategy for maintaining a precise cell size, but bacteria don't do that. Now we know why.

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Marine communities migrated to Antarctica during the Earth's warmest period in 66 million years long before a mass-extinction event.

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Using a pair of sensors made from carbon nanotubes, researchers discovered signals that help plants respond to stresses such as heat, light, or attack from insects or bacteria. Farmers could use these sensors to monitor threats to their crops, allowing them to intervene before the crops are lost.

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Researchers who captured footage of dog attacks on endangered mountain tapirs in Colombia are calling for action to protect threatened wildlife.

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Prolonged droughts followed by sudden bursts of rainfall -- how do desert soil bacteria manage to survive such harsh conditions? This long-debated question has now been answered by microbiologists. The study reveals that desert soil bacteria are highly adapted to survive the rapid environmental changes experienced with each rainfall event.

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While the electronic tongue bears little physical resemblance to its namesake, the strand-like sensory probes of the 'e-tongue' still outperformed human senses when detecting contaminated wine in a recent study. In a recent experiment, the e-tongue identified signs of microorganisms in white wine within a week after contamination -- four weeks before a human panel noticed the change in aroma. This was also before those microbes could be grown from the wine in a petri-dish. Winemakers traditionally rely on these two methods, sniffing the wine and petri-dish testing, to identify potential wine 'faults' or spoilage.

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During the unusually dry year of 2018, Sweden was hit by numerous forest fires. A research team has investigated how climate change affects recently burnt boreal forests and their ability to absorb carbon dioxide.

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Copper is a natural antimicrobial material that, when added to pig feed, may promote the growth and health of the animals. Since pigs can tolerate high levels of the metal, researchers recently investigated whether copper might be used to promote their gut health and reduce the shedding of microbes to the environment.

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Researchers have developed a powerful, new technique to generate 'movies' of changing protein structures and speeds of up to 50 frames per second.

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A mice study suggests a father's diet may shape the anxiety of his sons and the metabolic health of his daughters before they are even conceived.