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Categories: Biology: Biochemistry, Environmental: Water
Published Research sheds light on new strategy to treat infertility
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research describes the science behind a promising technique to treat infertility by turning a skin cell into an egg that is capable of producing viable embryos. The technique could be used by women of advanced maternal age or for those who are unable to produce viable eggs due to previous treatment for cancer or other causes. It also raises the possibility of men in same-sex relationships having children who are genetically related to both parents.
Published New study discovers how altered protein folding drives multicellular evolution
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered a mechanism steering the evolution of multicellular life. They identified how altered protein folding drives multicellular evolution.
Published Mutation solves a century-old mystery in meiosis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team deciphers complicated mechanism underlying genetic diversity.
Published Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source For the first time, scientists have developed artificial nucleotides, the building blocks of DNA, with several additional properties in the laboratory.
Published Researchers open new leads in anti-HIV drug development, using a compound found in nature
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of researchers has successfully modified a naturally occurring chemical compound in the lab, resulting in advanced lead compounds with anti-HIV activity.
Published Reptile roadkill reveals new threat to endangered lizard species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The chance sighting of a dead snake beside a sandy track in remote Western Australia, and the investigation of its stomach contents, has led researchers to record the first known instance of a spotted mulga snake consuming a pygmy spiny-tailed skink, raising concerns for a similar-looking, endangered lizard species.
Published The role of machine learning and computer vision in Imageomics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new field promises to usher in a new era of using machine learning and computer vision to tackle small and large-scale questions about the biology of organisms around the globe.
Published New technique may help scientists stave off coral reef collapse
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Producing coral skeleton components in the easy-to-use soft-bodied sea anemone Nematostella creates a perfect lab system for studying, and eventually helping, corals threatened by a changing climate.
Published Vitamin A may play a central role in stem cell biology and wound repair
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Retinoic acid, the active state of Vitamin A, appears to regulate how stem cells enter and exit a transient state central to their role in wound repair.
Published Rock weathering and climate: Low-relief mountain ranges are largest carbon sinks
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source For many hundreds of millions of years, the average temperature at the surface of the Earth has varied by not much more than 20 degrees Celsius, facilitating life on our planet. To maintain such stable temperatures, Earth appears to have a 'thermostat' that regulates the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide over geological timescales, influencing global temperatures. The erosion and weathering of rocks are important parts of this 'thermostat.'
Published How does a virus hijack insect sperm to control disease vectors and pests?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A widespread bacteria called Wolbachia and a virus that it carries can cause sterility in male insects by hijacking their sperm, preventing them from fertilizing eggs of females that do not have the same combination of bacteria and virus. A new study has uncovered how this microbial combination manipulates sperm, which could lead to refined techniques to control populations of agricultural pests and insects that carry diseases like Zika and dengue to humans.
Published The Malaria parasite generates genetic diversity using an evolutionary 'copy-paste' tactic
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source All modern Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite in humans, are descendants of one initial infection and so are very closely related, with relatively limited genetic differences. A long-standing mystery in the field has revolved around a very few locations in the P. falciparum genome where there are 'spikes' of mutations -- far more than anywhere else. Researchers have identified two genes in which these unusual mutation spikes result from DNA being copied and pasted from one gene to another.
Published First atom-level structure of packaged viral genome reveals new properties, dynamics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A computational model of the more than 26 million atoms in a DNA-packed viral capsid expands our understanding of virus structure and DNA dynamics, insights that could provide new research avenues and drug targets researchers report.
Published Pinging pipes could help to identify lead water lines without excavation
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A recent study showed that it is possible to discern the composition of a buried pipe by striking an accessible portion of it and monitoring the sound waves that reach the surface. This method could help water utility companies verify the location of lead water lines without having to break ground.
Published Cracking epigenetic inheritance: Biologists discovered the secrets of how gene traits are passed on
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team has recently made a significant breakthrough in understanding how the DNA copying machine helps pass on epigenetic information to maintain gene traits at each cell division. Understanding how this coupled mechanism could lead to new treatments for cancer and other epigenetic diseases by targeting specific changes in gene activity.
Published What makes a pathogen antibiotic-resistant?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In a comparative study, researchers describe how two notable pathogens -- Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumannii -- employ distinctly different tools to fend off antibiotic attack by two different drugs.
Published The sweet stuff: How insects tell sugars apart
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Whereas humans have one receptor on their tongues that can detect all sorts of sweet things, from real sugar to artificial sweeteners like aspartame, insects have many receptors that each detect specific types of sugars. Researchers have now uncovered one way insect receptors are able to be so selective, an insight they say will help us understand how animals decipher the chemical world and how we might mimic that ability in the future.
Published Revealing a hidden threat: Researchers show viral infections pose early heart risks
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In a potentially game-changing development, scientists have revealed a new understanding of sometimes fatal viral infections that affect the heart. Traditionally, the focus has been on heart inflammation known as myocarditis, which is often triggered by the body's immune response to a viral infection. However, a new study sheds new light on this notion, revealing that the virus itself creates potentially dangerous conditions in the heart before inflammation sets in.
Published Microbes impact coral bleaching susceptibility
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study provides insights into the role of microbes and their interaction as drivers of interspecific differences in coral thermal bleaching.
Published Understanding wind and water at the equator key to more accurate future climate projections
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Getting climate models to mimic real-time observations when it comes to warming is critical -- small discrepancies can lead to misunderstandings about the rate of global warming as the climate changes. A new study that when modeling warming trends in the Pacific Ocean, there is still a missing piece to the modeling puzzle: the effect of wind on ocean currents in the equatorial Pacific.