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Categories: Biology: Biochemistry, Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published In clinical trial, fecal matter transplant helped half of patients with gastrointestinal cancers overcome resistance to immunotherapy treatment
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Findings from a small, proof-of-concept clinical trial have suggested that fecal microbiota transplants (FMTs) can boost the effectiveness of immunotherapy in a range of gastrointestinal cancers. In the study, six of 13 patients who had previously shown resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors benefited from receiving FMTs from donors who had previously responded to treatment. The investigators also identified specific strains of bacteria associated with better or worse responses to FMT and immune checkpoint drugs.
Published How a bacterium supports healing of chronic diabetic wounds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research shows that a certain bug, Alcaligenes faecalis (A. faecalis), can facilitate healing of hard-to-treat wounds among people with diabetes. While there are many studies done on potentially harmful bacteria in wounds, the researchers discovered that A. faecalis, a bacterium found in many types of chronic wounds, actually boosts healing of diabetic wounds. The researchers found that the beneficial bacterium can promote skin cell movements that are essential for wound closure by inhibiting enzymes that are over-produced in people with diabetes.
Published How evolution tamed a deadly virus and why we should still worry
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Over the last century, a once-deadly mosquito-borne virus has evolved so that it no longer sickens humans. New research shows that changes in the virus's ability to target human cells paralleled the decline in illness and death. The findings offer important lessons in virology that may help guide better preparedness for future outbreaks of other viral diseases.
Published It's got praying mantis eyes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The praying mantis is one of the few insects with compound eyes and the ability to perceive 3D space. Engineers are replicating their visual systems to make machines see better.
Published New groups of methane-producing organisms in Yellowstone
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The team verified that microbes found in Yellowstone National Park hot springs produce methane to grow.
Published Daily rhythms depend on receptor density in biological clock
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Tweaking the numbers of receptors in a key brain area changes the daily rhythms of rest and wake in mice.
Published Researchers are closing in on a mouse model for late-onset Alzheimer's
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers are working to create the first strain of mice that's genetically susceptible to late-onset Alzheimer's, with potentially transformative implications for dementia research.
Published Proof-of-concept study to find functional cure for HIV
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers conducted a breakthrough proof-of-concept study that found an HIV-like virus particle that could cease the need for lifelong medications.
Published The ocean is becoming too loud for oysters, research finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Baby oysters rely on natural acoustic cues to settle in specific environments, but new research reveals that noise from human activity is interfering with this critical process.
Published Researchers record images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have captured what they believe is the first ever video of a shark or any large marine animal being struck by a boat.
Published Mixed approach to reforestation better than planting or regeneration alone
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Reforestation in low- and middle-income countries can remove up to 10 times more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at lower cost than previously estimated, making it a potentially more effective option to fight climate change. Most current reforestation programs focus on tree planting alone, but the study estimates that nearly half of all suitable reforestation locations would be more effective at sequestering carbon if forests were allowed to grow back naturally.
Published Komodo dragons have iron-coated teeth to rip apart their prey
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have discovered that the serrated edges of Komodo dragons' teeth are tipped with iron. The study gives new insight into how Komodo dragons keep their teeth razor-sharp and may provide clues to how dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex killed and ate their prey.
Published Scientists assess how large dinosaurs could really get
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A study looks at the maximum possible sizes of dinosaurs, using the carnivore, Tyrannosaurus rex, as an example. Using computer modelling, experts produced estimates that T. Rex might have been 70% heavier than what the fossil evidence suggests.
Published Taco-shaped arthropod fossils gives new insights into the history of the first mandibulates
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Palaeontologists are helping resolve the evolution and ecology of Odaraia, a taco-shaped marine animal that lived during the Cambrian period. Fossils reveal Odaraia had mandibles. Palaeontologists are finally able to place it as belonging to the mandibulates, ending its long enigmatic classification among the arthropods since it was first discovered in the Burgess Shale over 100 years ago and revealing more about early evolution and diversification.
Published Hunter-gatherers kept an 'orderly home' in the earliest known British dwelling
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Archaeological evidence from the world-famous Mesolithic site of Star Carr in North Yorkshire has shown that hunter-gatherers likely kept an orderly home by creating 'zones' for particular domestic activities.
Published Fish adjust reproduction in response to predators
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Some species of fish can evolve their egg-laying habits in response to predators in the area in order to survive, according to new research.
Published The rhythm led by plants is crucial for symbiosis with nutrient-providing bacteria
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Recent research on Lotus japonicus, a model leguminous plant, has unveiled that the interaction between legume roots and rhizobia is characterized by periodic gene expression with a six-hour rhythm. This rhythmic gene expression influences the regions of the root susceptible to rhizobial infection and the distribution of nodules. It was also discovered that the plant hormone cytokinin is crucial for maintaining this gene expression rhythm.
Published Hundreds of new genome sequences fill gaps in the fruit fly tree of life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A multitude of new genomic sequence data fills major gaps in the fruit fly tree of life, researchers report.
Published Small animals acquire genes from bacteria that can produce antibiotics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A group of small, freshwater animals (bdelloid rotifers) protect themselves from infections using antibiotic recipes 'stolen' from bacteria, according to new research. This raises the potential that rotifers are producing novel antimicrobials that may be less toxic to animals, including humans, than those we develop from bacteria and fungi.
Published Minerals play newly discovered role in Earth's phosphorus cycle
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Plants and microbes are known to secrete enzymes to transform organic phosphorus into bioavailable inorganic phosphorus. Now, researchers found that iron oxide in soil performs the same transformation. Discovery is important for food security, which requires phosphorus as a crop fertilizer.