Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

AI system self-organizes to develop features of brains of complex organisms      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have shown that placing physical constraints on an artificially-intelligent system -- in much the same way that the human brain has to develop and operate within physical and biological constraints -- allows it to develop features of the brains of complex organisms in order to solve tasks.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: General
Published

New approaches in the fight against drug resistance in malaria      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Malaria is one of the most widespread and deadly infectious diseases worldwide. New compounds are continuously required due to the risk of malaria parasites becoming resistant to the medicines currently used. A team of researchers has now combined the anti-malaria drug artemisinin with coumarin, which, like artemisinin, is also found in plants, and developed an auto-fluorescent compound from both bioactive substances.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Published

AI: Researchers develop automatic text recognition for ancient cuneiform tablets      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new artificial intelligence (AI) software is now able to decipher difficult-to-read texts on cuneiform tablets. Instead of photos, the AI system uses 3D models of the tablets, delivering significantly more reliable results than previous methods. This makes it possible to search through the contents of multiple tablets to compare them with each other. It also paves the way for entirely new research questions.  

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Zoology Ecology: Nature Geoscience: Geography
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Scientists have solved the damselfly color mystery      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For over 20 years, a research team has studied the common bluetail damselfly. Females occur in three different color forms -- one with a male-like appearance, something that protects them from mating harassment. In a new study, an international research team found that this genetic color variation that is shared between several species arose through changes in a specific genomic region at least five million years ago.

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

Heart repair via neuroimmune crosstalk      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Unlike humans, zebrafish can completely regenerate their hearts after injury. They owe this ability to the interaction between their nervous and immune systems, as researchers now report.

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

New method to help with analysis of single cell data      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

CITE-seq (cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes) is an RNA sequencing-based method that simultaneously quantifies cell surface protein and transcriptomic data within a single cell readout. The ability to study cells concurrently offers unprecedented insights into new cell types, disease states or other conditions.   While CITE-seq solves the problem of detecting a limited number of proteins while using single-cell sequencing in an unbiased way, one of its limitations is the high levels of background noise that can hinder analysis.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Sea Life
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Rediscovery of rare marine amoeba Rhabdamoeba marina      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have rediscovered and successfully cultivating Rhabdamoeba marina -- a rare marine amoeba that has only been reported in two cases in the past century. Using this culture strain, they performed a comprehensive analysis of its genetic sequence, revealing for the first time the phylogenetic position of this enigmatic amoeba, and proposed a novel taxonomic classification based on their research findings.

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

Genomic tug of war could boost cancer therapy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered a 'genomic tug of war' in animal studies that could influence how well certain patients -- or certain cancers -- respond to decitabine, a drug used to treat myelodysplastic syndromes that is plagued by drug resistance issues. For the first time, researchers show that decitabine causes coding and non-coding regions of DNA to engage in a tug of war for a gene activator, called H2A.Z. Typically, deticabine draws this gene activator away from coding DNA, causing gene expression to grind to a halt and cells to die. However, many types of cancer have very high levels of H2A.Z, which may help them overcome this decitabine-induced tug of war, allowing the cancer to grow.

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

How cell identity is preserved when cells divide      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new theoretical model helps explain how epigenetic memories, encoded in chemical modifications of chromatin, are passed from generation to generation.  Within each cell's nucleus, researchers suggest, the 3D folding patterns of its genome determines which parts of the genome will be marked by these chemical modifications.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Much more than waste: Tiny vesicles exchange genetic information between cells in the sea      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers take a look at data that has so far been mostly discarded as contamination, revealing the previously underestimated role of extracellular vesicles (EVs). These are important for the exchange of genetic information between cells and thus for the microbial community in the sea.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General
Published

The mind's eye of a neural network system      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new tool, based on topology, makes finding the areas where neural networks are confused as simple as spotting mountaintops from an airplane. The ability to spot and address those areas of confusion should enable more confident application of neural networks in high-stakes decision scenarios or image prediction tasks like healthcare and research.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Animals Geoscience: Geochemistry
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More than meows: How bacteria help cats communicate      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Many mammals, from domestic cats and dogs to giant pandas, use scent to communicate with each other. A new study shows how domestic cats send signals to each other using odors derived from families of bacteria living in their anal glands. 

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Realistic talking faces created from only an audio clip and a person's photo      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of researchers has developed a computer program that creates realistic videos that reflect the facial expressions and head movements of the person speaking, only requiring an audio clip and a face photo.   DIverse yet Realistic Facial Animations, or DIRFA, is an artificial intelligence-based program that takes audio and a photo and produces a 3D video showing the person demonstrating realistic and consistent facial animations synchronised with the spoken audio (see videos).

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Use it or lose it: New robotic system assesses mobility after stroke      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability worldwide. Each year more than 15 million people worldwide have strokes, and three-quarters of stroke survivors will experience impairment, weakness and paralysis in their arms and hands. Many stroke survivors rely on their stronger arm to complete daily tasks, from carrying groceries to combing their hair, even when the weaker arm has the potential to improve.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
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How bacteria recognize viral invasion and activate immune defenses      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Bacteria have an array of strategies to counter viral invasion, but how they first spot a stranger in their midst has long been a mystery.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Microbiology
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Visualizing 'traffic jams' inside living cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have unveiled a groundbreaking approach to label-free visualization of intracellular cargo trafficking in living cells, achieving high-speed and limitless observation capabilities. By developing a cargo-localization interferometric scattering (CL-iSCAT) microscope, scientists meticulously tracked the intricate movements of numerous cargos in the bustling cellular world. Surprisingly, cells employ human-like strategies to manage their transport challenges.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
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Novel C. diff structures are required for infection, offer new therapeutic targets      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Newly discovered iron storage 'ferrosomes' inside the bacterium C. diff -- the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections -- are important for infection in an animal model and could offer new targets for antibacterial drugs. They also represent a rare demonstration of a membrane-bound structure inside a pathogenic bacterium, upsetting the biological dogma that bacteria do not contain organelles. 

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research
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This 3D printer can watch itself fabricate objects      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineers have developed a high-throughput, multimaterial 3D inkjet printer that uses computer vision to rapidly and automatically control the amount of material being deposited during the printing process in real time. This enables the use of a wide range of materials for fabrication.