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Categories: Archaeology: General, Biology: Biotechnology
Published Researchers develop first method to study microRNA activity in single cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed the first method to uncover the tasks that microRNAs perform in single cells. This is a huge improvement over existing state-of-the-art methods that require millions of cells and will for the first time allow researchers to study microRNAs in complex tissues such as brains.
Published New study reveals a long history of violence in ancient hunter-gatherer societies
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Violence was a consistent part of life among ancient communities of hunter-gatherers, according to a new study that looked for signs of trauma on 10,000-year-old skeletal remains from burial sites in northern Chile.
Published Split gene-editing tool offers greater precision
(via sciencedaily.com) To make a gene-editing tool more precise and easier to control, engineers split it into two pieces that only come back together when a third molecule is added.
Published Unzipping mRNA rallies plant cells to fight infection
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Living things from plants to humans must constantly adjust the chemical soup of proteins -- the workhorse molecules of life -- inside their cells to adapt to stress or changing conditions. Now, researchers have identified a previously unknown molecular mechanism that helps explain how they do it. A team now reveals hairpin-like structures of mRNA that, by zipping and unzipping, help cells change the mix of proteins they produce when under stress.
Published Ritual use of human remains dating from the Neolithic
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international study has documented post-mortem bone modifications not linked to consumption.
Published Ancient Amazonians intentionally created fertile 'dark earth'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study suggests patches of fertile soil in the Amazon, known as dark earth, were intentionally produced by ancient Amazonians as a way to improve the soil and sustain large and complex societies.
Published Archaeologists discover world's oldest wooden structure
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Half a million years ago, earlier than was previously thought possible, humans were building structures made of wood, according to new research.
Published Genetically modifying individual cells in animals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a method that lets them genetically modify each cell differently in animals. This allows them to study in a single experiment what used to require many animal experiments. Using the new method, the researchers have discovered genes that are relevant for a severe rare genetic disorder.
Published Sometimes beneficial, sometimes damaging: The double role of the enzyme chameau
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Biologists have discovered why an enzyme is important for the survival of fruit flies, even though it can shorten their lives under certain conditions.
Published Spider silk is spun by silkworms for the first time, offering a green alternative to synthetic fibers
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists have synthesized spider silk from genetically modified silkworms, producing fibers six times tougher than the Kevlar used in bulletproof vests. The study is the first to successfully produce full-length spider silk proteins using silkworms. The findings demonstrate a technique that could be used to manufacture an environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic commercial fibers such as nylon.
Published Fast-track strain engineering for speedy biomanufacturing
(via sciencedaily.com) Using engineered microbes as microscopic factories has given the world steady sources of life-saving drugs, revolutionized the food industry, and allowed us to make sustainable versions of valuable chemicals previously made from petroleum. But behind each biomanufactured product on the market today is the investment of years of work and many millions of dollars in research and development funding. Scientists want to help the burgeoning industry reach new heights by accelerating and streamlining the process of engineering microbes to produce important compounds with commercial-ready efficiency.
Published Tiny sea creatures reveal the ancient origins of neurons
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study sheds new light on the origins of modern brain cells. Researchers find evidence that specialized secretory cells found in placozoans, tiny sea creatures the size of a grain of sand, have many similarities to the neuron, such as the genes required to create a partial synapse. From an evolutionary point of view, early neurons might have started as something like these cells, eventually gaining the ability to create a complete synapse, form axons and dendrites and create ion channels that generate fast electrical signals -- innovations which gave rise to the neuron in more complex animals such as jellyfish. Though the complete story of how the first neuron appeared remains to be told, the study demonstrates that the basic building blocks for our brain cells were forming in the ancestors of placozoans grazing inconspicuously in the shallow seas of Earth around 800 million years ago.
Published RNA for the first time recovered from an extinct species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study shows the isolation and sequencing of more than a century-old RNA molecules from a Tasmanian tiger specimen preserved at room temperature in a museum collection. This resulted in the reconstruction of skin and skeletal muscle transcriptomes from an extinct species for the first time. The researchers note that their findings have relevant implications for international efforts to resurrect extinct species, including both the Tasmanian tiger and the woolly mammoth, as well as for studying pandemic RNA viruses.
Published Buried ancient Roman glass formed substance with modern applications
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers discover how molecules in ancient glass rearrange and recombine with minerals over centuries to form a patina of photonic crystals -- ordered arrangements of atoms that filter and reflect light in very specific ways -- an analog of materials used in communications, lasers and solar cells.
Published Tracking down the formation of cardenolides in plants
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists are investigating the previously largely unknown biosynthetic pathway that leads to the formation of cardenolides in plants. In a new study, they present two enzymes from the CYP87A family as key enzymes that catalyze the formation of pregnenolone, the precursor for the biosynthesis of plant steroids, in two different plant families. The discovery of such enzymes should help to develop platforms for the cheap and sustainable production of high quality steroid compounds for medical use.
Published Genome editing: Reducing off-target mutations in DNA
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a novel genome editing technique known as NICER, which results in significantly fewer off-target mutations than CRISPR/Cas9 editing. The technique uses a different type of enzyme that makes single-stranded 'nicks' in the DNA. Repair of these nicks is more efficient and accurate than repair of double-strand breaks caused by the current CRISPR/Cas9 editing. This technique represents a novel approach for the treatment of genetic diseases caused by heterozygous mutations.
Published Genetically modified bacteria break down plastics in saltwater
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have genetically engineered a marine microorganism to break down plastic in salt water. Specifically, the modified organism can break down polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a plastic used in everything from water bottles to clothing that is a significant contributor to microplastic pollution in oceans.
Published Specialized gut immune cells pinpointed that can limit progression of inflammatory bowel disease
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have characterized a specialized type of immune cell, which plays a key role in protecting and repairing the cells in the healthy human gut.
Published Researchers discover tissue-specific protection against protein aggregation
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have identified a backup mechanism of protein quality control which prevents the toxic effects of protein aggregation in specific tissues when normal methods of molecular monitoring fail. By understanding how different tissues tackle protein build up, this research could accelerate the identification of ways to protect tissues that are vulnerable to protein build up, possibly tackling both disease-associated protein aggregates and also age-dependent aggregates that accelerate the functional decline of tissues.
Published How just one set of animal tracks can provide a wealth of information
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Rock faces in Namibia are decorated with hundreds of stone-age images not only of animals and human footprints, but also of animal tracks. These have been largely neglected to date as researchers lacked the knowledge required to interpret them. Archaeologists have now worked together with animal tracking experts to investigate the engraved animal tracks on six rock faces in more detail, and were able to determine detailed information on the species, age, sex, limbs, side of the body, trackway and relative direction of the tracks.