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Categories: Biology: Biotechnology, Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published New tool enables faster, more cost-effective genome editing of traits to improve agriculture sustainability
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research had the goal of reducing the time and cost it takes to bring an improved crop to the marketplace to improve agriculture sustainability.
Published Unlocking the world of bacteria
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Bacteria possess unique traits with great potential for benefiting society. However, current genetic engineering methods to harness these advantages are limited to a small fraction of bacterial species. A team has now introduced a novel approach that can make many more bacteria amenable to genetic engineering. Their method, called IMPRINT, uses cell-free systems to enhance DNA transformation across various bacterial strains.
Published Almonds, pottery, wood help date famed Kyrenia shipwreck
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have identified the likeliest timeline of the famous Hellenistic-era Kyrenia shipwreck, discovered and recovered off the north coast of Cyprus in the 1960s.
Published The on-and-off affair in DNA
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered that in thale cresses histone H3 lysine-9 (H3K9) methylation, conventionally thought to be a mark of turning off gene transcription, can also turn on gene expression via the interactions of two other proteins and histone marks. The molecular mechanisms demonstrate that rather than functioning as a simple 'off switch,' H3K9 methylation is more like a 'dimmer switch' that fine-tunes DNA transcription. The discovery suggests there might be similar mechanisms in other organisms, too.
Published Shocked quartz reveals evidence of historical cosmic airburst
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers continue to expand the case for the Younger Dryas Impact hypothesis. The idea proposes that a fragmented comet smashed into the Earth's atmosphere 12,800 years ago, causing a widespread climatic shift that, among other things, led to the abrupt reversal of the Earth's warming trend and into an anomalous near-glacial period called the Younger Dryas.
Published Slipping a note to a neighbor: The cellular way
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Study reveals how drug molecules bind in channels between neighboring cells, changing intercellular communication.
Published Towards non-toxic antifouling agents: A novel method for total synthesis of scabrolide F
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Norcembranolide diterpenes, isolated from the soft corals of the genus Sinularia, are important compounds for the development of new drugs, owing to their diverse biological activities. However, total synthesis methods for these compounds are scarce. Now, a team of researchers has achieved the total synthesis of scabrolide F, a norcembranolide diterpene. They also revealed its non-toxic antifouling properties. This novel method can lead to the development of new drugs and antifouling agents.
Published Rewriting the armadillo family tree: A new species, plus a name change for the state mammal of Texas
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The nine-banded armadillo, which ranges all the way from Argentina to Nebraska, is actually four separate species. One of the species, the Guianan long-nosed armadillo, is new to science. Meanwhile, the species that has migrated from Mexico to the United States (and is the official small mammal of Texas) is now called the Mexican long-nosed armadillo.
Published Zebrafish reveal how bioelectricity shapes muscle development
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research describes how nerve cells and muscle cells communicate through electrical signals during development -- a phenomenon known as bioelectricity. The communication, which takes place via specialized channels between cells, is vital for proper development and behavior. The study identifies specific genes that control the process, and pins down what happens when it goes wrong. The finding offers clues to the genetic origins of muscle disorders in humans.
Published Discovery of vast sex differences in cellular activity has major implications for disease treatment
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The study reveals vast differences in gene activity within the mitochondria of males compared to females. This is the first study to test effects of all 37 genes in the mitochondrial genome -- genes that copepods and humans share. The study found that males demonstrate more activity across all protein-coding mitochondrial genes than females. Although the study looks at tiny marine organisms called copepods, the findings have weighty implications for human medicine.
Published Removal of excess chloride ions by plants when subjected to salt stress
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered a salt adaptation mechanism in plants that facilitates chloride removal from the roots and enhancing salinity tolerance. A research team has uncovered a novel mechanism of plant adaptation to salt stress involving the NaCl-induced translocation of a specific chloride channel protein, AtCLCf.
Published How cells boost gene expression
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The function of non-coding RNA in the cell has long been a mystery to researchers. Unlike coding RNA, non-coding RNA does not produce proteins -- yet it exists in large quantities. A research team has now discovered an important function of antisense RNA (asRNA): the researchers found that asRNA acts as a 'superhighway' in cell transport and thus accelerates gene expression.
Published Study challenges popular idea that Easter islanders committed 'ecocide'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Some 1,000 years ago, a small band of Polynesians sailed thousands of miles across the Pacific to settle one of the world's most isolated places -- a small, previously uninhabited island they named Rapa Nui. Eventually, their numbers ballooned to unsustainable levels, they wrecked the environment, and their civilization collapsed. At least that is the longtime story, told in academic studies and popular books. A new study challenges this narrative of 'ecocide' saying that Rapa Nui's population never spiraled to unsustainable levels.
Published How to make aging a 'fairer game' for all wormkind
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered a new fundamental mechanism governing the rules of ageing in worms. The researchers were able to manipulate the mechanism through genetic interventions which dramatically extend not just the lifespan of the worms, but also their health-span. In other words, trading weak, frail old age with vigorous golden years -- all without altering their diet, environment or other external factors.
Published New study finds dinosaur fossils did not inspire the mythological griffin
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source For centuries, scientists thought they knew where the griffin legend came from. A new study takes a closer look at the data and folklore's influence on science.
Published Newly discovered dinosaur boasts big, blade-like horns
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new dinosaur has been identified and named. The dinosaur's name, Lokiceratops rangiformis, translates roughly to 'Loki's horned face that looks like a caribou.'
Published Odors are encoded in rings in the brain of migratory locusts
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers describe how odors are encoded in the antennal lobe, the olfactory center in the brain of migratory locusts. Using transgenic locusts and imaging techniques, the researchers were able to show a ring-shaped representation of odors in the brain. The pattern of olfactory coding in the antennal lobe is the same at all stages of locust development. A better understanding of olfactory coding in the locust brain should help to learn more about how the behavior of these insects is controlled, especially their swarming.
Published The world's oldest wine discovered
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A white wine over 2,000 years old, of Andalusian origin, is the oldest wine ever discovered.
Published Where to put head and tail?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Formation of the body axes is a critical part of embryonic development. They guarantee that all body parts end up where they belong and that no ears grow on our backs. The head-tail axis, for example, determines the orientation of the two ends of the body. It was previously assumed that this axis is largely determined by the interplay between the Nodal and BMP signals. However, there appears to be another player in this system, as researchers have now discovered by using an embryo-like model system they developed. In the absence of BMP, the signalling molecule beta-catenin takes on the role of the Nodal antagonist. This new mechanism could be a flexible solution for axis formation in embryos with different shapes.
Published Ancient polar sea reptile fossil is oldest ever found in Southern Hemisphere
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team of scientists has identified the oldest fossil of a sea-going reptile from the Southern Hemisphere -- a nothosaur vertebra found on New Zealand's South Island. 246 million years ago, at the beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs, New Zealand was located on the southern polar coast of a vast super-ocean called Panthalassa. 'The nothosaur found in New Zealand is over 40 million years older than the previously oldest known sauropterygian fossils from the Southern Hemisphere.