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Categories: Biology: Cell Biology, Energy: Technology
Published Fruit fly testes offer potential tool against harmful insects
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A way to curb nagging insects has been flying under our radar -- an enzyme from fruit fly testes. The compound could control bugs that carry disease and harm crops by stunting their ability to procreate, researchers have found.
Published Exceptionally large transverse thermoelectric effect produced by combining thermoelectric and magnetic materials
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team has demonstrated that a simple stack of thermoelectric and magnetic material layers can exhibit a substantially larger transverse thermoelectric effect -- energy conversion between electric and heat currents that flow orthogonally to each other within it -- than existing magnetic materials capable of exhibiting the anomalous Nernst effect. This mechanism may be used to develop new types of thermoelectric devices useful in energy harvesting and heat flux sensing.
Published New viruses that could cause epidemics on the horizon
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Suddenly they appear and -- like the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus -- can trigger major epidemics: Viruses that nobody had on their radar. They are not really new, but they have changed genetically. In particular, the exchange of genetic material between different virus species can lead to the sudden emergence of threatening pathogens with significantly altered characteristics.
Published Like dad and like mum ... all in one plant
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have established a system to generate clonal sex cells in tomato plants and used them to design the genomes of offspring. The fertilization of a clonal egg from one parent by a clonal sperm from another parent led to plants containing the complete genetic information of both parents.
Published New molecule mimics the anti-clotting action of blood-sucking organisms
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Nature gave ticks, mosquitoes and leaches a quick-acting way to keep blood from clotting while they extract their meal from a host. Now the key to that method has been harnessed by a team of researchers as a potential anti-clotting agent that could be used as an alternative to heparin during angioplasty, dialysis care, surgeries and other procedures.
Published Research on centromere structure yields new insights into the mechanisms of chromosome segregation errors
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have made a surprising new discovery in the structure of the centromere, a structure that is involved in ensuring that chromosomes are segregated properly when a cell divides. Mistakes in chromosome segregation can lead to cell death and cancer development. The researchers discovered that the centromere consists of two subdomains. This fundamental finding has important implications for the process of chromosome segregation and provides new mechanisms underlying erroneous divisions in cancer cells. The research was published in Cell on May 13th 2024.
Published Hide and seek between atoms: Find the dopant
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Collaborative efforts decode the mechanism behind stabilizing cathode doping in electric vehicle batteries.
Published How do genetically identical water fleas develop into male or female?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have used a novel combination of short-read and long-read RNA sequencing to identify the different isoforms of genes expressed in the crustacean Daphnia magna. Males and females are genetically identical, but using this technique the team revealed genes that switch the predominant isoform in a male-female-dependent manner. This study may help further advance technologies in crustacean aquaculture.
Published Nature's 3D printer: Bristle worms form bristles piece by piece
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Molecular biologists provide exciting insights into the bristles of the marine annelid worm Platynereis dumerilii. Specialized cells, so-called chaetoblasts, control the formation of the bristles. Their mode of operation is astonishingly similar to that of a technical 3D printer.
Published Research shows that 'softer' proteins can cross into the nucleus quicker
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered that how soft or rigid proteins are in certain regions can dictate how fast or slow they enter the nucleus.
Published Cellular activity hints that recycling is in our DNA
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Introns are perhaps one of our genome's biggest mysteries. They are DNA sequences that interrupt the sensible protein-coding information in your genes, and need to be 'spliced out.'
Published Research explores ways to mitigate the environmental toxicity of ubiquitous silver nanoparticles
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have taken a key step toward closing the silver nanoparticles knowledge gap with a study that indicates the particles' shape and surface chemistry play key roles in how they affect aquatic ecosystems.
Published Scientists unlock key to breeding 'carbon gobbling' plants with a major appetite
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The discovery of how a critical enzyme 'hidden in nature's blueprint' works sheds new light on how cells control key processes in carbon fixation, a process fundamental for life on Earth. The discovery could help engineer climate resilient crops capable of sucking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere more efficiently, helping to produce more food in the process.
Published New light shed on carboxysomes in key discovery that could boost photosynthesis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team has discovered how carboxysomes, carbon-fixing structures found in some bacteria and algae, work. The breakthrough could help scientists redesign and repurpose the structures to enable plants to convert sunlight into more energy, paving the way for improved photosynthesis efficiency, potentially increasing the global food supply and mitigating global warming.
Published Transforming common soft magnets into a next-generation thermoelectric conversion materials by 3 minutes heat treatment
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team has demonstrated that an iron-based amorphous alloy, widely used as a soft magnetic material in transformers and motors, can be transformed into a 'transverse' thermoelectric conversion material that converts electric and thermal currents in orthogonal directions, with just a short period of heat treatment. This is the first example that highlights the importance of microstructure engineering in the development of transverse thermoelectric conversion materials, and provides new design guidelines for materials development to realize environmentally friendly power generation and thermal management technologies using magnetic materials.
Published GPS-like system shows promise as HIV vaccine strategy to elicit critical antibodies
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team has developed a vaccine approach that works like a GPS, guiding the immune system through the specific steps to make broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV.
Published New Rhizobia-diatom symbiosis solves long-standing marine mystery
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have discovered a new partnership between a marine diatom and a bacterium that can account for a large share of nitrogen fixation in vast regions of the ocean. The newly-discovered bacterial symbiont is closely related to the nitrogen-fixing Rhizobia which live in partnership with many crop plants and may open up new avenues to engineer nitrogen-fixing plants.
Published High school student helps transform 'crazy idea' into innovative research tool
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A 'crazy idea' hatched during a walk in the woods and first tested by a high school student is now an innovative research tool used by scientists worldwide to predict neurotransmitters in fruit fly connectomes.
Published New sex-determining mechanism in African butterfly discovered
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In a study of a species of African butterfly, researchers have discovered a previously undescribed molecular mechanism of how the sex of an embryo is initially specified.
Published Fluidic systems resembling blood vascular tissues: Artificial blood vessels and biomedicine
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Nature has consistently inspired engineering applications. Recently, a group of researchers drew new inspirations from the vascular network and developed a new type of fluidic system named VasFluidics.