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Published

New disease testing component facilitates lower-cost diagnostics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Biomedical researchers have developed a new, less expensive way to detect nuclease digestion -- one of the critical steps in many nucleic acid sensing applications, such as those used to identify COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

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First DNA study of ancient Eastern Arabians reveals malaria adaptation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

People living in ancient Eastern Arabia appear to have developed resistance to malaria following the appearance of agriculture in the region around five thousand years ago.

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Published

Low-Temperature Plasma used to remove E. coli from hydroponically grown crops      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a new study, a team sterilized a hydroponic nutrient solution using low-temperature plasma generated from electricity and the oxygen in the atmosphere. This new sterilization technique may allow farmers to grow crops without the use of chemical pesticides, representing an important advance in agricultural technology for sustainable crop production.

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Published

New discovery shows how cells defend themselves during stressful situations      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A recent study has unveiled an exciting discovery about how our cells defend themselves during stressful situations. The research shows that a tiny modification in the genetic material, called ac4C, acts as a crucial defender, helping cells create protective storage units known as stress granules. These stress granules safeguard important genetic instructions when the cell is facing challenges. The new findings could help shed light on relevant molecular pathways that could be targeted in disease.

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Scientists use blue-green algae as a surrogate mother for 'meat-like' proteins      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have not only succeeded in using blue-green algae as a surrogate mother for a new protein -- they have even coaxed the microalgae to produce 'meat fiber-like' protein strands. The achievement may be the key to sustainable foods that have both the 'right' texture and require minimal processing.

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Published

Human stem cells coaxed to mimic the very early central nervous system      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The first stem cell culture method that produces a full model of the early stages of the human central nervous system has been developed by a team of engineers and biologists.

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Published

Cutting-edge 'protein lawnmower' created      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have designed the first synthetic protein-based motor which harnesses biological reactions to fuel and propel itself. 'Imagine if a Roomba could be powered only by the dirt it picks up,' says one of the authors of the study. The motor uses the digestive enzyme trypsin to cut the peptides and convert them into the energy it needs to propel itself.

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Published

Obesity disrupts normal liver function in mice      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Your liver plays a vital role in your metabolism, the biological process which converts food into energy. We know that being overweight can negatively affect metabolic activity, but not exactly how. To better understand this, researchers compared the livers of mice which were a typical weight with mice which were obese. They were surprised to find that biological regulation of metabolic activity, after a period of feasting and fasting, was reversed between them. In typical mice, allosteric regulation (the process which controls metabolism) was inhibited during feeding and activated when fasting. However, in obese mice, allosteric regulation increased during feeding and decreased when fasting.

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Published

Blindness from some inherited eye diseases may be caused by gut bacteria      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Sight loss in certain inherited eye diseases may be caused by gut bacteria, and is potentially treatable by antimicrobials, finds a new study in mice.

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Published

The small intestine adapt its size according to nutrient intake      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Resizing of the intestine is a highly conserved strategy employed by a wide range of organisms to cope with fluctuation in nutrient availability. Nevertheless, very little is known about the mechanisms and signals underlying nutrient-mediated gut resizing. New research has identified one of the signaling pathways implicated in this process.

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Common plant could help reduce food insecurity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An often-overlooked water plant that can double its biomass in two days, capture nitrogen from the air -- making it a valuable green fertilizer -- and be fed to poultry and livestock could serve as life-saving food for humans in the event of a catastrophe or disaster, a new study suggests.

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Biomolecular condensates -- regulatory hubs for plant iron supply      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Iron is a micronutrient for plants. Biologists now show that regulatory proteins for iron uptake behave particularly dynamically in the cell nucleus when the cells are exposed to blue light -- an important signal for plant growth. They found that the initially homogeneously distributed proteins relocated together into 'biomolecular condensates' in the cell nucleus shortly after this exposure.

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Published

Using mussels and silkworm cocoons to stop organ bleeding      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A collaborative research team develops an absorbent multifunctional nanofiber adhesive hemostat based on a protein biomaterial.

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Lab-spun sponges form perfect scaffolds for growing skin cells to heal wounds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new technique for electro-spinning sponges has allowed scientists to directly produce 3D scaffolds -- on which skin grafts could be grown from the patient's own skin.

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Published

Neurobiology: How bats distinguish different sounds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Bats live in a world of sounds. They use vocalizations both to communicate with their conspecifics and for navigation. For the latter, they emit sounds in the ultrasonic range, which echo and enable them to create an 'image' of their surroundings. Neuroscientists have now discovered how Seba's short-tailed bat, a species native to South America, manages to filter out important signals from ambient sound and especially to distinguish between echolocation and communication calls.

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Published

'Dynamic duo' defenses in bacteria ward off viral threats      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have discovered that bacteria can pair up their defense systems to create a formidable force, greater than the sum of its parts, to fight off attack from phage viruses. Understanding how bacteria react to this type of virus is a big step in combating antimicrobial resistance.