Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Phage attacks shown in new light      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New methodology and tools provide an opportunity to watch in unprecedented detail as a phage attacks a bacterium.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Two-dimensional quantum freeze      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have succeeded in simultaneously cooling the motion of a tiny glass sphere in two dimensions to the quantum ground-state. This represents a crucial step towards a 3D ground-state cooling of a massive object and opens up new opportunities for the design of ultra-sensitive sensors.

Chemistry: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

An innovative twist on quantum bits: Tubular nanomaterial of carbon makes ideal home for spinning quantum bits      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists develop method for chemically modifying nanoscale tubes of carbon atoms, so they can host spinning electrons to serve as stable quantum bits in quantum technologies.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

Rhythmic eating pattern preserves fruit fly muscle function under obese conditions      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Obese fruit flies are the experimental subjects in a study of the causes of muscle function decline due to obesity. In humans, skeletal muscle plays a crucial role in metabolism, and muscle dysfunction due to human obesity can lead to insulin resistance and reduced energy levels.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Biologists, chemical engineers collaborate to reveal complex cellular process inside petunias      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Once upon a time, prevailing scientific opinion might have pronounced recently published research as unneeded. Now, climate change implications have heightened the need for this line of research. Flowers emit scent chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Earlier this year, a study identified a protein that plays a key role in helping petunias emit volatiles.

Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology
Published

Illuminating the evolution of social parasite ants      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The findings offer a new way to understand how some ants become total layabouts.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Biology: Zoology
Published

Fluorescent protein sheds light on bee brains      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An international team of bee researchers has integrated a calcium sensor into honey bees to enable the study of neural information processing including response to odors. This also provides insights into how social behavior is located in the brain.

Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular Biology: Zoology
Published

Researchers provide proof of the helical coiling of condensed chromosomes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In early cytological studies chromatids of metaphase chromosomes were suggested to coil into a spiral called chromonema. This assumption was recently supported by chromosomce conformation capture sequencing. Still, the direct visualization of the coiled chromonema confirming the helical model was lacking. Now, an international research team provides the direct proof of the helical coiling of condensed chromatids via super-resolution microscopy of specifically labelled chromonema regions.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Computer Science: Quantum Computers Offbeat: Computers and Math Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Quantum chemistry: Molecules caught tunneling      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Quantum effects can play an important role in chemical reactions. Physicists have now observed a quantum mechanical tunneling reaction in experiments. The observation can also be described exactly in theory. The scientists provide an important reference for this fundamental effect in chemistry. It is the slowest reaction with charged particles ever observed.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

New study unveils epigenetic 'traffic lights' controlling stop and go for gene activity      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A major new study reveals a 'traffic light' mechanism controlling genetic activity within cells -- a system which could potentially be targeted by cancer drugs already in development. The research describes how 'epigenetic' changes to the structure of DNA can act as a stop-go signal in determining whether a gene should be read. Unlike our genetic make-up, which is well understood, the world of epigenetics is still largely unexplored and referred to as the 'dark matter' of the genome.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

Evolutionary history of detoxifying enzymes reconstructed      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Biochemists have succeeded in resurrecting the ancestral genes of five detoxifying enzymes which are present in all tetrapods to show how their divergence in function has occurred.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular Geoscience: Geology Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Ancient proteins offer new clues about origin of life on Earth      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

By simulating early Earth conditions in the lab, researchers have found that without specific amino acids, ancient proteins would not have known how to evolve into everything alive on the planet today -- including plants, animals, and humans.

Chemistry: General Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Engineering: Graphene Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

New material may offer key to solving quantum computing issue      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new form of heterostructure of layered two-dimensional (2D) materials may enable quantum computing to overcome key barriers to its widespread application, according to an international team of researchers.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

Cells avoid multitasking      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Textbooks will tell you that in dividing cells, production of new DNA peaks during the S-phase, while production of other macromolecules, such as proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides, continues at more or less the same level. Molecular biologists have now discovered that this is not true: protein synthesis shows two peaks and lipid synthesis peaks once.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Successful cure of HIV infection after stem cell transplantation, study suggests      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for the treatment of severe blood cancers is the only medical intervention that has cured two people living with HIV in the past. An international group of physicians and researchers has now identified another case in which HIV infection has been shown to be cured in the same way. The successful healing process of this third patient was for the first time characterized in great detail virologically and immunologically over a time span of ten years.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

The achilles heel of the influenza virus: Ubiquitin protein may be an approach for future medicines      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Influenza viruses are becoming increasingly resilient to medicines. For this reason, new active ingredients are needed. Important findings in this regard have been provided: for the virus to proliferate, the polymerase of the influenza A virus has to be modified many times through enzymes in the host cells. The team of researchers was able to produce a comprehensive map of types of modification. Medicines directed against the enzymes woud be resilient to rapid mutations in the virus, thus offering great potential for the future.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers
Published

Breakthrough in tin-vacancy centers for quantum network applications      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Tin-vacancy (Sn-V) centers in diamond have the potential to function as quantum nodes in quantum networks to transmit information. However, they pose limitations while showing optical properties to generate quantum entanglement. Researchers have now overcome this challenge by generating stable Sn-V centers that can produce photons with nearly identical frequencies and linewidths, paving the way for the advancement of Sn-V centers as a quantum-light matter interface.

Biology: Botany Biology: Genetics Ecology: Endangered Species Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Scientists unlock key to drought-resistant wheat plants with longer roots      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Growing wheat in drought conditions may be easier in the future. Researchers found the right number of copies of a specific group of genes can stimulate longer root growth, enabling wheat plants to pull water from deeper supplies.