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Categories: Biology: Genetics, Paleontology: General

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Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

How bacteria recognize viral invasion and activate immune defenses      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Bacteria have an array of strategies to counter viral invasion, but how they first spot a stranger in their midst has long been a mystery.

Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Paleontology: General
Published

Multiple evolutionary trajectories in aquatic crocodiles      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In the geological past, several groups of crocodiles evolved towards a morphology adapted to marine life. However, the extent of these adaptations and their evolutionary trajectories remained unknown. An exhaustive study of their morphology has now shed light on the evolutionary mechanisms at work, thanks to three-dimensional reconstructions.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Unexpected discovery opens bioengineering opportunities for human and plant health      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An unexpected genetic discovery in wheat has led to opportunities for metabolic engineering of versatile compounds with potential to improve its nutritional qualities and resilience to disease.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Genetic discovery promises high-iron vegetables and cereals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A genetic breakthrough has opened new opportunities for iron-fortified vegetables and cereal crops to help address the global health issue of anemia.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Novel C. diff structures are required for infection, offer new therapeutic targets      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Newly discovered iron storage 'ferrosomes' inside the bacterium C. diff -- the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections -- are important for infection in an animal model and could offer new targets for antibacterial drugs. They also represent a rare demonstration of a membrane-bound structure inside a pathogenic bacterium, upsetting the biological dogma that bacteria do not contain organelles. 

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: General
Published

Study sheds light on how Earth cycles fossil-carbon      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researches used rhenium as a proxy for fossil carbon in order to quantify the rate at which Earth naturally releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and found that high rates of carbon breakdown persist across the different geographical profiles of a river basin.

Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

New study reveals surprising insights into feeding habits of carnivorous dinosaurs in North America      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research sheds light on the dining habits of ancient carnivorous dinosaurs from Jurassic rocks of the USA. A recent study explores the bite marks left on the ancient bones of the giant long-necked sauropod dinosaurs like Diplodocus and Brontosaurus by carnivorous theropod dinosaurs.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

A tale of two proteins: Fundamental research could make growing better crops like clockwork      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Rhomboid-like protein 10, or RBL10, is thought to be an enzyme that degrades other proteins in the chloroplast membrane, but its function is largely unknown. Researchers are studying how RBL10 affects photosynthetic membrane lipid metabolism, an essential process in photosynthesis.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

How marine bristle worms use a special protein to distinguish between sunlight and moonlight      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has presented its findings on the functioning of an atypical cryptochrome protein (Cry). These proteins are found in a variety of organisms, and they are often involved in light-controlled biological processes. The marine bristle worm Platynereis dumerilii, for example, employs a special Cry protein designated L-Cry to distinguish between sunlight and moonlight as well as between different moon phases. This is essential for the worms to synchronize their reproduction to the full moon phase via an inner monthly calendar, also called circalunar clock.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

New drug-like molecule extends lifespan, ameliorates pathology in worms and boosts function in mammalian muscle cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Having healthy mitochondria, the organelles that produce energy in all our cells, usually portends a long healthy life whether in humans or in C. elegans, a tiny, short-lived nematode worm often used to study the aging process.  Researchers have identified a new drug-like molecule that keeps mitochondria healthy via mitophagy, a process that removes and recycles damaged mitochondria in multicellular organisms. The compound, dubbed MIC, is a natural compound that extended lifespan in C. elegans, ameliorated pathology in neurodegenerative disease models of C. elegans, and improved mitochondrial function in mouse muscle cells.

Paleontology: General
Published

Recreation of ancient seawater reveals which nutrients shaped the evolution of early life      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists know very little about conditions in the ocean when life first evolved, but new research has revealed how geological processes controlled which nutrients were available to fuel their development.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Yeast cells can produce drugs for treatment of psychotic disorders      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of researchers has demonstrated that genetically engineered yeast cells can produce the natural plant product alstonine, which has shown positive effects in treating schizophrenia.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Team creates synthetic enzymes to unravel molecular mysteries      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A bioengineer has developed synthetic enzymes that can control the behavior of the signaling protein Vg1, which plays a key role in the development of muscle, bone and blood in vertebrate embryos. The team of researchers is using a new approach, called the Synthetic Processing (SynPro) system, in zebrafish to study how Vg1 is formed. By learning the molecular rules of signal formation in a developing animal, researchers aim to engineer mechanisms -- such as giving cells new instructions -- that could play a role in treating or preventing disease.

Biology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: General
Published

Palaeo-CSI: Mosasaurs were picky eaters      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Mosasaurs, those large marine reptiles from the long-gone Cretaceous world, were quite picky in their choice of diet. Researchers came to this conclusion after studying the wear marks on mosasaur teeth.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

First live birth of a chimeric monkey using embryonic stem cell lines      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of researchers has reported for the first time the live birth of a monkey that contains a high proportion of cells derived from a monkey stem cell line. This 'chimeric' monkey is composed of cells that originate from two genetically distinct embryos of the same species of monkey. This has previously been demonstrated in rats and mice but, until now, has not been possible in other species, including non-human primates.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Zen and the art of mitochondrial maintenance: The machinery of death makes a healthier life      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

While we all aspire for a long lifespan, what is most coveted is a long period of vigor and health, or 'healthspan,' that precedes the inevitable decline of advancing age. Researchers have discovered that instruments of death that cells use to commit suicide when things go wrong contribute to making a longer and healthier life by revitalizing the specialized cellular compartments called mitochondria.