Showing 20 articles starting at article 101

< Previous 20 articles        Next 20 articles >

Categories: Biology: Genetics, Offbeat: Space

Return to the site home page

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers imaged a new exoplanet that orbits a star in the nearby triple system Epsilon Indi. The planet is a cold super-Jupiter exhibiting a temperature of around 0 degrees Celsius and a wide orbit comparable to that of Neptune around the Sun. This measurement was only possible thanks to JWST's unprecedented imaging capabilities in the thermal infrared. It exemplifies the potential of finding many more such planets similar to Jupiter in mass, temperature, and orbit. Studying them will improve our knowledge of how gas giants form and evolve in time.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Cell membranes play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity and functionality of cells. However, the mechanisms by which they perform these roles are not yet fully understood. Scientists have used cryo-electron microscopy to observe how lipids and proteins at the plasma membrane interact and react to mechanical stress. This work shows that, depending on conditions, small membrane regions can stabilize various lipids to trigger specific cellular responses. These discoveries confirm the existence of well-organized lipid domains and begin to reveal the role they play in cell survival.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New drug that disrupts two cellular targets would make it much harder for bacteria to evolve resistance.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new method that can rapidly determine whether a virus is infectious or non-infectious could revolutionize the response to future pandemics, researchers report.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study shows that over half of the medicines stocked in space -- staples such as pain relievers, antibiotics, allergy medicines, and sleep aids -- would expire before astronauts could return to Earth.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have succeeded in pinpointing the neurons within a female fruit fly's brain that respond to signals from the male during mating.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have found a link between some of the largest and smallest objects in the cosmos: supermassive black holes and dark matter particles. Their new calculations reveal that pairs of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) can merge into a single larger black hole because of previously overlooked behavior of dark matter particles, proposing a solution to the longstanding 'final parsec problem' in astronomy.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have identified the genetic mutation that causes progressive retinal atrophy in English Shepherd Dogs, which results in incurable blindness, and developed a genetic test to help eliminate the disease from future generations of the breed.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Mosquito-borne viral infections once confined to tropical regions are spreading. Dengue virus infects up to 400 million people worldwide each year according to World Health Organization estimates, and no available treatments exist for this disease. Now, research uncovered surprising strategies for how dengue and hundreds of other viruses replicate in their hosts, with the potential to aid in developing novel antiviral treatments and vaccines.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have found a new way to identify genetic targets useful for control of mosquito populations, potentially offering an alternative to insecticides. Their study focused on the genetic basis of species incompatibility. They crossed Ae. aegypti, a major global arboviral disease vector, and its sibling species, Ae. mascarensis, from the Indian Ocean. When offspring is crossed back with one parent, about 10 percent of the progeny becomes intersex and is unable to reproduce.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A bitter taste is traditionally considered a warning sign of potentially toxic substances. But not all bitter substances are harmful. For example, some peptides and free amino acids taste bitter, even though they are non-toxic, nutritious and sometimes even vital for humans. A new study now offers an explanation for this seemingly paradoxical phenomenon.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A little leg may reveal something big about how closely related insect species can drastically differ in body shape, according to a new study. The team imaged live cells of fruit flies in the last stages of development over several days and found a new structure that appears to help guide a section of the leg into its final shape.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers use genomes to help restore the American chestnut population and adjust species breeding to the changing climate.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Europa and Enceladus, icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn respectively, have evidence of oceans beneath their crusts. A NASA experiment suggests -- if these oceans support life -- signatures of that life in the form of organic molecules (like amino acids and nucleic acids) could survive just under the surface ice despite the harsh, ionizing radiation on these worlds. If robotic landers were to go to these moons to look for life signs, they would not have to dig very deep to find amino acids that have survived being altered or destroyed by radiation.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Recent research on Lotus japonicus, a model leguminous plant, has unveiled that the interaction between legume roots and rhizobia is characterized by periodic gene expression with a six-hour rhythm. This rhythmic gene expression influences the regions of the root susceptible to rhizobial infection and the distribution of nodules. It was also discovered that the plant hormone cytokinin is crucial for maintaining this gene expression rhythm.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A group of small, freshwater animals (bdelloid rotifers) protect themselves from infections using antibiotic recipes 'stolen' from bacteria, according to new research. This raises the potential that rotifers are producing novel antimicrobials that may be less toxic to animals, including humans, than those we develop from bacteria and fungi.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

So far, only about ten intermediate-mass black holes have been discovered in the entire universe. The newly identified black hole causes surrounding stars in a cluster to move in an unexpectedly orderly way.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research is shedding light on how viruses ensure their survival by precisely timing the release of new viruses. The discovery offers a new theoretical framework for understanding these dynamic biological phenomena.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The human genome is filled with flecks of DNA left behind by viruses that infected primate ancestors tens of millions of years ago. Scientists used to think they were harmless, but new research shows that, when reawakened, they help cancer survive and thrive.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The discovery of a hybrid population of poplar trees in western Wyoming has provided insight into how natural hybridization informs the evolution of many plant species, according to researchers. They also said their discovery suggests that genetic exchange between species may be critical for adaptation to environmental change.