Showing 20 articles starting at article 581
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Categories: Biology: Genetics, Chemistry: Biochemistry
Published Genetic hope in fight against devastating wheat disease
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fungal disease Fusarium head blight (FHB) is on the rise due to increasingly humid conditions induced by climate change during the wheat growing season, but a fundamental discovery could help reduce its economic harm.
Published Professor resolves two decades of oxide semiconductor challenges
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Successful development of high-performance amorphous P-type oxide semiconductor using tellurium-selenium composite oxide.
Published AI deciphers new gene regulatory code in plants and makes accurate predictions for newly sequenced genomes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Elucidating the relationship between the sequences of non-coding regulatory elements and their target genes is key to understanding gene regulation and its variation between plant species and ecotypes. Now, an international research team developed deep learning models that link gene sequence data with mRNA copy number for several plant species and predicted the regulatory effect of gene sequence variation.
Published More efficient molecular motor widens potential applications
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Light-driven molecular motors were first developed nearly 25 years ago. However, making these motors do actual work proved to be a challenge. In a new paper, scientists describe improvements that bring real-life applications closer.
Published Robotic nerve 'cuffs' could help treat a range of neurological conditions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed tiny, flexible devices that can wrap around individual nerve fibers without damaging them. The researchers combined flexible electronics and soft robotics techniques to develop the devices, which could be used for the diagnosis and treatment of a range of disorders, including epilepsy and chronic pain, or the control of prosthetic limbs.
Published Barley plants fine-tune their root microbial communities through sugary secretions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Different types of barley recruit distinct communities of soil microbes to grow around their roots by releasing a custom mix of sugars and other compounds, according to a new study.
Published A shortcut for drug discovery
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source For most human proteins, there are no small molecules known to bind them chemically (so called 'ligands'). Ligands frequently represent important starting points for drug development but this knowledge gap critically hampers the development of novel medicines. Researchers at CeMM, in a collaboration with Pfizer, have now leveraged and scaled a method to measure the binding activity of hundreds of small molecules against thousands of human proteins. This large-scale study revealed tens of thousands of ligand-protein interactions that can now be explored for the development of chemical tools and therapeutics. Moreover, powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence, it allows unbiased predictions of how small molecules interact with all proteins present in living human cells. These groundbreaking results have been published in the journal Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.adk5864), and all generated data and models are freely available for the scientific community.
Published Food in sight? The liver is ready!
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source What happens in the body when we are hungry and see and smell food? A team of researchers has now been able to show in mice that adaptations in the liver mitochondria take place after only a few minutes. Stimulated by the activation of a group of nerve cells in the brain, the mitochondria of the liver cells change and prepare the liver for the adaptation of the sugar metabolism. The findings could open up new avenues for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Published Curiosity promotes biodiversity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Cichlid fishes exhibit differing degrees of curiosity. The cause for this lies in their genes, as reported by researchers. This trait influences the cichlids' ability to adapt to new habitats.
Published Estimating emissions potential of decommissioned gas wells from shale samples
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Extracting natural gas from shale formations can provide an abundant, lower-carbon footprint fossil fuel, but also creates concerns over increased methane emissions. Researchers have now developed a new tool that can estimate the emission potential of shale wells after they are no longer active.
Published Nanomaterial that mimics proteins could be basis for new neurodegenerative disease treatments
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A newly developed nanomaterial that mimics the behavior of proteins could be an effective tool for treating Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. The nanomaterial alters the interaction between two key proteins in brain cells -- with a potentially powerful therapeutic effect.
Published 'Like a nanoscopic Moon lander': Scientists unlock secret of how pyramidal molecules move across surfaces
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have watched a molecule move across a graphite surface in unprecedented detail. It turns out this particular molecule moves like a Moon lander -- and the insights hold potential for future nanotechnologies.
Published Towards novel promising perovskite-type ferroelectric materials: High-pressure synthesis of rubidium niobate
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have pioneered a breakthrough in ferroelectric material development. They've engineered a novel displacement-type ferroelectric material boasting remarkable dielectric properties. Their achievement includes the successful synthesis of rubidium niobate (RbNbO3), a compound previously deemed challenging to produce under pressures exceeding 40,000 atmospheres. Additionally, they characterized how polarization changes across a wide temperature range during phase transitions. This breakthrough can lead to new design guidelines for ferroelectric materials.
Published The secret to saving old books could be gluten-free glues
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source 'Bookworm' is a cute thing to call a voracious reader, but actual bookworms -- as well as microorganisms and time -- break down the flour pastes commonly used to keep old publications in one piece. Now, researchers have analyzed the proteins in wheat-based glues applied in historic bookbinding to provide insights on their adhesiveness and how they degrade. This information could help conservators restore and preserve treasured tomes for future generations.
Published Cells may possess hidden communication system
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Cells constantly navigate a dynamic environment, facing ever-changing conditions and challenges. But how do cells swiftly adapt to these environmental fluctuations? A new study is answering that question by challenging our understanding of how cells function. A team of researchers suggests that cells possess a previously unknown information processing system that allows them to make rapid decisions independent of their genes.
Published Researchers uncover 'parallel universe' in tomato genetics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have made a breakthrough for evolutionary biology of the Solanaceae family, which includes peppers, potatoes and petunias.
Published Color variants in cuckoos: The advantages of rareness
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Every cuckoo is an adopted child -- raised by foster parents, into whose nest the cuckoo mother smuggled her egg. The cuckoo mother is aided in this subterfuge by her resemblance to a bird of prey. There are two variants of female cuckoos: a gray morph that looks like a sparrowhawk, and a rufous morph. Male cuckoos are always gray.
Published Why can't robots outrun animals?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Robotics engineers have worked for decades and invested many millions of research dollars in attempts to create a robot that can walk or run as well as an animal. And yet, it remains the case that many animals are capable of feats that would be impossible for robots that exist today.
Published Unveiling the mysteries of cell division in embryos with timelapse photography
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The beginning of life is shrouded in mystery. While the intricate dynamics of mitosis is well-studied in the so-called somatic cells -- the cells that have a specialized function, like skin and muscle cells -- they remain elusive in the first cells of our bodies, the embryonic cells. Embryonic mitosis is notoriously difficult to study in vertebrates, as live functional analyses and -imaging of experimental embryos are technically limited, which makes it hard to track cells during embryogenesis.
Published Pattern formation in the nano-cosmos
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new model extends the theory of elastic phase separation towards nanoscopic structures. Such patterns are frequent in biological systems and also used in nano-engineering to create structural color. With their new insights, the scientists can predict the length scale of nanoscopic patterns and thus control them during production.