Showing 20 articles starting at article 701

< Previous 20 articles        Next 20 articles >

Categories: Biology: Evolutionary, Chemistry: Organic Chemistry

Return to the site home page

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

When infants are involved in agonistic conflicts, male crested macaques (Macaca nigra) are more likely to respond to screams from their own offspring. This is the conclusion of a recent study led by behavioral ecologists. The researchers studied the behavior of crested macaques in the Tangkoko Nature Reserve on Sulawesi, Indonesia, over a 24-month period (2008 to 2010).

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Iron--sulfur (Fe--S) proteins, essential to all life forms, are difficult to synthesise due to the complicated molecular machinery involved and sensitivity of Fe--S clusters to oxygen. In a new study, a team of researchers devised an innovative protocol for synthesising mature Fe--S proteins, by bringing together a recombinant sulfur assimilation (SUF) system and an oxygen-scavenging system, thereby, paving the way for new technologies and a better understanding of the evolution of life.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists use cutting edge scanning technology to reconstruct 'fossil monster' that lived half a billion years ago. The creature's soft anatomy was well-preserved, allowing it to be imaged almost completely: It fills a gap in our understanding of the evolution of arthropods such as insects and crustaceans.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

An organometallic capsule that can reversibly assemble and disassemble in response to chemical stimuli was recently developed by chemists. Comprising ferrocene-based bent amphiphiles, this new capsule can act as a host for various types of guest molecules, such as electron acceptors and dyes. Thanks to the controllable release of its cargo, the capsule would find applications in catalysis, medicine, and biotechnology.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Methylcyclohexane is very promising as a hydrogen carrier that can safely and efficiently transport and store hydrogen. However, the dehydrogenation process using catalysts has issues due to its durability and large energy loss. Recently, researchers have succeeded in using solid oxide fuel cells to generate electricity directly from methylcyclohexane and recover toluene for reuse. This research is expected to not only reduce energy requirements but also explore new chemical synthesis by fuel cells.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international research team has described seven previously unknown species of leaf insects, also known as walking leaves. The insects belong to the stick and leaf insect order, which are known for their unusual appearance: they look confusingly similar to parts of plants such as twigs, bark or -- in the case of leaf insects -- leaves. This sophisticated camouflage provides excellent protection from predators as well as presenting a challenge to researchers. Genetic analysis enabled the researchers to discover 'cryptic species', which cannot be distinguished by their external appearance alone. The findings are not only important for the systematic study of leaf insects, but also for the protection of their diversity.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have looked beyond biochemistry to publish groundbreaking work on the physics of fat droplets found inside many types of cells, revealing them to be a potential threat to a cell's nucleus.They have discovered fat-filled lipid droplets' surprising capability to indent and puncture the nucleus, the organelle which contains and regulates a cell's DNA. The stakes of their findings are high: a ruptured nucleus can lead to elevated DNA damage that is characteristic of many diseases, including cancer.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Using a trapped-ion quantum computer, the research team witnessed the interference pattern of a single atom caused by a 'conical intersection'. Conical intersections are known throughout chemistry and are vital to rapid photo-chemical processes such as light harvesting in human vision or photosynthesis.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed and demonstrated a new method for high-throughput single-cell sorting that uses stimulated Raman spectroscopy rather than the traditional approach of fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The new approach could offer a label-free, nondestructive way to sort cells for a variety of applications, including microbiology, cancer detection and cell therapy.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Mathematical modeling can show how to safely blend hydrogen with natural gas for transport in existing pipeline systems. A secure and reliable transition to hydrogen is one of the proposed solutions for the shift to a net-zero-carbon economy.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

A team of chemists have developed a novel concept in which a mixture of molecules that behave like mirror images is converted to a single form. To this end, they use light as external energy source. The conversion is relevant e.g. for the preparation of drugs.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

In the form of DNA, nature shows how data can be stored in a space-saving and long-term manner. Bioinformatics specialists are developing DNA chips for computer technology. Researchers show how a combination of molecular biology, nanotechnology, novel polymers, electronics and automation, coupled with systematic development, could make DNA data storage useful for everyday use possible in a few years.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A researcher made a discovery that could change our understanding of the universe. He reveals that there is a range in which fundamental constants can vary, allowing for the viscosity needed for life processes to occur within and between living cells. This is an important piece of the puzzle in determining where these constants come from and how they impact life as we know it.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research suggests that natural selection, famous for rewarding advantageous differences in organisms, can also preserve similarities. The researchers worked with a plant called wild radish and its stamens, or pollen-producing parts, two of which are short and four are long. Roughly 55 million years ago, wild radish ancestors had stamens of equal length. The team selectively bred -- or artificially selected -- wild radish to reduce the difference in stamen length and return the plant to a more ancestral look. This shows that today's wild radish and, likely, its family members still have the requisite genetic variability to evolve, but natural selection is preserving its different stamen lengths.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Immunotherapies for cancer aim to induce the immune system to combat cancer cells more effectively. A research team has now described a new, modular strategy for T-cell-based immunotherapy that manages to work without complex genetic modifications. Modulation of cell-cell communications through an ingenious regulatory circuit using various small, specially folded DNA molecules (aptamers) causes cancer cells to directly activate their mortal enemies, T cells.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have finally solved the long-standing puzzle of why graphene is so much more permeable to protons than expected by theory.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Many plants and crops rely on insects to pollinate them so they can reproduce. A new study has shown that several flowering plants from the group Euonymus are pollinated by fungus gnats, a dipteran insect. Specifically, they pollinate Euonymus plants which have red-petaled flowers with short stamens and yogurt-like scent. Although fungus gnats are known to pollinate hundreds of plant species, this study shows that the particular traits of red Euonymus flowers were likely to have been acquired via pollination syndrome, evolving over a process of natural selection to be pollinated specifically by fungus gnats. This research highlights the important role of Diptera, which are commonly regarded as pests, in plant diversity and evolution.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team enhanced hydrogen evolution catalyst through stepwise deposition.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Which structures do complex proteins adopt in solution? Biophysicists answer this question using the example of ubiquitin dimers as well as a new combination of high-resolution NMR spectroscopy and sophisticated computer simulations.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

The world needs greener ways to make chemicals. In a new study, researchers demonstrate one potential path toward this goal by adapting hydrogen fuel cell technologies.