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Categories: Biology: Molecular, Computer Science: Quantum Computers
Published Genetic mosaicism more common than thought



Researchers found that approximately one in 40 human bone marrow cells carry massive chromosomal alterations without causing any apparent disease or abnormality. Even so-called normal cells carry all sorts of genetic mutations, meaning there are more genetic differences between individual cells in our bodies than between different human beings. The discovery was enabled by a single-cell sequencing technology called Strand-seq, a unique DNA sequencing technique that can reveal subtle details of genomes in single cells that are too difficult to detect with other methods.
Published Observing mammalian cells with superfast soft X-rays



Researchers have developed a new technique to view living mammalian cells. The team used a powerful laser, called a soft X-ray free electron laser, to emit ultrafast pulses of illumination at the speed of femtoseconds, or quadrillionths of a second. With this they could capture images of carbon-based structures in living cells for the first time, before the soft X-ray radiation damaged them.
Published More than spins: Exploring uncharted territory in quantum devices



Many of today's quantum devices rely on collections of qubits, also called spins. These quantum bits have only two energy levels, the '0' and the '1'. However, spins in real devices also interact with light and vibrations known as bosons, greatly complicating calculations. Researchers now demonstrate a way to describe spin-boson systems and use this to efficiently configure quantum devices in a desired state.
Published New 'atlas' provides unprecedented insights on how genes function in early embryo development



Biologists have provided new insights on a longstanding puzzle in biology: How complex organisms arise from a single fertilized cell. Producing a new 'gene atlas' with 4-D imaging, the researchers captured unprecedented insights on how embryonic development unfolds.
Published Novel approach to interrogate tissue-specific protein-protein interactions



Multicellular organisms, like animals and plants, have complex cells with diverse functions. This complexity arises from the need for cells to produce distinct proteins that interact with each other. This interaction is crucial for cells to carry out their specific tasks and to form complex molecular machinery. However, our current understanding of such protein-protein interactions often lacks cellular contexts because they were usually studied in an in vitro system or in cells isolated from their tissue environment. Effective methods to investigate protein-protein interactions in a tissue-specific manner are largely missing.
Published Tracking down the genetic causes of lupus to personalize treatment



Treatment of autoimmune diseases like lupus has long relied on steroids to knock down the immune system, but more targeted therapies are currently undergoing clinical trials. To make sure these therapies get to the patients who will benefit, work is needed to identify the specific mutations behind each patient's disease. Researchers now report several dozen mutations associated with oversensitive toll-like receptors -- a major cause of autoimmune disease -- and linked two mutations to patients.
Published Exploring diversity in cell division



Animals and fungi predominantly use two different modes of cell division -- called open and closed mitosis, respectively. A new study has shown that different species of Ichthyosporea -- marine protists that are close relatives of both animals and fungi -- use either open and closed mitosis, closely correlated to whether the species has multinucleate life cycle stages. The study demonstrates the way animals do cell division might have evolved long before animals themselves did and how this is linked to an organism's life cycle.
Published Sweet move: a modified sugar enhances antisense oligonucleotide safety and efficacy



Researchers found that adding a newly developed modified sugar, BNAP-AEO, to gapmer antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) increased their affinity for target RNAs, thus significantly enhancing their gene-silencing effects in vitro and in vivo. The BNAP-AEO modification also decreased gapmer ASO toxicity to the central nervous system (CNS), suggesting that it could improve the clinical application of ASO treatment of CNS disease.
Published New crystal production method could enhance quantum computers and electronics



Scientists describe a new method to make very thin crystals of the element bismuth -- a process that may aid the manufacturing of cheap flexible electronics an everyday reality.
Published How AI helps programming a quantum computer



Researchers have unveiled a novel method to prepare quantum operations on a given quantum computer, using a machine learning generative model to find the appropriate sequence of quantum gates to execute a quantum operation. The study marks a significant step forward in unleashing the full extent of quantum computing.
Published Studies reveal cell-by-cell changes caused when pig hearts and kidneys are transplanted into humans



Two new studies detail the changes seen at the single-cell level in pig organs and recipient human bodies before, during, and just after the xenotransplantation surgeries in the decedents.
Published Clarifying the cellular mechanisms underlying periodontitis with an improved animal model



Although periodontitis is an extremely prevalent disorder, it is challenging to conduct detailed and comprehensive analyses of its progression at the cellular level. Recently, researchers developed an improved periodontitis mouse model that simplifies the collection and analysis of multiple periodontal tissue types. Using this model, they clarified the role of an important signaling pathway in the inflammatory response of periodontal tissue, paving the way for better diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for periodontitis.
Published 2D materials: A catalyst for future quantum technologies



Researchers have discovered that a 'single atomic defect' in a layered 2D material can hold onto quantum information for microseconds at room temperature. This underscores the broader potential of 2D materials in advancing quantum technologies.
Published Modern plant enzyme partners with surprisingly ancient protein



Scientists have discovered that a protein responsible for the synthesis of a key plant material evolved much earlier than suspected. This new research explored the origin and evolution of the biochemical machinery that builds lignin, a structural component of plant cell walls with significant impacts on the clean energy industry.
Published Sweet taste receptor affects how glucose is handled metabolically by humans



The sweet-taste receptor might be the first stop in a metabolic surveillance system for sugar. The receptor is also expressed in certain intestinal cells, where it may facilitate glucose absorption and assimilation, as part of this system. A team found that stimulation and inhibition of the sweet receptor helps regulate glucose metabolism in humans and may have implications for managing such metabolic disorders as diabetes.
Published Scientists discover mechanism of sugar signaling in plants



A paper describes how the moving parts of a particular plant protein control whether plants can grow and make energy-intensive products such as oil -- or instead put in place a series of steps to conserve precious resources. The study focuses specifically on how the molecular machinery is regulated by a molecule that rises and falls with the level of sugar -- plants' main energy source.
Published World's smallest quantum light detector on a silicon chip



Researchers have made an important breakthrough in scaling quantum technology by integrating the world's tiniest quantum light detector onto a silicon chip.
Published Plants restrict use of 'Tipp-Ex proteins'



Plants have special corrective molecules at their disposal that can make retrospective modifications to copies of genes. However, it would appear that these 'Tipp-Ex proteins' do not have permission to work in all areas of the cell, only being used in chloroplasts and mitochondria. A study has now explained why this is the case. It suggests that the correction mechanism would otherwise modify copies that have nothing wrong with them, with fatal consequences for the cell.
Published Fruit fly wing research offers window into birth defects



If fruit fly wings do not develop into the right shape, the flies will die. Researchers have learned how fly embryo cells develop as they need to, opening a window into human development and possible treatments for birth defects.
Published A new 'rule of biology' may have come to light, expanding insight into evolution and aging



A molecular biologist may have found a new 'rule of biology.' The rule challenges long-held notions that most living organisms prefer stability over instability because stability requires less energy and fewer resources.