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Categories: Biology: Molecular, Mathematics: Puzzles

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Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Scientists unpick how lung cells induce immune response to influenza      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered some new and surprising ways that viral RNA and influenza virus are detected by human lung cells, which has potential implications for treating people affected by such viruses.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

How some ion channels form structures permitting drug delivery      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A member of an important class of ion channel proteins can transiently rearrange itself into a larger structure with dramatically altered properties, according to a new study. The discovery is a significant advance in cell biology, likely solves a long-standing mystery about an unusual feature of some ion channels and has implications for the development of drugs targeting these proteins and for drug delivery.

Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Bacteria treatment reduces insulin resistance, protects against diabetes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered a type of gut bacteria that might help improve insulin resistance, and thus protect against the development of obesity and type-2 diabetes. The study involved genetic and metabolic analysis of human fecal microbiomes and then corroborating experiments in obese mice.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Newly engineered versions of bacterial enzyme reveal how antibiotics could be more potent      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers applied a new technology to generate the full inventory of mutations in the bacterial species Escherichia coli where the antibiotic rifampicin attaches to and disables an essential bacterial enzyme known as RNA polymerase (RNAP).

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Enhancing cancer therapy using functionalized photosynthetic bacteria      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Selective targeting of cancerous cells poses major clinical challenges during cancer therapy. However, this limitation can be overcome by using bioengineered bacteria with highly optimized chemical modifications. A recent study demonstrates the use of chemically modified purple photosynthetic bacteria for the successful detection and elimination of colon cancer cells in a mouse model. The study also sheds light on the underlying mechanism of action.

Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

New approach to fighting malaria      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Findings can open up new avenues for targeted approaches toward therapeutic strategies against the malaria-causing P. falciparum that are aimed at stopping the parasite's life cycle progression and its sexual differentiation, thus blocking the transmission of the parasite into mosquitoes.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

Unlocking the secrets of cell antennas      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The NSL (non-specific lethal) complex regulates thousands of genes in fruit flies and mammals. Silencing the NSL genes leads to the death of the organism, which gave the complex its curious name. Researchers have now discovered that the genes regulated by the NSL complex also include genes of the intraciliary transport system. This enables different cell types to form cilia on their surface, which are important for cell communication. The study shows that these genes are 'switched on' by the NSL complex, regardless of whether a particular cell has cilia or not. The researchers found that this class of cilia-associated genes is crucial for the function of podocytes. This is a highly specialized cell type of the kidney that, paradoxically, does not have cilia. These findings have important implications for ciliopathies and kidney disease.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

Researchers describe rebuilding, regenerating lung cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered a novel approach for engrafting engineered cells into injured lung tissue. These findings may lead to new ways for treating lung diseases, such as emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis and COVID-19. The two studies describe the methodologies for engineering lung stem cells and transplanting them into injured experimental lungs without immunosuppression.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

The 'treadmill conveyor belt' ensuring proper cell division      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered how proteins work in tandem to regulate 'treadmilling', a mechanism used by the network of microtubules inside cells to ensure proper cell division.

Biology: Molecular Biology: Zoology
Published

Researchers target lifecycle of parasite behind Chagas disease      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers are studying the signaling pathway that leads the parasite responsible for Chagas disease to transform and reproduce. They follow that pathway from the beginning when an uninfected kissing bug acquires the parasite by biting an infected mammal host all the way to the time the parasite develops in the insect's gut to be spread to people or animals through the bug's poop.

Biology: Marine Biology: Molecular Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Researchers unearth a new process by which algae pass on nurtrients to their coral host      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have identified a new pathway by which sugar is released by symbiotic algae. This pathway involves the largely overlooked cell wall, showing that this structure not only protects the cell but plays an important role in symbiosis and carbon circulation in the ocean.

Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

High-fat diets alter gut bacteria, boosting colorectal cancer risk in mice      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered how high-fat diets can change gut bacteria and alter digestive molecules called bile acids that are modified by those bacteria, predisposing mice to colorectal cancer. The findings bring scientists closer to understanding the causes of and how to prevent colorectal cancer.

Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Physics: Optics
Published

Research team developing a nano-sized force sensor and improving high-precision microscopy technology      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Recent research in cell biology highlights groundbreaking results. An international team of researchers have recently established a tool they developed to study the mechanics of the cell. The tool can be used to study the inner forces of the cell, for example, the stretching of the nuclear membrane. The microscopic force sensor, only about 0.00002 mm long, is constructed of exotic ingredients such as spider web protein parts, fluorescent proteins from jellyfish, and antibodies from alpaca. In addition, the multidisciplinary team of researchers has developed further the sensitivity of super-resolution microscopy technique.

Biology: Developmental Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

'Viral relicts' in the genome could fuel neurodegeneration      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Genetic remnants of viruses that are naturally present in the human genome could affect the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers come to this conclusion on the basis of studies on cell cultures.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Molecular Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Ancient metal cauldrons give us clues about what people ate in the Bronze Age      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Archaeologists have long been drawing conclusions about how ancient tools were used by the people who crafted them based on written records and context clues. But with dietary practices, they have had to make assumptions about what was eaten and how it was prepared. A new study analyzed protein residues from ancient cooking cauldrons and found that the people of Caucasus ate deer, sheep, goats, and members of the cow family during the Maykop period (3700--2900 BCE).

Biology: Molecular Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Increasing legumes and reducing red meat is safe for bone health and protein intake      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study has demonstrated that the partial substitution of red and processed meat with pea- and faba bean -- based food products ensured sufficient intake of amino acids in the diet and did not negatively affect bone metabolism.

Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Scientists reveal how sensory protein changes shape with nanometer resolution      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The sensory receptor PIEZO1 changes shape in response to mechanical stimuli. The super high-resolution microscopy technology used in this discovery is a breakthrough in enabling protein structures to be studied within the cellular environment.

Mathematics: Puzzles
Published

Effectiveness of video gameplay restrictions questioned in new study      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Legal restrictions placed on the amount of time young people in China can play video games may be less effective than originally thought, a new study has revealed.

Mathematics: Puzzles
Published

Social media algorithms exploit how humans learn from their peers      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In prehistoric societies, humans tended to learn from members of our ingroup or from more prestigious individuals, as this information was more likely to be reliable and result in group success. However, with the advent of diverse and complex modern communities -- and especially in social media -- these biases become less effective. For example, a person we are connected to online might not necessarily be trustworthy, and people can easily feign prestige on social media. Now, a group of social scientists describe how the functions of social media algorithms are misaligned with human social instincts meant to foster cooperation, which can lead to large-scale polarization and misinformation.

Biology: Evolutionary Mathematics: General Mathematics: Modeling Mathematics: Puzzles
Published

Scientists uncover a surprising connection between number theory and evolutionary genetics      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An interdisciplinary team of mathematicians, engineers, physicists, and medical scientists has uncovered an unexpected link between pure mathematics and genetics, that reveals key insights into the structure of neutral mutations and the evolution of organisms.