Showing 20 articles starting at article 761
< Previous 20 articles Next 20 articles >
Categories: Biology: Biotechnology, Biology: Botany
Published Researchers have cracked the cellular code on protein folding, offering hope for new therapeutic avenues for many diseases
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source While we often think of diseases as caused by foreign bodies -- bacteria or viruses -- there are hundreds of diseases affecting humans that result from errors in cellular production of its proteins. A team of researchers recently leveraged the power of cutting-edge technology, including an innovative technique called glycoproteomics, to unlock the carbohydrate-based code that governs how certain classes of proteins form themselves into the complex shapes necessary to keep us healthy.
Published New technique efficiently offers insight into gene regulation
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a new technique called MAbID. This allows them to simultaneously study different mechanisms of gene regulation, which plays a major role in development and disease. MAbID offers new insights into how these mechanisms work together or against each other.
Published Decoding flavonoid metabolism: A closer look at plant-based diets
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team of researchers has elucidated the process by which the major flavonoids naringenin, apigenin, and genistein are metabolized in the body. These findings are fundamental in elucidating the correlation between the metabolism of flavonoids in the body and their potential health benefits.
Published Public gardens contribute to invasives problem
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Some nonnative plants cultivated in public gardens or arboretums are escaping to become invasive in wild forests.
Published Botany must feature more prominently on the school curriculum to promote awareness of climate change, study warns
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Children must be taught more about the importance of plants if education about climate change and sustainability is to be effective, experts have warned.
Published Unlocking the secret strength of marine mussels
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source How do you create strong, yet quick-release connections between living and non-living tissues? This is a question that continues to puzzle bioengineers who aim to create materials that bond together for advanced biomedical applications. Looking to nature for inspiration, this research zeroed in on the marine mussel byssus, a fibrous holdfast, which these bivalve mollusks use to anchor themselves in seashore habitats.
Published Genomic study sheds light on how carnivorous Asian pitcher plants acquired signature insect trap
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists sequenced the genome of the East Asian pitcher plant, Nepenthes gracilis, a species of carnivorous plant related to Venus flytraps, as well as sundews, beets and spinach.
Published Money to burn: Wealthy, white neighborhoods losing their heat shields
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source White, wealthy neighborhoods in the LA area -- and likely around the world -- are about to start feeling the same heat that has plagued poorer, Hispanic neighborhoods for generations. A new study shows the protective effect of income has largely eroded over the past 40 years, as landscape plants can't keep up with the pace of climate warming.
Published The waxy surface protecting plants might hold the key to developing stronger crops
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered that the waxy protective barrier around plants might play a role in sending chemical signals to other plants and insects.
Published how far can the wind can carry a plant's seeds? New model
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Playing an essential foundational role in an ecosystem, plants contribute to the well-being of human health by helping create resources like food and medicine. Therefore, to better understand how plants can maintain resiliency in the face of challenges like climate change, researchers recently developed an innovative mathematical model that can provide fast and reliable predictions of how far wind can carry a plant's seeds.
Published Armed to the hilt: Study solves mystery behind bacteria's extensive weaponry
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study tackles the mystery of why bacteria often carry diverse ranges of weapons. The findings show that different weapons are best suited to different competition scenarios. Short-range weapons help bacteria to invade established communities; long-range weapons are useful once established.
Published Clever dosage control mechanism of biallelic genes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have uncovered a mechanism that safeguards the biallelic expression of haploinsufficient genes, shedding light on the importance of having two copies of each chromosome. A study identified the epigenetic regulator MSL2 an 'anti-monoallelic' factor that maintains biallelic gene dosage. This discovery not only reveals a communication system between parental alleles but also points to potential therapeutic strategies for diseases associated with haploinsufficient genes.
Published Researchers decipher enzyme scissors of intestinal microbes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fruit and vegetables contain a variety of plant natural products such as flavonoids, which give fruits their colour and are said to have health-promoting properties. Most plant natural products occur in nature as glycosides, i.e. chemical compounds with sugars. In order for humans to absorb the healthy plant natural products, the sugar must be split off in the intestine. Microorganisms in the intestinal flora help to speed up the process. So-called C-glycosides, i.e. plant natural products with a carbon-based bond to a sugar, would even be practically indigestible without the intestinal microbes (e.g. nothofagin in rooibos tea).
Published Releasing brakes on biocatalysis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Enzymes from microorganisms can produce hydrogen (H2) under certain conditions, which makes them potential biocatalysts for biobased H2 technologies. In order to make this hydrogen production efficient, researchers are trying to identify and eliminate possible limiting factors. These include formaldehyde, which occurs naturally as a metabolic product in cells and inhibits the particularly efficient [FeFe] hydrogenase.
Published Tracing the evolution of the 'little brain'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The evolution of higher cognitive functions in humans has so far mostly been linked to the expansion of the neocortex. Researchers are increasingly realizing, however, that the 'little brain' or cerebellum also expanded during evolution and probably contributes to the capacities unique to humans. A research team has now generated comprehensive genetic maps of the development of cells in the cerebella of human, mouse and opossum. Comparisons of these maps reveal both ancestral and species-specific cellular and molecular characteristics of cerebellum development.
Published Flower power on Indian farms helps bees and boosts livelihoods
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Planting flowers beside food crops on farms in India attracts bees, boosts pollination and improves crop yield and quality, researchers have found.
Published Nano-sized cell particles are promising intervention tool in treating infectious diseases
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Extracellular vesicles were found to inhibit the viral infection of COVID-19 and potentially other infectious diseases.
Published A spectrum of possibilities: Insights into the evolution of far-red light photosynthesis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have unraveled the evolutionary journey of a unique type of photosynthesis that allows some bacteria to harness far-red light, a region beyond the visible spectrum. This discovery could pave the way for engineering plants with enhanced light absorption capabilities and has implications for our search for extraterrestrial life.
Published Scientists harness flower 'super power' to pave the way for new drug treatments
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a way of joining up the head and tail of a protein, making it more stable and easier to get into cells.
Published Slash-and-burn agriculture can increase forest biodiversity, researchers find
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The slash-and-burn agriculture practiced by many Indigenous societies across the world can actually have a positive impact on forests, according to a new study done in Belize. Researchers found that in areas of the rainforest in which Indigenous farmers using slash-and-burn techniques created intermediate-sized farm patches -- neither too small nor too large -- there were increases in forest plant diversity.