Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology
Published

'DNA scavengers' can stop some antibiotic resistance from spreading      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For nearly a century, scientists have waged war on antibiotic-resistant microbes. Researchers say they've found a new way to prevent it -- by unleashing 'DNA scavengers' in wastewater treatment plants.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry
Published

Unlocking the last lanthanide      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of scientists was recently able to observe how promethium forms chemical bonds when placed in an aqueous solution.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Engineered Bacteria make thermally stable plastics similar to polystyrene and PET      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Bioengineers around the world have been working to create plastic-producing microbes that could replace the petroleum-based plastics industry. Now, researchers have overcome a major hurdle: getting bacteria to produce polymers that contain ring-like structures, which make the plastics more rigid and thermally stable. Because these molecules are usually toxic to microorganisms, the researchers had to construct a novel metabolic pathway that would enable the E. coli bacteria to both produce and tolerate the accumulation of the polymer and the building blocks it is composed of. The resulting polymer is biodegradable and has physical properties that could lend it to biomedical applications such as drug delivery, though more research is needed.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Benefits and downside of fasting      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers identified a signaling pathway in mice that boosts intestinal stem cells' regeneration abilities after fasting. When cancerous mutations occurred during this regenerative period, mice were more likely to develop early-stage intestinal tumors.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General
Published

Molecular wires with a twist      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed molecular wires with periodic twists. By controlling the lengths of regions between twists, the electrical conductivity of individual polymer chains can be enhanced. This work may lead to novel organic electronics or single-molecule wires.

Biology: General Biology: Microbiology
Published

Gut bioelectricity provides a path for 'bad' bacteria to cause diseases      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered a novel bioelectrical mechanism that pathogens like Salmonella use to find entry points in the gut lining that would allow pathogens to pass and cause infection.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Microbiology
Published

Hospital bacteria tracked better than ever before with new technique      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New method provides high-resolution surveillance data about multiple common antibiotic-resistant bacteria at once and could help prevent the spread of infections.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology
Published

Mother's gut microbiome during pregnancy shapes baby's brain development      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study in mice has found that the bacteria Bifidobacterium breve in the mother's gut during pregnancy supports healthy brain development in the fetus.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology
Published

How early-life antibiotics turn immunity into allergy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have shown how and why the depletion of microbes in a newborn's gut by antibiotics can lead to lifelong respiratory allergies. The research team identified a specific cascade of events that lead to allergies and asthma, opening many new avenues for exploring potential preventions and treatments.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology
Published

New worm study paves way for better RNA-based drugs to treat human disease      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered RNA mechanisms that may lead to more effective, durable and targeted treatments for conditions like high cholesterol, liver diseases and cancers.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

A new reaction to enhance aromatic ketone use in chemical synthesis      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers develop a one pot process to transform aromatic ketones to esters, offering advancements in pharmaceutical synthesis and materials science.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Investigating the interplay of folding and aggregation in supramolecular polymer systems      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have developed photoresponsive supramolecular polymers that can undergo both intrachain folding and interchain aggregation.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology
Published

Scientists discover new code governing gene activity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A newly discovered code within DNA -- coined 'spatial grammar' -- holds a key to understanding how gene activity is encoded in the human genome. This breakthrough finding revealed a long-postulated hidden spatial grammar embedded in DNA. The research could reshape scientists' understanding of gene regulation and how genetic variations may influence gene expression in development or disease.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Technology
Published

Using AI to find the polymers of the future      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Finding the next groundbreaking polymer is always a challenge, but now researchers are using artificial intelligence (AI) to shape and transform the future of the field.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Computer Science: General Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Peering into the mind of artificial intelligence to make better antibiotics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Artificial intelligence (AI) has exploded in popularity as of late. But just like a human, it's hard to read an AI model's mind. Explainable AI (XAI) could help us do just that by providing justification for a model's decisions. And now, researchers are using XAI to scrutinize predictive AI models more closely, which could help make better antibiotics.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

Evidence stacks up for poisonous books containing toxic dyes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Some of the attractive hues of brightly colored, cloth-bound books from the Victorian era come from dyes that could pose a health risk to readers, collectors or librarians. The latest research on these 'poison books' used three techniques -- including one that hasn't previously been applied to books -- to assess dangerous dyes in a university collection and found some volumes had levels that might be unsafe.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Key biofuel-producing microalga believed to be a single species is actually three      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

When a global pandemic forced previous a graduate student out of the lab and onto the computer, he found a world of difference hidden in the long-studied species of Botryoccocus braunii -- and discovered that it isn't one species at all, but three.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Biology: Zoology
Published

New insights on how bird flu crosses the species barrier      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The avian influenza virus needs to mutate to cross the species barrier and to infect and replicate within mammalian cells. Scientists have now deciphered the structure of the avian influenza virus's polymerase when it interacts with a human protein essential for the virus to replicate within the cell. The structure of this replication complex provides important information about the mutations that avian influenza polymerase must undergo to adapt to mammals, including humans. These results can help scientists monitor the evolution and adaptability of bird flu strains, such as H5N1 or H7N9, towards infecting other species.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Searching old stem cells that stay young forever      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The sea anemone Nematostella vectensis is potentially immortal. Using molecular genetic methods, developmental biologists have now identified possible candidates for multipotent stem cells in the sea anemone for the first time. These stem cells are regulated by evolutionary highly conserved genes.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology
Published

Low cortisol, hair-trigger stress response in the brain may underlie Long COVID      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new animal study shows that exposure to immune-stimulating proteins left behind by COVID-19 leads to lower cortisol, brain inflammation and a heightened reaction to subsequent stressors.