Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Animals
Published

Understanding chronic wasting disease in deer      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new collaborative study analyzed fecal samples to shed light on how the fatal disease impacts the gut microbiome in deer, providing a promising tool for disease surveillance.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Mathematics: Statistics Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Researchers show classical computers can keep up with, and surpass, their quantum counterparts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of scientists has devised means for classical computing to mimic a quantum computing with far fewer resources than previously thought. The scientists' results show that classical computing can be reconfigured to perform faster and more accurate calculations than state-of-the-art quantum computers.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Technique could improve the sensitivity of quantum sensing devices      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new technique can control a larger number of microscopic defects in a diamond. These defects can be used as qubits for quantum sensing applications, and being able to control a greater number of qubits would improve the sensitivity of such devices.

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

Researchers uncover genetic factors for severe Lassa fever      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers report the results of the first ever genome-wide association study (GWAS) of a biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) virus. The team found two key human genetic factors that could help explain why some people develop severe Lassa fever, and a set of LARGE1 variants linked to a reduced chance of getting Lassa fever. The work could lay the foundation for better treatments for Lassa fever and other similar diseases. The scientists are already working on a similar genetics study of Ebola susceptibility.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Combining materials may support unique superconductivity for quantum computing      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new fusion of materials, each with special electrical properties, has all the components required for a unique type of superconductivity that could provide the basis for more robust quantum computing.

Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Scientists develop artificial 'worm gut' to break down plastics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of scientists has developed an artificial 'worm gut' to break down plastics, offering hope for a nature-inspired method to tackle the global plastic pollution problem.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology
Published

Surprise discovery of tiny insect-killing worm      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have discovered a tiny worm species that infects and kills insects. These worms, called nematodes, could control crop pests in warm, humid places where other beneficial nematodes are currently unable to thrive.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Nature
Published

Friend or foe? Ancient partnership between moss and fungi      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have shed new light on the ancient relationship between moss and fungi. They discovered that intricate moss-fungi interactions often depended on a third variable -- the presence of endobacteria within the fungi themselves.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Microbiology
Published

Organic compound found in trees could prevent contact lens eye infections      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers say hydroquinine could be an effective naturally occurring disinfecting solution for contact lenses and help combat keratitis infections.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: Biochemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

New approach for fast and cost-effective pathogen detection      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The ability to detect diseases at an early stage or even predict their onset would be of tremendous benefit to doctors and patients alike. A research team now develops intelligent, miniaturized biosensor devices and systems using nanomaterials to determine biomolecules and cells as well as biochemical reactions or processes as disease markers. The team's current publication describes the development of a portable, palm-sized test system that can simultaneously carry out up to thirty-two analyses of one sample.

Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Gut microbiome changes during pregnancy may influence immune system response      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study identifies numerous pathways by which the gut microbiome may change the immune system.

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

Bacteria in the mouth linked to pulmonary fibrosis survival      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Bacteria in the mouth may play a role in survival from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), finds a new study.

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

New approach to tackling bacterial infections identified      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have identified a new approach to controlling bacterial infections. The team found a way to turn on a vital bacterial defense mechanism to fight and manage bacterial infections. The defense system, called cyclic oligonucleotide-based antiphage signaling system (CBASS), is a natural mechanism used by certain bacteria to protect themselves from viral attacks. Bacteria self-destruct as a means to prevent the spread of virus to other bacterial cells in the population.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Microbiology
Published

Microfluidic environments alter microbe behaviors, opening potential for engineering social evolution      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research group explored how the social evolution of microbes can be manipulated by tuning the physical parameters of the environment in which they live.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Sea Life
Published

Remarkable cellular architecture and phylogenetic position of the mysterious arm-swinging protist meteora sporadica      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers studied in detail the strange protist Meteora sporadica, which swings its two lateral arms back and forth. The results of the study indicated that M. sporadica has a complex cytoskeleton that is closely related to Hemimastigophora, a group of organisms considered to be one of the deepest branches of eukaryotes.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

How plants obtain nitrogen by supplying iron to symbiotic bacteria      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered peptide factors that function in the shoot and root systems to transport iron into the root nodules colonized by nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Moreover, these peptide factors regulate nitrogen homeostasis by maintaining a balance between nitrogen and iron concentrations in plants without rhizobial symbiosis.

Biology: Botany Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Two new freshwater fungi species in China enhance biodiversity knowledge      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered two new freshwater hyphomycete (mould) species, Acrogenospora alangii and Conioscypha yunnanensis, in southwestern China. The discovery marks the addition of these species to the Acrogenospora and Conioscypha genera, further enriching the diversity of freshwater fungi known in the region.

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

Flu virus variants resistant to new antiviral drug candidate lose pathogenicity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Influenza A viruses with induced resistance to a new candidate antiviral drug were found to be impaired in cell culture and weakened in animals, according to a new study.