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Categories: Anthropology: General, Biology: Microbiology
Published 'A crab is never just a crab'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A herring in the North Sea, a crab in the Wadden Sea or an anemone fish on a coral reef, ... biologists like to think in terms of individual species that all have their own place within food webs in ecosystems across the world. 'But that is surely too simplistic thinking,' researchers warn.
Published Nutrients drive cellular reprogramming in the intestine
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have unveiled an intriguing phenomenon of cellular reprogramming in mature adult organs, shedding light on a novel mechanism of adaptive growth. The study, which was conducted on fruit flies (Drosophila), provides further insights into dedifferentiation -- where specialized cells that have specific functions transform into less specialized, undifferentiated cells like stem cells.
Published Bacteria generate electricity from wastewater
(via sciencedaily.com) In a breakthrough for the field of bioelectronics, researchers have enhanced the ability of E. coli bacteria to generate electricity. The innovative approach only offers a sustainable solution for organic waste processing while outperforming previous state-of-the-art technologies, opening new horizons for versatile microbial electricity production.
Published Study links epigenetic changes to historic trauma in Alaska Native communities
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers investigated the relationship between historical traumatic events experienced by Alaska Native communities and epigenetic markers on genes that previous studies have linked to trauma. The new study found a similar pattern among Alaska Native participants, with specific epigenetic differences observed in those who reported experiencing the most intense symptoms of distress when reflecting on historic losses.
Published Artificial intelligence could help build pollen jigsaw of present and ancient flora
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An emerging system which combines rapid imaging with artificial intelligence could help scientists build a comprehensive picture of present and historic environmental change -- by swiftly and accurately analyzing pollen.
Published New at-home test for gingivitis protects oral health
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Engineers have developed a new device that can warn consumers about early risks of tooth decay from diseases such as gingivitis and periodontitis.
Published How to prevent biofilms in space
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In experiments aboard the International Space Station, a surface treatment developed engineers prevented the growth of microbial biofims. These films can damage equipment and potentially cause illness.
Published Fiber from crustaceans, insects, mushrooms promotes digestion
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Crustaceans, insects and mushrooms are rich sources of the dietary fiber chitin, which activates the immune system and benefits metabolism, according to a new study in mice.
Published Dog diversity unveiled by international DNA database
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international consortium of scientists is using an unprecedentedly large database of canine DNA to take an unbiased look at how our furry friends evolved into the various breeds we know and love.
Published St Helena's 'liberated' Africans came from West Central Africa between northern Angola and Gabon
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Between 1840 and 1867, thousands of enslaved Africans who had been 'liberated' from slave ships intercepted by the British Royal Navy were taken to the South Atlantic island of St Helena. But little is written in history books or otherwise known about the lives of these individuals. Now, ancient DNA analyses offer the first direct evidence for the origins of St Helena's liberated Africans.
Published Blood-brain barrier governs ant behavior by altering hormone levels
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In many animals, including ants, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) ensures normal brain function by controlling the movement of various substances in and out of the brain. Now, researchers have made the unexpected discovery that the BBB in carpenter ants plays an active role in controlling behavior that's essential to the function of entire ant colonies. The key is production in the BBB of a particular hormone-degrading enzyme.
Published Engineers design more powerful RNA vaccines
(via sciencedaily.com) By adding synergistic self-adjuvanting properties to COVID-19 RNA vaccines, researchers showed they could significantly boost the immune response generated in mice.
Published Genetic tools probe microbial dark matter
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Genetic manipulation of a puzzling, miniscule bacteria that has lived in human mouths at least since the Middle Stone Age is elucidating the genes needed for its unusual lifestyle. These Patescibacteria in the human oral microbiome reside on the surface of another, larger host microbe. Found in many water and land environments, Patescibacteria in general lack the genes required to make many molecules necessary for life, such as the amino acids that make up proteins, the fatty acids that form membranes, and the nucleotides in DNA. This has led researchers to speculate that many of them rely on other bacteria to grow. In a new study, researchers present the first glimpse into the molecular mechanisms behind their relationship with their host cells. They also share details gleaned from fluorescent, time-lapse microsopic imaging of these bacteria as they bud and send out swarms of tiny progeny, only a fraction of which are able to establish a host relationship.
Published Cattle on low-protein rations may need amino acid supplement to boost milk yield
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source When dairy cows are fed diets with reduced protein concentrations -- aimed at decreased environmental nitrogen pollution from their manure such as nitrate leaching, nutrient-laden run-off and ammonia volatilization -- their milk production can suffer. Supplementing the amino acid histidine may help in maintaining, and even increasing, milk and milk-protein yields.
Published 'Monstrous births' and the making of race in the nineteenth-century United States
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source From the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, 'monstrous births' -- malformed or anomalous fetuses -- were, to Western medicine, an object of superstition. In 19th-century America, they became instead an object of the 'modern scientific study of monstrosity,' a field formalized by French scientist Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. This clinical turn was positioned against the backdrop of social, political, and economic activity that codified laws governing slavery, citizenship, immigration, family, wealth, and access to resources.
Published New compound unleashes the immune system on metastases
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new nanocomplex renders a tumor harmless -- and, on top of that, it trains the immune system to detect and eliminate metastases.
Published Keeping herpes in check
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Herpes is not only unpleasant but it can, in some cases, also have dangerous complications and life-threatening consequences. A research team has now introduced a completely new approach for treating herpes. Their method is based on the inhibition of an enzyme that is needed for the release of newly formed virus particles from infected cells.
Published Study illuminates mechanism that annotates genetic information passed from fathers to offspring
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have identified a key part of a mechanism that annotates genetic information before it is passed from fathers to their offspring. The findings shed new light on genomic imprinting, a fundamental, biological process in which a gene from one parent is switched off while the copy from the other parent remains active. Errors in imprinting are linked to a host of diseases, such as the rare disease Silver-Russell syndrome along with certain cancers and diabetes.
Published Multidrug-resistant bacterium emerging in community settings
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New 'hypervirulent' strains of the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae have emerged in healthy people in community settings, prompting a research group to investigate how the human immune system defends against infection. After exposing the strains to components of the human immune system in a laboratory 'test tube' setting, scientists found that some strains were more likely to survive in blood and serum than others, and that neutrophils (white blood cells) are more likely to ingest and kill some strains than others.
Published Switching from harmful to helpful fungi
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Mold and diseases caused by fungi can greatly impact the shelf life of fruit and vegetables. However, some fungi benefit their hosts by aiding plant survival. Colletotrichum tofieldiae (Ct) is a root mold which typically supports continued plant development even when the plant is starved of phosphorus, an important nutrient for photosynthesis and growth. Researchers studied a unique pathogenic strain of the fungi, called Ct3, which conversely inhibits plant growth.