Showing 20 articles starting at article 1441
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Categories: Anthropology: Early Humans, Biology: Microbiology
Published A guide through the genome
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Plants show enormous variety in traits relevant to breeding, such as plant height, yield and resistance to pests. One of the greatest challenges in modern plant research is to identify the differences in genetic information that are responsible for this variation.
Published Corals mark friendly algae for ingestion -- revealing possible conservation target
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Biologists reveals how coral cells tag friendly algae before ingesting them, initiating a mutually beneficial relationship. This information could guide next-level coral conservation efforts.
Published Puppeteer fungus' targeted takeover of 'zombie' flies
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers reveal the molecular and cellular underpinnings behind the parasitic fungus, Entomophthora muscae's (E. muscae), ability to manipulate the behavior of fruit flies.
Published Synthetic biology: proteins set vesicles in motion
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Biophysicists have designed a new cell-like transport system that represents an important milestone on the road to artificial cells.
Published Humanity's earliest recorded kiss occurred in Mesopotamia 4,500 years ago
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Written sources from Mesopotamia suggest that kissing in relation to sex was practiced by the peoples of the ancient Middle East 4,500 years ago.
Published Perfect 'pathogen' storm: Vibrio bacteria, Sargassum and plastic marine debris
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Little is known about the ecological relationship of Vibrio bacteria with Sargassum. Evidence also is sparse as to whether vibrios colonizing plastic marine debris and Sargassum could potentially infect humans. As summer kicks off and efforts are underway to find solutions to repurpose Sargassum, could these substrates pose a triple threat to public health? Results of a study representing the first Vibrio spp. genome assembled from plastic finds Vibrio pathogens have the unique ability to 'stick' to microplastics, harboring potent opportunistic pathogens.
Published Watch these cells rapidly create protrusions for exploration and movement
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In order to move, cells must be able to rapidly change shape. A team of researchers show that cells achieve this by storing extra 'skin' in folds and bumps on their surface. This cell surface excess can be rapidly deployed to cover temporary protrusions and then folded away for next time.
Published Scales or feathers? It all comes down to a few genes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scales, spines, feathers and hair are examples of vertebrate skin appendages, which constitute a remarkably diverse group of micro-organs. Despite their natural multitude of forms, these appendages share early developmental processes at the embryonic stage. Researchers have discovered how to permanently transform the scales that normally cover the feet of chickens into feathers, by specifically modifying the expression of certain genes.
Published What did the earliest animals look like?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Surprisingly, genome comparisons have failed to resolve a major question in animal evolution: Which living animals are the descendants of the earliest animals to evolve in the world's oceans? Scientists performed a detailed chromosomal analysis that comes down definitively in favor of comb jellies, or ctenophores, as the most recent common ancestor of all animals, or the sister taxa to all animals. Sponges evolved later.
Published An edible CBD coating could extend the shelf life of strawberries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Soon, you'll be able to get a box of freshly picked, sweet strawberries from the grocery store or local farm stand. But it's disappointing when you get them home and find that the ones at the bottom have started to rot. To increase the berries' shelf life, researchers have incorporated cannabidiol -- a non-hallucinogenic compound from cannabis known as CBD -- and sodium alginate into an edible antimicrobial coating.
Published Homo sapiens likely arose from multiple closely related populations
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In testing the genetic material of current populations in Africa and comparing against existing fossil evidence of early Homo sapiens populations there, researchers have uncovered a new model of human evolution -- overturning previous beliefs that a single African population gave rise to all humans.
Published Researchers reveal DNA repair mechanism
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study adds to an emerging, radically new picture of how bacterial cells continually repair faulty sections of their DNA.
Published How superbug A. baumannii survives metal stress and resists antibiotics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The deadly hospital pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii can live for a year on a hospital wall without food and water. Then, when it infects a vulnerable patient, it resists antibiotics as well as the body's built-in infection-fighting response. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes it as one of the three top pathogens in critical need of new antibiotic therapies. Now, an international team, led by Macquarie University researchers Dr. Ram Maharjan and Associate Professor Amy Cain, have discovered how the superbug can survive harsh environments and then rebound, causing deadly infections. They have found a single protein that acts as a master regulator. When the protein is damaged, the bug loses its superpowers allowing it to be controlled, in a lab setting. The research is published this month in Nucleic Acids Research.
Published Monkeypox viruses relatively stable on surfaces
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Smallpox viruses are notorious for their ability to remain infectious in the environment for a very long time. A study has now shown that temperature is a major factor in this process: at room temperature, a monkeypox virus that is capable of replicating can survive on a stainless steel surface for up to eleven days, and at four degrees Celsius for up to a month. Consequently, it's very important to disinfect surfaces. According to the study, alcohol-based disinfectants are very effective against monkeypox viruses, whereas hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectants have proved inadequate.
Published Phage structure captured, to benefit biotech applications
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have mapped out what a commonly-used form of phage looks like, which will help design better uses in future.
Published Heat-loving marine bacteria can help detoxify asbestos
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have shown that extremophilic bacteria from high temperature marine environments can be used to reduce asbestos' toxicity.
Published Researcher uses mammal DNA to zoom into the human genome with unprecedented resolution
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have precisely identified base pairs of the human genome that remained consistent over millions of years of mammalian evolution, and which play a crucial role in human disease. The team analyzed the genomes of 240 mammals, including humans and identified base pairs that were 'constrained' -- meaning they remained generally consistent -- across mammal species over the course of evolution. The most constrained base pairs in mammals were over seven times more likely to be causal for human disease and complex trait, and over 11 times more likely when researchers looked at the most constrained base pairs in primates alone.
Published A look inside stem cells helps create personalized regenerative medicine
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have examined a specific type of stem cell with an intracellular toolkit to determine which cells are most likely to create effective cell therapies.
Published Brain-belly connection: Gut health may influence likelihood of developing Alzheimer's
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study pinpoints 10 bacterial groups associated with Alzheimer's disease, provides new insights into the relationship between gut makeup and dementia.
Published Ancestral mitoviruses discovered in mycorrhizal fungi
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new group of mitochondrial viruses confined to the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Glomeromycotina may represent an ancestral lineage of mitoviruses.