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Categories: Anthropology: Early Humans, Biology: Microbiology
Published Machine learning helps scientists identify the environmental preferences of microbes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A machine-learning approach can give scientists insight into the environmental preferences of microbes, based only on their genes. The approach has practical research implications: it could help researchers more efficiently grow bacteria in the laboratory. It could also lead to smarter use of microbes in agriculture, ecological restoration, and even probiotics.
Published Mushrooms and their post-rain, electrical conversations
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Certain types of fungi can communicate with each other via electrical signals. But much remains unknown about how and when they do so. A group of researchers recently headed to the forest to measure the electrical signals of Laccaria bicolor mushrooms, finding that their electrical signals increased following rainfall.
Published Scientists identify antivirals that could combat emerging infectious diseases
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study has identified potential broad-spectrum antiviral agents that can target multiple families of RNA viruses that continue to pose a significant threat for future pandemics.
Published New test reveals existing antibiotics, hiding in plain sight on pharmacy shelves, can treat superbugs
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new test revealed that FDA-approved antibiotics -- available at your neighborhood pharmacy -- can effectively treat superbugs. They are not prescribed, however, because the gold-standard test predicts they will not work. The new test may improve the way antibiotics are developed, tested and prescribed -- and it is openly available to all.
Published Scientists slow aging by engineering longevity in cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a biosynthetic 'clock' that keeps cells from reaching normal levels of deterioration related to aging. They engineered a gene oscillator that switches between the two normal paths of aging, slowing cell degeneration and setting a record for life extension.
Published Pulling the plug on viral infections: CRISPR isn't just about cutting
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source CRISPR claimed scientific fame for its ability to quickly and accurately edit genes. But, at the core, CRISPR systems are immune systems that help bacteria protect themselves from viruses. A new study reveals a previously unrecognized player in one such system -- a membrane protein that enhances anti-viral defense. According to study authors, the finding upends the idea that CRISPR systems mount their defense only by degrading RNA and DNA in cells.
Published Information 'deleted' from the human genome may be what made us human
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source What the human genome is lacking compared with the genomes of other primates might have been as crucial to the development of humankind as what has been added during our evolutionary history, according to a new study led by researchers at Yale and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. The new findings, published April 28 in the journal Science, fill an important gap in what is known about historical changes to the human genome.
Published Mammalian evolution provides hints for understanding the origins of human disease
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Even though it is important to know where these variations are located in the genome, it's also useful to know how or why these genetic variations happened in the first place.
Published How dormant bacteria come back to life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Bacterial spores can survive for years, even centuries, without nutrients, resisting heat, UV radiation, and antibiotics. How inert, sleeping bacteria -- or spores -- spring back to life has been a century-long mystery. New research identifies how sensor proteins revive dormant bacteria. Discovery opens new routes to combat spore resistance to antibiotics and sterilization. Findings can inform novel strategies to prevent infections, food spoilage.
Published Scientists discover antibiotic resistance genes in clouds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The atmosphere is a large-scale dissemination route for bacteria carrying antibiotic-resistance genes. A research team has shown that these genes can be transported by clouds.
Published Maths unlocks molecular interactions that open window to how life evolved
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Landmark research by mathematicians sets out the definitive picture of biological adaptation at the level of intermolecular interactions.
Published Prehistoric scat reveals 'Waves' of extinction in Colombia
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fungal spores found in dung have revealed that large animals went extinct in two 'waves' in the Colombian Andes.
Published A healthy but depleted herd: Predators decrease prey disease levels but also population size
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Nature documentaries will tell you that lions, cheetahs, wolves and other top predators target the weakest or slowest animals and that this culling benefits prey herds, whether it's antelope in Africa or elk in Wyoming. This idea has been widely accepted by biologists for many years and was formalized in 2003 as the healthy herds hypothesis. It proposes that predators can help prey populations by picking off the sick and injured and leaving healthy, strong animals to reproduce.
Published Near-universal T cell immunity towards a broad range of bacteria
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Typically T cells of the immune system respond to a specific feature (antigen) of a microbe, thereby generating protective immunity. Scientists have discovered an exception to this rule. Namely, a group of divergent bacterial pathogens, including pneumococci, all share a small highly conserved protein sequence, which is both presented and recognized by human T cells in a conserved population-wide manner.
Published Ocean ecosystem: Mixotrophic microorganisms play key role
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have identified a previously unknown group of bacteria, called UBA868, as key players in the energy cycle of the deep ocean. They are significantly involved in the biogeochemical cycle in the marine layer between 200 and 1000 meters.
Published Antimicrobial use in agriculture can breed bacteria resistant to first-line human defenses
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study has shown that overuse of antimicrobials in livestock production can drive the evolution of bacteria more resistant to the first line of the human immune response. Bacteria that had evolved resistance to colistin, an antimicrobial widely used in farming, also showed resistance to compounds that are key components of human and animal immune systems. The results indicate that farmed pigs and chickens could harbour large reservoirs of cross-resistant bacteria, capable of fuelling future epidemics.
Published Luring the virus into a trap
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Viruses like influenza A and Ebola invade human cells in a number of steps. Research teams investigated the final stages of viral penetration using electron tomography and computer simulations. So-called fusion pores, through which the viral genome is released into the host cell, play a central role in these processes. If they can be prevented from forming, the virus is also blocked. The Heidelberg scientists describe previously unknown mechanisms, which might lead to new approaches to prevent infections.
Published Searching for ancient bears in an Alaskan cave led to an important human discovery
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Genetic analysis links 3,000-year-old bone found in cave to modern Alaska Natives.
Published Researchers reveal an ancient mechanism for wound repair
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The study is the first to identify a damage response pathway that is distinct from but parallel to the classical pathway triggered by pathogens.
Published 'BeerBots' could speed up the brewing process
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Craft brewers are continuously upping the ante and coming up with innovative ways to make or flavor their newest beers. Now, researchers are adding a new twist of their own, speeding up the brewing process with beer-making mini-robots or 'BeerBots.' The team shows that these self-propelled, magnetic packages of yeast can make the fermentation phase go faster and cut out the need to filter the beverage.