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Categories: Biology: Microbiology, Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published Don't overeat: How archaea toggle the nitrogen-uptake switch
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source By tightly regulating nitrogen uptake, microorganisms avoid overeating nitrogen and thus wasting energy. Scientists now reveal how some methanogenic archaea manage to do so.
Published Single-celled kamikazes spearhead bacterial infection
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source You suddenly feel sick -- pathogenic bacteria have managed to colonize and spread in your body! The weapons they use for their invasion are harmful toxins that target the host's defense mechanisms and vital cell functions. Before these deadly toxins can attack host cells, bacteria must first export them from their production site -- the cytoplasm -- using dedicated secretion systems.
Published For this beetle, 'date night' comes every other day
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Life on Earth runs on a 24-hour cycle as the planet turns. Animals and plants have built-in circadian clocks that synchronize metabolism and behavior to this daily cycle. But one beetle is out of sync with the rest of nature. A new study looks at a beetle with a unique, 48-hour cycle.
Published Semen microbiome health may impact male fertility
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study finds that a small group of microorganisms may be influencing sperm motility.
Published A window into plant evolution: The unusual genetic journey of lycophytes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team of researchers has uncovered a remarkable genetic phenomenon in lycophytes, which are similar to ferns and among the oldest land plants. Their study reveals that these plants have maintained a consistent genetic structure for over 350 million years, a significant deviation from the norm in plant genetics.
Published Remodeling the immune system to fight tuberculosis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Tuberculosis, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) kills upwards of 1.6 million people a year, making it one of the leading causes of death by an infectious agent worldwide -- and that number is only growing larger. How, exactly, Mtb evades the immune system isn't yet known, but a collaborative team of researchers recently discovered something surprising: prior exposure to a genus of bacteria called Mycobacterium seems to remodel the first-line defenders in the body's immune system.
Published DNA construction led to unexpected discovery of important cell function
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have used DNA origami, the art of folding DNA into desired structures, to show how an important cell receptor can be activated in a previously unknown way. The result opens new avenues for understanding how the Notch signalling pathway works and how it is involved in several serious diseases.
Published Tackling antibiotic resistance when treating pneumonia
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research has been published that identifies positive steps towards a better understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), specifically in hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP).
Published Translating nuclear waste site data into microbial ecosystem insights
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A flagship seven-year study that explores how environmental stresses influence different ecological processes shaping the composition and structure of microbial communities in groundwater has now been published.
Published New potato-threatening pathogens reported for first time in Pennsylvania, US
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source As the home of many beloved snack companies, Pennsylvania values its potatoes. Tasty tubers across the state may face the threat of newly identified pathogen strains, though, according to researchers who made the finding and aim to develop management strategies.
Published Ancient 'chewing gum' reveals stone age diet
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source What did people eat on the west coast of Scandinavia 10,000 years ago? A new study of the DNA in a chewing gum shows that deer, trout and hazelnuts were on the diet. It also shows that one of the individuals had severe problems with her teeth.
Published HIV antibodies protect animals in proof-of-concept study
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Three different HIV antibodies each independently protected monkeys from acquiring simian-HIV (SHIV) in a placebo-controlled proof-of-concept study intended to inform development of a preventive HIV vaccine for people. The antibodies -- a human broadly neutralizing antibody and two antibodies isolated from previously vaccinated monkeys -- target the fusion peptide, a site on an HIV surface protein that helps the virus fuse with and enter cells.
Published Nearly dead plants brought back to life: Keys to aging hidden in the leaves
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have known about a particular organelle in plant cells for over a century. However, scientists have only now discovered that organelle's key role in aging.
Published Study throws our understanding of gene regulation for a loop
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source To function properly, the genetic material is highly organized into loop structures that often bring together widely separated sections of the genome critical to the regulation of gene activity. Scientists now address how these loops can help repress or silence gene activity, with potentially far-reaching effects on human health.
Published Machine learning reveals sources of heterogeneity among cells in our bodies
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of scientists discovered the secrets of cell variability in our bodies. The findings of this research are expected to have far-reaching effects, such as improvement in the efficacy of chemotherapy treatments, or set a new paradigm in the study of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Published Glowing COVID-19 diagnostic test prototype produces results in one minute
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Cold, flu and COVID-19 season brings that now-familiar ritual: swab, wait, look at the result. But what if, instead of taking 15 minutes or more, a test could quickly determine whether you have COVID-19 with a glowing chemical? In a new study, researchers describe a potential COVID-19 test inspired by bioluminescence. Using a molecule found in crustaceans, they have developed a rapid approach that detects SARS-CoV-2 protein comparably to one used in vaccine research.
Published New technology for conducting deep-sea research on fragile organisms
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have successfully demonstrated new technologies that can obtain preserved tissue and high-resolution 3D images within minutes of encountering some of the most fragile animals in the deep ocean.
Published Woolly mammoth movements tied to earliest Alaska hunting camps
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have linked the travels of a 14,000-year-old woolly mammoth with the oldest known human settlements in Alaska, providing clues about the relationship between the iconic species and some of the earliest people to travel across the Bering Land Bridge. Isotopic data, along with DNA from other mammoths at the site and archaeological evidence, indicates that early Alaskans likely structured their settlements to overlap with areas where mammoths congregated. Those findings, highlighted in the new issue of the journal Science Advances, provide evidence that mammoths and early hunter-gatherers shared habitat in the region. The long-term predictable presence of woolly mammoths would have attracted humans to the area.
Published Tests can reveal whether an antibody can turn into a killer
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A promising antibody failed testing. This is good news for developing a broad-spectrum antidote against the world's most dangerous snake venoms.
Published Pacific kelp forests are far older that we thought
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fossils of kelp along the Pacific Coast are rare. Until now, the oldest fossil dated from 14 million years ago, leading to the view that today's denizens of the kelp forest -- marine mammals, urchins, sea birds -- coevolved with kelp. A recent amateur discovery pushes back the origin of kelp to 32 million years ago, long before these creatures appeared. A new analysis suggests the first kelp grazers were extinct, hippo-like animals called desmostylians.