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Categories: Biology: Microbiology, Offbeat: Space
Published How bacteria recognize viral invasion and activate immune defenses



Bacteria have an array of strategies to counter viral invasion, but how they first spot a stranger in their midst has long been a mystery.
Published Microbes could help reduce the need for chemical fertilizers



A new metal-organic coating protects bacterial cells from damage without impeding their growth or function. The coated bacteria, which produce ammonia, could make it much easier for farmers to deploy microbes as fertilizers.
Published Visualizing 'traffic jams' inside living cells



Researchers have unveiled a groundbreaking approach to label-free visualization of intracellular cargo trafficking in living cells, achieving high-speed and limitless observation capabilities. By developing a cargo-localization interferometric scattering (CL-iSCAT) microscope, scientists meticulously tracked the intricate movements of numerous cargos in the bustling cellular world. Surprisingly, cells employ human-like strategies to manage their transport challenges.
Published Surveilling wetlands for infectious bird flu -- and finding it



Recently, morning omelets and holiday dinners have gotten more expensive. One likely cause is bird flu, outbreaks of which led to the deaths of millions of chickens and turkeys from infection or culling in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and which still demands rigorous monitoring of wild populations. Now, researchers have developed a method that detected infectious bird flu virus in wetlands frequented by waterfowl.
Published Colliding ribosomes activate RNA repair



Researchers discover how ribosomes contribute to the recognition and removal of RNA crosslinking damage.
Published With unprecedented flares, stellar corpse shows signs of life



After a distant star's explosive death, an active stellar corpse was the likely source of repeated energetic flares observed over several months -- a phenomenon astronomers had never seen before, astronomers report.
Published Novel C. diff structures are required for infection, offer new therapeutic targets



Newly discovered iron storage 'ferrosomes' inside the bacterium C. diff -- the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections -- are important for infection in an animal model and could offer new targets for antibacterial drugs. They also represent a rare demonstration of a membrane-bound structure inside a pathogenic bacterium, upsetting the biological dogma that bacteria do not contain organelles.
Published James Webb Space Telescope detects water vapor, sulfur dioxide and sand clouds in the atmosphere of a nearby exoplanet



Astronomers have used recent observations made with the James Webb Space Telescope to study the atmosphere of the nearby exoplanet WASP-107b. Peering deep into the fluffy atmosphere of WASP-107b they discovered not only water vapor and sulfur dioxide, but even silicate sand clouds. These particles reside within a dynamic atmosphere that exhibits vigorous transport of material.
Published Dangerous bee virus less deadly in at least one US forest



Researchers have found that the deadly deformed wing virus (DMV) in bees may have evolved to be less deadly in at least one U.S. forest. The findings could have implications for preventing or treating the virus in managed colonies, researchers said.
Published 'Bouncing' comets could deliver building blocks for life to exoplanets



How did the molecular building blocks for life end up on Earth? One long-standing theory is that they could have been delivered by comets. Now, researchers have shown how comets could deposit similar building blocks to other planets in the galaxy.
Published Using eclipses to calculate the transparency of Saturn's rings



A student has measured the optical depth of Saturn's rings using a new method based on how much sunlight reached the Cassini spacecraft while it was in the shadow of the rings.
Published Shedding new light on sugars, the 'dark matter' of cellular biology



Chemists have developed a new tool for detecting interactions between sugars and lectins, a discovery that could help in the fight against diseases like cancer.
Published Forecasting microbiomes for sustainability and health



Microbial communities, or microbiomes, are essential for safeguarding human and environmental health through the most widely used biotechnological process on our planet: biological wastewater treatment. However, the process itself is subject to constant changes, difficult to sustain over long periods of time and emits significant amounts of greenhouse gases.
Published Another step toward the HIV-1 vaccine: Dynamics of neutralizing antibodies



Longevity of neutralizing antibodies is an essential factor for an effective HIV-1 vaccination.
Published Galactic 'lightsabers': Answering longstanding questions about jets from black holes



The one thing everyone knows about black holes is that absolutely everything nearby gets sucked into them. Almost everything, it turns out. Astrophysicists have now determined conclusively that energy close to the event horizon of black hole M87* is pushing outward, not inward. The researchers have also created a way to test the prediction that black holes lose rotational energy and to establish it's that energy that produces the incredibly powerful jets.
Published How tiny hinges bend the infection-spreading spikes of a coronavirus



Far from being stiff and pointy, a coronavirus's infectious spikes are shaped like chicken drumsticks with the meaty part facing out, and the meaty part can tilt every which way on its slender stalk. A new study suggests that disabling those hinges could block infection.
Published Scientists uncover aurora-like radio emission above a sunspot



Astronomers have detailed radio observations of an extraordinary aurora-like display -- occurring 40,000 km above a relatively dark and cold patch on the Sun, known as a sunspot.
Published Evolution of taste: Early sharks were able to perceive bitter substances



New genetic data show that humans and sharks share bitter taste receptors, even though their evolutionary pathways separated nearly 500 million years ago.
Published New discovery on how green algae count cell divisions illuminates key step needed for the evolution of multicellular life



An international research team has made an unexpected discovery of a biased counting mechanism used by the single-celled green alga Chlamydomonas to control cell division.
Published How marine bristle worms use a special protein to distinguish between sunlight and moonlight



A research team has presented its findings on the functioning of an atypical cryptochrome protein (Cry). These proteins are found in a variety of organisms, and they are often involved in light-controlled biological processes. The marine bristle worm Platynereis dumerilii, for example, employs a special Cry protein designated L-Cry to distinguish between sunlight and moonlight as well as between different moon phases. This is essential for the worms to synchronize their reproduction to the full moon phase via an inner monthly calendar, also called circalunar clock.