Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology
Published

Proof-of-concept study to find functional cure for HIV      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers conducted a breakthrough proof-of-concept study that found an HIV-like virus particle that could cease the need for lifelong medications.

Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Extinction Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: General
Published

Komodo dragons have iron-coated teeth to rip apart their prey      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have discovered that the serrated edges of Komodo dragons' teeth are tipped with iron. The study gives new insight into how Komodo dragons keep their teeth razor-sharp and may provide clues to how dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex killed and ate their prey.

Biology: General Ecology: Extinction Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Scientists assess how large dinosaurs could really get      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study looks at the maximum possible sizes of dinosaurs, using the carnivore, Tyrannosaurus rex, as an example. Using computer modelling, experts produced estimates that T. Rex might have been 70% heavier than what the fossil evidence suggests.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Under pressure: How cells respond to physical stress      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Cell membranes play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity and functionality of cells. However, the mechanisms by which they perform these roles are not yet fully understood. Scientists have used cryo-electron microscopy to observe how lipids and proteins at the plasma membrane interact and react to mechanical stress. This work shows that, depending on conditions, small membrane regions can stabilize various lipids to trigger specific cellular responses. These discoveries confirm the existence of well-organized lipid domains and begin to reveal the role they play in cell survival.

Biology: Microbiology
Published

New study confirms mammal-to-mammal avian flu spread      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study provides evidence that a spillover of avian influenza from birds to dairy cattle across several U.S. states has now led to mammal-to-mammal transmission -- between cows and from cows to cats and a raccoon.

Biology: Evolutionary Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Taco-shaped arthropod fossils gives new insights into the history of the first mandibulates      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Palaeontologists are helping resolve the evolution and ecology of Odaraia, a taco-shaped marine animal that lived during the Cambrian period. Fossils reveal Odaraia had mandibles. Palaeontologists are finally able to place it as belonging to the mandibulates, ending its long enigmatic classification among the arthropods since it was first discovered in the Burgess Shale over 100 years ago and revealing more about early evolution and diversification.

Biology: Botany Biology: Microbiology
Published

Biosensor reveals gibberellin's critical role in legume nitrogen-fixation -- paving the way for self-fertilizing cereals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers demonstrate that the plant hormone gibberellin (GA) is essential for the formation and maturation of nitrogen-fixing root nodules in legumes and can also increase nodule size.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Dual action antibiotic could make bacterial resistance nearly impossible      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New drug that disrupts two cellular targets would make it much harder for bacteria to evolve resistance.

Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General
Published

Pioneering the cellular frontier      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists use a multimodal approach that combines hard X-ray computed tomography and X-ray fluorescence imaging to see the structure and chemical processes inside of a single cell.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

New rapid method for determining virus infectivity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new method that can rapidly determine whether a virus is infectious or non-infectious could revolutionize the response to future pandemics, researchers report.

Anthropology: Cultures Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

Hunter-gatherers kept an 'orderly home' in the earliest known British dwelling      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Archaeological evidence from the world-famous Mesolithic site of Star Carr in North Yorkshire has shown that hunter-gatherers likely kept an orderly home by creating 'zones' for particular domestic activities.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Exposing dengue's invasion strategies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Mosquito-borne viral infections once confined to tropical regions are spreading. Dengue virus infects up to 400 million people worldwide each year according to World Health Organization estimates, and no available treatments exist for this disease. Now, research uncovered surprising strategies for how dengue and hundreds of other viruses replicate in their hosts, with the potential to aid in developing novel antiviral treatments and vaccines.

Biology: Microbiology
Published

Scientists identify possible new transmission factor in hospital-acquired Klebsiella infections      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have identified a critical factor that may contribute to the spread of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), shedding light on why these infections are so difficult to combat. Their study reveals that the dangerous multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogen, Klebsiella, thrives under nutrient-deprived polymicrobial community conditions found in hospital environments.

Biology: Microbiology Environmental: General
Published

Understanding how a red seaweed reduces methane emissions from cows      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has implications for addressing a leading contributor to climate warming, methane.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology
Published

The rhythm led by plants is crucial for symbiosis with nutrient-providing bacteria      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Recent research on Lotus japonicus, a model leguminous plant, has unveiled that the interaction between legume roots and rhizobia is characterized by periodic gene expression with a six-hour rhythm. This rhythmic gene expression influences the regions of the root susceptible to rhizobial infection and the distribution of nodules. It was also discovered that the plant hormone cytokinin is crucial for maintaining this gene expression rhythm.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Small animals acquire genes from bacteria that can produce antibiotics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A group of small, freshwater animals (bdelloid rotifers) protect themselves from infections using antibiotic recipes 'stolen' from bacteria, according to new research. This raises the potential that rotifers are producing novel antimicrobials that may be less toxic to animals, including humans, than those we develop from bacteria and fungi.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Microbiology
Published

Analyzing internal world models of humans, animals and AI      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a new formal description of internal world models, thereby enabling interdisciplinary research. Internal world models help to make predictions about new situations based on previous experience and to help find one's bearings. The new formalized view helps to compare world models of humans, animals and AI and to eliminate deficits.