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Categories: Biology: Microbiology
Published Diatom surprise could rewrite the global carbon cycle
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source When it comes to diatoms that live in the ocean, new research suggests that photosynthesis is not the only strategy for accumulating carbon. Instead, these single-celled plankton are also building biomass by feeding directly on organic carbon in wide swaths of the ocean. These new findings could lead to reduced estimates regarding how much carbon dioxide diatoms pull out of the air via photosynthesis, which in turn, could alter our understanding of the global carbon cycle, which is especially relevant given the changing climate.
Published What fat cats on a diet may tell us about obesity in humans
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Pet cats may be excellent animal models for the study of obesity origins and treatment in humans, a new study of feline gut microbes suggests -- and both species would likely get healthier in the research process, scientists say.
Published Influenza viruses can use two ways to infect cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Most influenza viruses enter human or animal cells through specific pathways on the cells' surface. Researchers have now discovered that certain human flu viruses and avian flu viruses can also use a second entry pathway, a protein complex of the immune system, to infect cells. This ability helps the viruses infect different species -- and potentially jump between animals and humans.
Published Llama nanobodies: A breakthrough in building HIV immunity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Biology researchers have developed a new antibody therapy that can neutralize a wide variety of HIV-1 strains. They found success in an unlikely source -- llamas.
Published A new addition to the CRISPR toolbox: Teaching the gene scissors to detect RNA
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source CRISPR-Cas systems, defense systems in bacteria, have become a plentiful source of technologies for molecular diagnostics. Researchers have now expanded this extensive toolbox further. Their novel method, called PUMA, enables the detection of RNA with Cas12 nucleases, which naturally target DNA. PUMA promises a wide range of applications and high accuracy.
Published Unique characteristics of previously unexplored protein discovered
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Research achieves scientific breakthrough in understanding cell division.
Published Ancient microbes offer clues to how complex life evolved
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered that a single-celled organism, a close relative of animals, harbors the remnants of ancient giant viruses woven into its own genetic code. This finding sheds light on how complex organisms may have acquired some of their genes and highlights the dynamic interplay between viruses and their hosts.
Published Harnessing big data helps scientists home in on new antimicrobials
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a strategy to identify new antimicrobial drugs with therapeutic promise from bacterial datasets, providing clues for discovering alternatives to traditional antibiotics.
Published E. coli variant may cause antimicrobial resistance in dogs, humans
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers studying antimicrobial-resistant E. coli -- the leading cause of human death due to antimicrobial resistance worldwide -- have identified a mechanism in dogs that may render multiple antibiotic classes ineffective.
Published Building a roadmap to bioengineer plants that produce their own nitrogen fertilizer
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Nitrogen fertilizers make it possible to feed the world's growing population, but they are also costly adn harm ecosystems. However, a few plants have evolved the ability to acquire their own nitrogen with the help of bacteria, and a new study helps explain how they did it, not once, but multiple times.
Published Receptors make dairy cows a prime target for influenza
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A study helps explain why dairy cows infected by highly pathogenic avian influenza are shedding the virus in their milk. Their findings could help develop biosecurity measures aimed at slowing the spread of the illness.
Published A better way to make RNA drugs
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source RNA drugs are the next frontier of medicine, but manufacturing them requires an expensive and labor-intensive process that limits production and produces metric tons of toxic chemical waste. Researchers report a new, enzyme-based RNA synthesis method that can produce strands of RNA with both natural and modified nucleotides without the environmental hazards.
Published Insight into one of life's earliest ancestors revealed in new study
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have shed light on Earth's earliest ecosystem, showing that within a few hundred million years of planetary formation, life on Earth was already flourishing.
Published A comprehensive derivative synthesis method for development of new antimicrobial drugs
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A method to screen a wide variety of drug candidates without laborious purification steps could advance the fight against drug-resistant bacteria.
Published Respiratory bacteria 'turn off' immune system to survive
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have identified how a common bacterium is able to manipulate the human immune system during respiratory infections and cause persistent illness.
Published A stealth fungus has decimated North American bats but scientists may be a step closer to treating white-nose syndrome
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An invasive fungus that colonizes the skin of hibernating bats with deadly consequences is a stealthy invader that uses multiple strategies to slip into the small mammals' skin cells and quietly manipulate them to aid its own survival. The fungus, which causes the disease white-nose syndrome, has devastated several North American species over the last 18 years.
Published Muscle machine: How water controls the speed of muscle contraction
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The flow of water within a muscle fiber may dictate how quickly muscle can contract, according to a new study.
Published Nanoplastics and 'forever chemicals' disrupt molecular structures, functionality
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have made significant inroads in understanding how nanoplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) -- commonly known as forever chemicals -- disrupt biomolecular structure and function. The work shows that the compounds can alter proteins found in human breast milk and infant formulas -- potentially causing developmental issues downstream.
Published Researchers develop a way to make lifesaving phages accessible, transportable and much easier to use
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a simple way to bring bacteriophage therapy into much closer reach for clinicians struggling to save patients with antimicrobial-resistant infections. The technology makes it possible to sort through hundreds or even thousands of phages in less than two hours to identify which will respond to a particular infection.
Published Mapping the world's fungi from air samples
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have found that the key to a quick and cost-effective mapping of biodiversity has been right in front of our eyes all along, but at the same time invisible -- i.e., in the air that surrounds us.