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

Researchers discover molecular 'barcode' used by bacteria to secrete toxins      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered a molecular 'barcode' system used by disease-causing bacteria to distinguish between beneficial and toxic molecules.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Microbiology
Published

Researchers develop algorithm to determine how cellular 'neighborhoods' function in tissues      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a new AI-powered algorithm to help understand how different cells organize themselves into particular tissues and communicate with one another.

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

Important membrane transport mechanism in pathogenic bacteria      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Some bacterial membrane transporters work almost like freight elevators to transport substances through the cell membrane into the interior of the cell. The transporter itself spans the bacterial membrane. Like a forklift, a soluble protein outside the bacterium transports the substance to the 'elevator' and unloads its cargo there. The freight elevator transports it to the inside of the cell, in other words to another floor.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Nature Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
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Evolution is not as random as previously thought      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A groundbreaking study has found that evolution is not as unpredictable as previously thought, which could allow scientists to explore which genes could be useful to tackle real-world issues such as antibiotic resistance, disease and climate change. The study challenges the long-standing belief about the unpredictability of evolution, and has found that the evolutionary trajectory of a genome may be influenced by its evolutionary history, rather than determined by numerous factors and historical accidents.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Accounting for plastic persistence can minimize environmental impacts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a sustainability metric for the ecological design of plastic products that have low persistence in the environment. Adhering to this metric could provide substantial environmental and societal benefits, according to a new study.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Revolutionizing stable and efficient catalysts with Turing structures for hydrogen production      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Hydrogen energy has emerged as a promising alternative to fossil fuels, offering a clean and sustainable energy source. However, the development of low-cost and efficient catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction remains a crucial challenge. Scientists have recently developed a novel strategy to engineer stable and efficient ultrathin nanosheet catalysts by forming Turing structures with multiple nanotwin crystals. This innovative discovery paves the way for enhanced catalyst performance for green hydrogen production.

Energy: Fossil Fuels Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

No win-win? Input-efficient technologies might not be so efficient after all      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To address natural resource scarcity, pollution, and other harmful effects of climate change, some scientists and policymakers emphasize the adoption of input-efficient technologies like water-saving devices and fuel-saving stoves. Proponents often refer to these input-efficient technologies as 'win-win,' for the benefits to their users and to the environment, and lament their low adoption rates by consumers, in what they call an 'efficiency paradox.' A new paper examines this paradox and finds that the benefits to consumers from input-efficiency adoption are, on average, negative.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
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Protected areas for elephants work best if they are connected      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The largest analysis yet of African savannah elephant populations shows that conservationists have successfully protected elephants in southern Africa for the last 25 years. However, the pattern varies regionally, with some elephant populations soaring and others still facing large declines. The key to long-term stability appears to be connecting large core areas with neighboring buffer zones, as opposed to well-protected but isolated protected areas known as 'fortress conservation.'

Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Monitoring the well-being of reservoir water through an uncrewed surface vehicle      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a recent tragic incident, approximately 100 elephants in Africa perished due to inadequate access to water. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) issues a warning that around 2.5 billion people worldwide could face water scarcity by 2025. In the face of water shortages affecting not only human society but also the entire ecological community due to the climate crisis, it becomes crucial to adopt comprehensive measures for managing water quality and quantity to avert such pressing challenges.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Ecology: Animals Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
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Advancing the generation of in-vivo chimeric lungs in mice using rat-derived stem cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Creating a functional lung using interspecies chimeric animals is an attractive albeit challenging option for lung transplantation, requiring more research on the viable conditions needed for organ generation. A new study uses reverse-blastocyst complementation and tetraploid-based organ complementation methods to first determine these conditions in lung-deficient mice and then to generate rat-derived lungs in these mice. It provides useful insights on the intrinsic species-specific barriers and factors associated with lung development in interspecies chimeric animals.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology
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A new approach can address antibiotic resistance to Mycobacterium abscessus      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have created analogs of the antibiotic spectinomycin that are significantly more effective against these highly resistant bacteria.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Scientists engineer plant microbiome to protect crops against disease      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have engineered the microbiome of plants for the first time, boosting the prevalence of 'good' bacteria that protect the plant from disease. The findings could substantially reduce the need for environmentally destructive pesticides.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology
Published

Treating tuberculosis when antibiotics no longer work      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has detected various substances that have a dual effect against tuberculosis: They make the bacteria causing the disease less pathogenic for human immune cells and boost the activity of conventional antibiotics.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
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Nematode proteins shed light on infertility      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Biologists developed a method for illuminating the intricate interactions of the synaptonemal complex in the nematode C. elegans. The authors identified a trio of protein segments that guide chromosomal interactions, and pinpointed the location where they interact with each other. Their novel method uses a technique known as genetic suppressor screening, which can serve as a blueprint for research on large cellular assemblies that resist traditional structural analysis.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Biology: Zoology
Published

Study reveals clues to how Eastern equine encephalitis virus invades brain cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have determined how Eastern equine encephalitis virus attaches to a receptor it uses to enter and infect cells. The findings laid the groundwork for a receptor decoy molecule that protects mice from encephalitis caused by the virus.

Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Microbiology Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Microbial awakening restructures high-latitude food webs as permafrost thaws      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Wildlife biologists used a novel technique to trace the movement of carbon through Arctic and boreal forest food webs and found that climate warming resulted in a shift from plant-based food webs to fungal-based food webs for several high-latitude species, with potential indirect effects on nutrient cycling and ecosystem function.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
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Bacteria load their syringes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Many bacterial pathogens use small injection apparatuses to manipulate the cells of their hosts, such as humans, so that they can spread throughout the body. To do this, they need to fill their syringes with the relevant injection agent. A technique that tracks the individual movement of proteins revealed how bacteria accomplish this challenging task.

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

New reasons eating less fat should be one of your resolutions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study to motivate your New Year's resolutions: it demonstrates that high-fat diets negatively impact genes linked not only to obesity, colon cancer and irritable bowels, but also to the immune system and brain function.