Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

More than 100 'magic mushroom' genomes point the way to new cultivars      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have amassed genome data for dozens of 'magic mushroom' isolates and cultivars, with the goal to learn more about how their domestication and cultivation has changed them. The findings may point the way to the production of intriguing new cultivars, say the researchers.

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

Researchers have cracked the cellular code on protein folding, offering hope for new therapeutic avenues for many diseases      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

While we often think of diseases as caused by foreign bodies -- bacteria or viruses -- there are hundreds of diseases affecting humans that result from errors in cellular production of its proteins. A team of researchers recently leveraged the power of cutting-edge technology, including an innovative technique called glycoproteomics, to unlock the carbohydrate-based code that governs how certain classes of proteins form themselves into the complex shapes necessary to keep us healthy.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

New technique efficiently offers insight into gene regulation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a new technique called MAbID. This allows them to simultaneously study different mechanisms of gene regulation, which plays a major role in development and disease. MAbID offers new insights into how these mechanisms work together or against each other.

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

Pathogens use force to breach immune defenses, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has revealed a previously unknown process through which pathogens are able to defeat a cell's defense mechanisms with physical force. The discovery represents a potential game-changer in the fight against intracellular pathogens, which cause infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and chlamydia.

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

A patch of protection against Zika virus      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A simple-to-apply, needle-free vaccine patch is being developed to protect people from the potentially deadly mosquito-borne Zika virus.

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

Shedding light on the synthesis of sugars before the origin of life      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Pentoses are essential carbohydrates in the metabolism of modern lifeforms, but their availability on early Earth is unclear since these molecules are unstable. Now, researchers reveal a chemical pathway compatible with early Earth conditions, by which C6 aldonates could have acted as a source of pentoses without the need for enzymes. Their findings provide clues about primitive biochemistry and bring us closer to understanding life's origin.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Engineering: Nanotechnology Environmental: General Physics: General
Published

Harvesting more solar energy with supercrystals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Hydrogen is a building block for the energy transition. To obtain it with the help of solar energy, researchers have developed new high-performance nanostructures. The material holds a world record for green hydrogen production with sunlight.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General
Published

Control over friction, from small to large scales      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Friction is hard to predict and control, especially since surfaces that come in contact are rarely perfectly flat. New experiments demonstrate that the amount of friction between two silicon surfaces, even at large scales, is determined by the forming and rupturing of microscopic chemical bonds between them. This makes it possible to control the amount of friction using surface chemistry techniques.

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

Harnessing the power of a parasite that can stop pain      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For the first time, scientists have begun to figure out why the disfiguring skin lesions caused by cutaneous leishmaniasis don't hurt.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Researchers reveal new process for making anhydride chemical compounds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A collaborative research team has discovered a new process for making anhydrides that promises improvements in costs and sustainability.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Computer Science: Quantum Computers Energy: Technology Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Researchers show an old law still holds for quirky quantum materials      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Long before researchers discovered the electron and its role in generating electrical current, they knew about electricity and were exploring its potential. One thing they learned early on was that metals were great conductors of both electricity and heat. And in 1853, two scientists showed that those two admirable properties of metals were somehow related: At any given temperature, the ratio of electronic conductivity to thermal conductivity was roughly the same in any metal they tested. This so-called Wiedemann-Franz law has held ever since -- except in quantum materials. Now, a theoretical argument put forth by physicists suggests that the law should, in fact, approximately hold for one type of quantum material, the cuprate superconductors.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry
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Progress toward improved vaccines      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To ensure that vaccines provide strong and lasting immunization, it is often necessary to supplement the actual vaccine (antigen) with additives that stimulate the immune system: adjuvants. Today, only a few substances have been approved for use as adjuvants. A research team has now introduced a spectrum of potential adjuvants. They started with the immune stimulant ?-glactosyl ceramide (?-GalCer) and synthesized many different variants from a set of four building blocks.

Biology: Microbiology Environmental: Biodiversity Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Inoculation against diseased fields      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Farmland often harbors a multitude of pathogens which attack plants and reduce yields. A research team has now shown that inoculating the soil with mycorrhizal fungi can help maintain or even improve yields without the use of additional fertilizers or pesticides. In a large-scale field trial, plant yield increased by up to 40 percent.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Durable plastic pollution easily, cleanly degrades with new catalyst      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Found in fishing nets, carpet, clothing, Nylon-6 is a major contributor to plastic pollution, including ocean pollution. Now, chemists have developed a new catalyst that quickly, cleanly and completely breaks down Nylon-6 in a matter of minutes -- without generating harmful byproducts. Even better: The process does not require toxic solvents, expensive materials or extreme conditions, making it practical for everyday applications. In experiments, the new process recovered 99% of the polymer's building blocks, which can then be upcycled into higher-value products.

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

Armed to the hilt: Study solves mystery behind bacteria's extensive weaponry      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study tackles the mystery of why bacteria often carry diverse ranges of weapons. The findings show that different weapons are best suited to different competition scenarios. Short-range weapons help bacteria to invade established communities; long-range weapons are useful once established.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology
Published

This 'gross' mixture has big benefits for the study of bacteria      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered that growing bacteria on agar mixed with organs is an efficient and effective way to study infectious pathogens.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Microbiology
Published

Study of ancient British oral microbiomes reveals shift following Black Death      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The Second Plague Pandemic of the mid-14th century, also known as the Black Death, killed 30-60 percent of the European population and profoundly changed the course of European history. New research suggests that this plague, potentially through resulting changes in diet and hygiene, may also be associated with a shift in the composition of the human oral microbiome toward one that contributes to chronic diseases in modern-day humans.  

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

Clever dosage control mechanism of biallelic genes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have uncovered a mechanism that safeguards the biallelic expression of haploinsufficient genes, shedding light on the importance of having two copies of each chromosome. A study identified the epigenetic regulator MSL2 an 'anti-monoallelic' factor that maintains biallelic gene dosage. This discovery not only reveals a communication system between parental alleles but also points to potential therapeutic strategies for diseases associated with haploinsufficient genes.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Artificial intelligence paves way for new medicines      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed an AI model that can predict where a drug molecule can be chemically altered.