Showing 20 articles starting at article 1721
< Previous 20 articles Next 20 articles >
Categories: Biology: Marine, Biology: Microbiology
Published Previous smallpox vaccine provides immunity to mpox
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Vaccines against smallpox given until the mid-1970s offer continuing cross-reactive immunity to mpox (previously known as monkeypox), researchers report.
Published What you count is not necessarily what counts
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Seawater is full of bacteria, hundreds of thousands live in every liter. But the sheer number of bacteria living in the water does not necessarily mean a lot. More important is how active they are and how quickly they duplicate.
Published A multiomics approach provides insights into flu severity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers were able to identify changes in the accessibility (that is, the 'readability') of transposable elements. To do this, the researchers used an approach combining various sets of multiomics data, which characterize and quantify collections of biomolecules in cells or organisms. One was the transcriptome, which consists of all copies of RNA transcribed from DNA in the cell. The other was the epigenome, which is the collection of chemical changes to DNA that modify gene expression. An advantage of this multiomics approach is that they were able to identify families of transposable elements with changes in accessibility, which would have likely been missed by previous approaches.
Published New insights into the complex neurochemistry of ants
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Ants' brains are amazingly sophisticated organs that enable them to coordinate complex behavior patterns such as the organization of colonies. Now, researchers have developed a method that allows them to study ants' brain chemistry and gain insights into the insects' neurobiological processes. The findings could help to explain the evolution of social behavior in the animal kingdom, and shed light on the biochemistry of certain hormone systems that have developed similarly in both ants and humans.
Published Under control to the very end -- how our cells kill themselves
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Every day, millions of cells die in our body. Other than generally assumed, cells do not simply burst at the end of their lives but rather, a specific protein serves as a breaking point for cell membrane rupture. Researchers have now been able to elucidate the exact mechanism at the atomic level.
Published Microorganisms' climate adaptation can slow down global warming
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study shows that the ability of microorganisms to adapt to climate warming will slow down global warming by storing carbon in soil.
Published A guide through the genome
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Plants show enormous variety in traits relevant to breeding, such as plant height, yield and resistance to pests. One of the greatest challenges in modern plant research is to identify the differences in genetic information that are responsible for this variation.
Published Corals mark friendly algae for ingestion -- revealing possible conservation target
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Biologists reveals how coral cells tag friendly algae before ingesting them, initiating a mutually beneficial relationship. This information could guide next-level coral conservation efforts.
Published Puppeteer fungus' targeted takeover of 'zombie' flies
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers reveal the molecular and cellular underpinnings behind the parasitic fungus, Entomophthora muscae's (E. muscae), ability to manipulate the behavior of fruit flies.
Published Synthetic biology: proteins set vesicles in motion
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Biophysicists have designed a new cell-like transport system that represents an important milestone on the road to artificial cells.
Published Fossil of mosasaur with bizarre 'screwdriver teeth' found in Morocco
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have discovered a new species of mosasaur, a sea-dwelling lizard from the age of the dinosaurs, with strange, ridged teeth unlike those of any known reptile. Along with other recent finds from Africa, it suggests that mosasaurs and other marine reptiles were evolving rapidly up until 66 million years ago, when they were wiped out by an asteroid along with the dinosaurs and around 90% of all species on Earth.
Published Perfect 'pathogen' storm: Vibrio bacteria, Sargassum and plastic marine debris
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Little is known about the ecological relationship of Vibrio bacteria with Sargassum. Evidence also is sparse as to whether vibrios colonizing plastic marine debris and Sargassum could potentially infect humans. As summer kicks off and efforts are underway to find solutions to repurpose Sargassum, could these substrates pose a triple threat to public health? Results of a study representing the first Vibrio spp. genome assembled from plastic finds Vibrio pathogens have the unique ability to 'stick' to microplastics, harboring potent opportunistic pathogens.
Published New use for A.I.: Correctly estimating fish stocks
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A newly published artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm is allowing researchers to quickly and accurately estimate coastal fish stocks without ever entering the water.
Published Watch these cells rapidly create protrusions for exploration and movement
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In order to move, cells must be able to rapidly change shape. A team of researchers show that cells achieve this by storing extra 'skin' in folds and bumps on their surface. This cell surface excess can be rapidly deployed to cover temporary protrusions and then folded away for next time.
Published Scales or feathers? It all comes down to a few genes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scales, spines, feathers and hair are examples of vertebrate skin appendages, which constitute a remarkably diverse group of micro-organs. Despite their natural multitude of forms, these appendages share early developmental processes at the embryonic stage. Researchers have discovered how to permanently transform the scales that normally cover the feet of chickens into feathers, by specifically modifying the expression of certain genes.
Published What did the earliest animals look like?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Surprisingly, genome comparisons have failed to resolve a major question in animal evolution: Which living animals are the descendants of the earliest animals to evolve in the world's oceans? Scientists performed a detailed chromosomal analysis that comes down definitively in favor of comb jellies, or ctenophores, as the most recent common ancestor of all animals, or the sister taxa to all animals. Sponges evolved later.
Published An edible CBD coating could extend the shelf life of strawberries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Soon, you'll be able to get a box of freshly picked, sweet strawberries from the grocery store or local farm stand. But it's disappointing when you get them home and find that the ones at the bottom have started to rot. To increase the berries' shelf life, researchers have incorporated cannabidiol -- a non-hallucinogenic compound from cannabis known as CBD -- and sodium alginate into an edible antimicrobial coating.
Published Researchers reveal DNA repair mechanism
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study adds to an emerging, radically new picture of how bacterial cells continually repair faulty sections of their DNA.
Published Jaw shapes of 90 shark species show: Evolution driven by habitat
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers investigated how the jaw shape of sharks has changed over the course of evolution. Their conclusion: in the most widespread shark species, the jaws show relatively little variation in shape over millions of years; most variable jaws were found for deep-sea sharks.
Published How superbug A. baumannii survives metal stress and resists antibiotics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The deadly hospital pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii can live for a year on a hospital wall without food and water. Then, when it infects a vulnerable patient, it resists antibiotics as well as the body's built-in infection-fighting response. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes it as one of the three top pathogens in critical need of new antibiotic therapies. Now, an international team, led by Macquarie University researchers Dr. Ram Maharjan and Associate Professor Amy Cain, have discovered how the superbug can survive harsh environments and then rebound, causing deadly infections. They have found a single protein that acts as a master regulator. When the protein is damaged, the bug loses its superpowers allowing it to be controlled, in a lab setting. The research is published this month in Nucleic Acids Research.