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Categories: Biology: Microbiology, Geoscience: Geology
Published Microorganisms' climate adaptation can slow down global warming



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



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



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



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



Biophysicists have designed a new cell-like transport system that represents an important milestone on the road to artificial cells.
Published Past climate change to blame for Antarctica's giant underwater landslides



Scientists found weak, biologically-rich layers of sediments hundreds of meters beneath the seafloor which crumbled as oceans warmed and ice sheets declined. The landslides were discovered in the eastern Ross Sea in 2017, by an international team of scientists during the Italian ODYSSEA expedition, and scientists revisited the area in 2018 as part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 374 where they collected sediment cores to understand what caused them.
Published Perfect 'pathogen' storm: Vibrio bacteria, Sargassum and plastic marine debris



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 Watch these cells rapidly create protrusions for exploration and movement



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



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?



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



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



A new study adds to an emerging, radically new picture of how bacterial cells continually repair faulty sections of their DNA.
Published Physicists take the temperature of fluid flows and discover new role for turbulence



A team of physicists has discovered a new role for a specific type of turbulence -- a finding that sheds light on fluid flows ranging from the Earth's liquid core to boiling water.
Published 'Warm Ice Age' changed climate cycles



Approximately 700,000 years ago, a 'warm ice age' permanently changed the climate cycles on Earth. During this exceptionally warm and moist period, the polar glaciers greatly expanded. A research team identified this seemingly paradoxical connection. The shift in the Earth's climate represents a critical step in our planet's later climate development.
Published How superbug A. baumannii survives metal stress and resists antibiotics



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.
Published Out of this world control on Ice Age cycles



A research team, composed of climatologists and an astronomer, have used an improved computer model to reproduce the cycle of ice ages (glacial periods) 1.6 to 1.2 million years ago. The results show that the glacial cycle was driven primarily by astronomical forces in quite a different way than it works in the modern age. These results will help us to better understand the past, present, and future of ice sheets and the Earth's climate.
Published Monkeypox viruses relatively stable on surfaces



Smallpox viruses are notorious for their ability to remain infectious in the environment for a very long time. A study has now shown that temperature is a major factor in this process: at room temperature, a monkeypox virus that is capable of replicating can survive on a stainless steel surface for up to eleven days, and at four degrees Celsius for up to a month. Consequently, it's very important to disinfect surfaces. According to the study, alcohol-based disinfectants are very effective against monkeypox viruses, whereas hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectants have proved inadequate.
Published Phage structure captured, to benefit biotech applications



Researchers have mapped out what a commonly-used form of phage looks like, which will help design better uses in future.
Published Heat-loving marine bacteria can help detoxify asbestos



Researchers have shown that extremophilic bacteria from high temperature marine environments can be used to reduce asbestos' toxicity.
Published A look inside stem cells helps create personalized regenerative medicine



Researchers have examined a specific type of stem cell with an intracellular toolkit to determine which cells are most likely to create effective cell therapies.