Showing 20 articles starting at article 1661

< Previous 20 articles        Next 20 articles >

Categories: Anthropology: Early Humans, Biology: Microbiology

Return to the site home page

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Most cells in the bodies of living things duplicate their contents and physically separate into new cells through the process of cell division. But across many species, germ cells, those that become eggs or sperm, don't fully separate. They remain interconnected through small bridges called ring canals and cluster together. In a new study, researchers uncover how it is that germ cells in fruit flies form these ring canals, a finding that they say will provide new insights into a widely shared feature of development and into diseases in which cell division is disrupted.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new biosensor offers scientists the first dynamic glimpses of manganese, an elusive metal ion that is essential for life.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have uncovered new evidence of western pygmy possums interacting with native flowers, providing an eDNA study to simultaneously detect mammal, insect and bird DNA on flowers.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Do cesarean-born babies miss out on essential microbes? New evidence suggests that the answer may be 'no.' Researchers report that mothers are able to transfer microbes to their babies via alternative, compensatory routes. While cesarean-born babies do receive less of their mother's gut microbiome during birth, they make up for this by drinking their mother's microbes in breastmilk.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers describe a new manner of detecting microbial infection that intercepts pathogen-derived signals of growth to assess the relative threat of virulent bacteria. A nuclear hormone receptor in the nematode C. elegans senses a toxic metabolite produced by the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa to activate innate immunity. These data reveal an ancient strategy that informs the origins of pathogen detection and may be among the most primordial forms of immune sensing in animals.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

The DNA sequence of a gene in wheat responsible for resisting a devastating virus has been discovered, providing vital clues for managing more resistant crops and maintaining a healthy food supply.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

New methodology and tools provide an opportunity to watch in unprecedented detail as a phage attacks a bacterium.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Mineral particles played a key role in raising oxygen levels in the Earth's atmosphere billions of years ago, with major implications for the way intelligent life later evolved, according to new research.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Once upon a time, prevailing scientific opinion might have pronounced recently published research as unneeded. Now, climate change implications have heightened the need for this line of research. Flowers emit scent chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Earlier this year, a study identified a protein that plays a key role in helping petunias emit volatiles.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

The findings offer a new way to understand how some ants become total layabouts.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Neglected by government officials and medical professionals, parasitic infections can lead to lifelong health consequences, according to a biological anthropologist.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Livestock farming produces large quantities of greenhouse gases, especially methane, which is particularly harmful to the climate. Among other things, it escapes during the storage of animal excrement, the slurry. A study now shows that methane emissions can be reduced by 99 percent through simple and inexpensive means. The method could make an important contribution to the fight against climate change.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

An international team of bee researchers has integrated a calcium sensor into honey bees to enable the study of neural information processing including response to odors. This also provides insights into how social behavior is located in the brain.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Bald eagles are often touted as a massive conservation success story due to their rebound from near extinction in the 1960s. But now a highly infectious virus may put that hard-fought comeback in jeopardy. New research showed highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as H5N1, is killing off unprecedented numbers of mating pairs of bald eagles.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

A world-first model of paleoclimate and hydrology in Iran has highlighted favourable routes for Neanderthals and modern human expansions eastwards into Asia. The findings reveal that multiple humid periods in ancient Iran led to the expansions of human populations, opening dispersal route across the region, and the possible interactions of species such as Neanderthals and our own Homo sapiens.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have discovered a strong immunological effect of the molecule LecB -- and a way to prevent it.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research in mice shows bacteria hijack communication between nerve and immune cells in the meninges -- the protective layers that shield the brain from infection. The experiments detail step by step how bacteria activate pain receptors and initiate a signaling cascade that disables immune cells and culminates in bacterial invasion of the brain. The findings provide much-needed understanding into a critical window during the early stages of bacterial invasion when intervention could halt the spread of infection. The results point to therapeutic pathways for new treatments of bacterial meningitis, an often-fatal disease that can leave survivors with serious neurologic damage.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

A major new study reveals a 'traffic light' mechanism controlling genetic activity within cells -- a system which could potentially be targeted by cancer drugs already in development. The research describes how 'epigenetic' changes to the structure of DNA can act as a stop-go signal in determining whether a gene should be read. Unlike our genetic make-up, which is well understood, the world of epigenetics is still largely unexplored and referred to as the 'dark matter' of the genome.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

A detailed atlas of gene expression in the zebrafish brain.

     (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have identified gut bacteria that are associated with dementia with Lewy bodies. Changing the levels of three bacteria, Collinsella, Ruminococcus, and Bifidobacterium, may delay the onset and progression of this neurodegenerative disease.