Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Delving into bacterial gene-expression machinery
Transcription factors connect and stabilize bacterial transcription and translation machinery
Fighting cancer with rejection-resistant, 'off-the-shelf' therapeutic T cells
Researchers are developing ready-to-use, off-the-shelf therapeutic T cells. These are genetically engineered T cells that are manufactured from normal, healthy donors. The cells are expanded and well characterized, and have...
Florida mosquitoes: 750 million genetically modified insects to be released
The aim is to reduce insect-borne diseases but environmental groups warn of unforeseen consequences.
Watch: Australian gold hunters find two nuggets weighing 7.7 pounds
A pair of Australian gold diggers revealed they discovered a pair of large gold nuggets weighing a total 7.7 pounds and with an estimated worth of $250,000.
New approach uses wild genes to improve biological nitrogen fixation in soybeans
One of the top four crops grown worldwide, soybean has been an integral part of Chinese agriculture for a long time, having been domesticated more than 6000 years ago. During...
Researchers create nanoclusters that mimic biomolecules
Biological systems come in all shapes, sizes and structures. Some of these structures, such as those found in DNA, RNA and proteins, are formed through complex molecular interactions that are...
A new tool to create chemical complexity from fatty acids
Hokkaido University WPI-ICReDD researchers developed a modular catalyst that can accurately modify fatty acid derivatives in a hitherto inaccessible position. This enables the efficient production of valuable compounds from a...
Leading-edge Technology Unmasks Protein Linked to Parkinson’s Disease
An elusive protein that many consider the key of fully understanding the causes of genetic Parkinson’s disease has come much more clearly into focus. Impacting millions around the world, Parkinson’s...
Studies in humanized mice and convalescent humans yield a SARS-CoV-2 antibody cocktail
Neutralizing antibodies have become an important tool in treating infectious diseases. Recently, two separate approaches yielded successful antibody treatments for Ebola—one from genetically humanized mice and the other from a...
SOSTDC1-producing follicular helper T cells promote regulatory follicular T cell differentiation
Germinal center (GC) responses potentiate the generation of follicular regulatory T (TFR) cells. However, the molecular cues driving TFR cell formation remain unknown. Here, we show that sclerostin domain-containing protein...
Cross-reactivity between tumor MHC class I-restricted antigens and an enterococcal bacteriophage
Intestinal microbiota have been proposed to induce commensal-specific memory T cells that cross-react with tumor-associated antigens. We identified major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I–binding epitopes in the tail length tape...
Lungfish fins reveal how limbs evolved
New research on the fin development of the Australian lungfis elucidates how fins evolved into limbs with hands with digits. The main finding is that in lungfish a primitive hand...
Unique protein structures could hold the key to treatment for Parkinson's disease
Scientists have discovered a series of protein structures that are thought to be highly relevant to the onset of Parkinson's disease. It is hoped that further analysis of these structures...
Study adds to evidence that cells in the nose are key entry point for SARS CoV-2
Scientists experimenting with a small number of human cell samples report that the 'hook' of cells used by SARS-CoV-2 to latch onto and infect cells is up to 700 times...
Australia's wish list of exotic pets
Unsustainable trade of species is the major pathway for the introduction of invasive alien species at distant localities at higher frequencies. It is also a major driver of over-exploitation of...
Studying viral outbreaks in single cells could reveal new ways to defeat them
Many viruses mutate so quickly that identifying effective vaccines or treatments is like trying to hit a moving target. A better understanding of viral propagation and evolution in single cells...
Immunologists summarize functions of protein family for scientific community
Fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) serve as a type of chaperone, coordinating the transport of fatty acids and other molecules between cells. Bing Li, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department...
Researchers take a fresh look at the Michaelis-Menten equation
Researchers from Aarhus University challenge one of the cornerstones of biochemistry, the Michaelis-Menten equation. They show that many enzymes in signaling pathways are independent of substrate concentration, because the substrate...
Biomedical research often ignores the diverse genetic ancestry of Black Americans
The genetic ancestry of Black Americans is diverse, according to a new survey of residents in four U.S. cities. The results undermine the use of skin color as a proxy...
Some Indian jumping ant workers can transition to a queen-like state
A team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania has found that some Indian jumping ant workers can transition to a queen-like state if their queen dies. In their paper...
Reports: Olivia Wilde to direct female-focused Marvel film at Sony
Olivia Wilde is set to direct a female-centered Marvel film at Sony, Variety and Deadline reported.
Size may not matter when estimating community energy use
Ecologists often want to understand how a community functions. For example, how much food does a community of animals consume every day? Or how much oxygen do plants produce every...
Are the doors closing on the open office?
As workers return to their offices after the initial phase of lockdowns implemented to stop the spread of coronavirus, there is a new reckoning in the workplace: Will the open...
Machine-learning model finds SARS-COV-2 growing more infectious
A novel machine learning model developed by researchers at Michigan State University suggests that mutations to the SARS-CoV-2 genome have made the virus more infectious.
Studying viral outbreaks in single cells could reveal new ways to defeat them
Many viruses, including HIV and influenza A, mutate so quickly that identifying effective vaccines or treatments is like trying to hit a moving target. A better understanding of viral propagation...
Small enzyme-mimicking polymers may have helped start life
Most effort in origins of life research is focused on understanding the prebiotic formation of biological building blocks. However, it is possible early biological evolution relied on different chemical structures...
Australia's wish list of exotic pets
Unsustainable trade of species is a major pathway for the introduction of invasive alien species at distant localities and at higher frequencies. It is also a major driver of over-exploitation...
Ancient gene family protects algae from salt and cold in an Antarctic lake
Glycerol, used in the past as antifreeze for cars, is produced by a range of organisms from yeasts to vertebrates, some of which use it as an osmoprotectant—a molecule that prevents dangerous...