A team of chemical, industrial and biotechnical engineers affiliated with several institutions in China has developed a dual-reactor system that can be used to convert CO2 to a consumable single-cell protein. In their paper published in...
Our genes contain all the instructions our body needs to function, but their expression must be finely regulated to guarantee that each cell performs its role optimally. This is where DNA and RNA epigenetics come in: a series of...
An article published in the journal Scientific Reports describes how researchers analyzed biofilm produced by bacteria found in the El Medano hot springs, located in Chile in the central Andes, and concluded that one of its key...
A research team at POSTECH has developed a technology that surpasses the constraints of traditional imaging methods, providing stable and highly accurate cell visualization. Their findings are published in Nature Communications.
A new technology is poised to transform the discovery of microbial species and enzymes with specific in situ metabolic functions. The technology, FISH-scRACS-seq (Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization-guided Single-Cell Raman-activated...
Almost all living things breathe oxygen to eliminate the excess electrons produced when nutrients are converted into energy. However, most microbes that mitigate pollution and climate change don't have access to oxygen. Instead, these...
A team of researchers co-led by the University of California San Diego has developed a method to produce a special class of plant hormones, known as strigolactones, at unprecedented levels using microbial cell factories. By amplifying...
Scientists have unveiled insights into how HIV-1, the virus responsible for AIDS, skillfully hijacks cellular machinery for its own survival. By dissecting the molecular interplay between the virus and its host, the researchers...
Scientists have discovered that the protein machines that shape our DNA can switch direction. Until now, researchers believed that these so-called SMC motors that make loops into DNA could move in one direction only. The discovery is key...
Scientists have made 'exciting,' patient-friendly advances in developing a non-toxic bacterial therapy, BacID, to deliver cancer-fighting drugs directly into tumors. This emerging technology holds promise for very safe and more effective...
University of Massachusetts Amherst food scientist Hang Xiao is tackling a new challenge in his ongoing aim to develop tasty, nutritious and sustainable plant-based alternatives to animal meat.
Scientists have revealed the secret to the structural integrity of tiny particles that transport cargo from cell to cell through blood vessels and bodily fluids: special proteins that keep their membranes intact as they negotiate...
A research team has discovered how the 'Shethna protein II' protects the nitrogen-fixing enzyme nitrogenase from damage. The oxygen sensor protein could help to make nitrogenase usable in biotechnology, thereby reducing the need for...
Researchers have now uncovered the 3D structure of the RNA enzyme SAMURI. Their study provides insights into the development of ribozymes and the evolution of catalytically active RNA.
Understanding biological relationships is often critical when studying animal populations. Researchers have now developed a transformative approach that identifies stretches of DNA that two individuals inherited from a common ancestor....
An oxygen sensor protein protects the enzymatic machinery of biological nitrogen fixation from serious damage, and its use in biotechnology could help to reduce the use of synthetic fertilizer in agriculture in the future.
A research team reports on a novel observation of a plant protection mechanism in response to salt stress. The study opens new avenues of research to strengthen food security.
While most known types of DNA damage are fixed by our cells' in-house DNA repair mechanisms, some forms of DNA damage evade repair and can persist for many years, new research shows. This means that the damage has multiple chances to...
New proteins not found in nature have now been designed to counteract certain highly poisonous components of snake venom. The deep learning, computational methods for developing these toxin-neutralizing proteins offer hope for creating...
Proteins are the foundation of all life we currently know. With their virtually limitless diversity, they can perform a broad variety of biological functions, from delivering oxygen to cells and acting as chemical messengers to defending...
A team of researchers from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed an innovative green pesticide formulation that promises to enhance pest control while prioritizing safety for both crops...
A study by this year's Nobel Laureate in Chemistry reveals a possible game-changer in snakebite treatment. Researchers have created new proteins that neutralize lethal toxins found in snake venom, potentially offering a safer and more...
Researchers have developed a gene-editing treatment for prion disease that extends lifespan by about 50 percent in a mouse model of the fatal neurodegenerative condition. The treatment, which uses base editing to make a single-letter...
The microscopic soybean cyst nematode (SCN) may be small, but it has a massive impact. This pest latches onto soybean roots, feeding on their nutrients and leaving a trail of destruction that costs farmers billions in yield losses each...