A "wise counsel" for synthetic biology
Researchers develop user-friendly software system to optimize biological systems......»»
Elon Musk’s X loses battle over federal request for Trump’s DMs
Prosecutors now have a "blueprint" to seize privileged communications, X warned. Last year, special counsel Jack Smith asked X (formerly Twitter) to hand over Donald Trump's direc.....»»
Developing novel chiral capsule tools for advanced optical technologies
Chirality is an essential property in biology; the molecular building blocks of some of the most important biological structures, including DNA and proteins, are chiral. When a molecule is said to be chiral, it means that it is distinguishable from i.....»»
A leap in behavioral modeling: Scientists replicate animal movements with unprecedented accuracy
Scientists have developed a new method to simulate the complex movements of animals with exceptional accuracy. The research team set out to solve a long-standing challenge in biology—how to accurately model the intricate and seemingly unpredictable.....»»
Synthetic modules boost production of animal-based nutrients in plants
It's important to eat your veggies, but some essential vitamins and nutrients can only be found in animals, including certain amino acids and peptides. Now, in a proof-of-concept study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, rese.....»»
Planning a drug"s route in the body with synthetic chemistry
Researchers at the RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research (CPR) have developed technology that can alter, within the body, the recognized identity of proteins......»»
Talking politics hurts fundraising, finds analysis of 19,898 Kickstarter campaigns
Divisive political opinions are everywhere these days, but entrepreneurs might be wise to bite their tongues......»»
Study tracks traveling population wave in Canada lynx
A new study by researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks's Institute of Arctic Biology provides compelling evidence that Canada lynx populations in Interior Alaska experience a "traveling population wave" affecting their reproduction, movemen.....»»
What makes a person seem wise? Global study finds that cultures do differ—but not as much as you"d think
We all admire wise people, don't we? Whether it's a thoughtful teacher, a compassionate doctor, or an elder in the community, we recognize wisdom when we see it. But have you ever thought about how people in different cultures perceive wisdom? Does s.....»»
Team is first to find invasive hydrilla plant in Canada
Hydrilla verticillate (hydrilla), one of North America's most invasive species, has been found for the first time in Canada. Dr. Rebecca Rooney, a biology professor, and members of her Waterloo Wetland Laboratory were surveying a secluded section of.....»»
New method enables noninvasive plant magnetic resonance imaging
The "omics" technologies—genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics—are at the forefront of discovery in modern plant science and systems biology. In contrast to the rather static genome, however, the metabolome and the products meas.....»»
Shedding light on a decades-old protein sorting mystery
Christian de Caestecker, a Ph.D. student in the lab of Ian Macara, Louise B. McGavock Professor and chair of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, has proposed and validated a mechanism that addresses a decades-old mystery surrounding epi.....»»
Scientists develop method to control timing of synthetic DNA droplet division
Many cellular functions in the human body are controlled by biological droplets called liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) droplets. These droplets, made of soft biological materials, exist inside living cells but are not enclosed by membranes like.....»»
Improving industrial scale lactoferrin production with synthetic biological systems
Lactoferrin (LF), a multifunctional glycoprotein of the transferrin family, is naturally expressed in human and cow milk. The name "LF" is derived from its ability to bind to iron (ferrin, a suffix indicating iron-binding protein)......»»
Advancing synthetic Ephedra-type alkaloids with a two-step enzymatic approach
Ephedra-type alkaloids, a class of naturally occurring compounds derived from plants in the genus Ephedra, have long held interest in the pharmaceutical industry due to their stimulant and airway widening effects. These alkaloids are used for the tre.....»»
Medicinal tree successfully grown from 1,000-year-old seed found in cave
An international team of botanists, agriculturists and historians has successfully grown a mature tree from an ancient seed found in a cave in Israel. In their paper, published in the journal Communications Biology, the group describes where the seed.....»»
Morphology study paves the way for spider fang-inspired cutting tools
When we think of spiders, the first thing that comes to mind is their ability to weave intricate and robust webs. But their ability to cut their own silk—the toughest natural material—and strong or tough synthetic fibers such as carbon or Kevlar,.....»»
Human urine could be used as eco-friendly crop fertilizer: Study
Bacterial communities in soil are as resilient to human urine as synthetic fertilizers—making recycling the bodily fluid as a fertilizer for agricultural crops a viable proposition, according to a new study......»»
AI tools help uncover enzyme mechanisms for lasso peptides
Lasso peptides are natural products made by bacteria. Their unusual lasso shape endows them with remarkable stability, protecting them from extreme conditions. In a new study, published in Nature Chemical Biology, researchers have constructed and tes.....»»
New analysis indicates UK hunting trophies law would cause more harm than good
Researchers led by the University of Oxford's Department of Biology and the Oxford Martin Program on Wildlife Trade have reported findings from a study into the UK's role in the international hunting trophy trade in the journal Conservation Science a.....»»
Scientists find new epigenetic switch, revealing how genes are regulated in early development
The team of Professor Christof Niehrs at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz, Germany, has discovered that a DNA modification called 5-formylcytosine (5fC) functions as an activating epigenetic switch that kick-starts genes in early emb.....»»