Frozen mammoth skin retained its chromosome structure
Features as small as 50 nanometers preserved in a 50,000-year-old sample. Enlarge (credit: LEONELLO CALVETTI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY) One of the challenges of working with ancient DNA samples is that damage accumulates ove.....»»
Researchers demonstrate scaling of aligned carbon nanotube transistors to below sub-10 nm nodes
Carbon nanotubes, large cylindrical molecules composed of hybridized carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal structure, recently attracted significant attention among electronics engineers. Due to their geometric configuration and advantageous electroni.....»»
Researchers build a DNA structure and coat it with glass, creating a very low density, very strong material
Materials that are both strong and lightweight could improve everything from cars to body armor. But usually, the two qualities are mutually exclusive. Now, University of Connecticut researchers and colleagues have developed an extraordinarily strong.....»»
Researchers capture atomic view of synthetic DNA, revealing "molecular scissors" that could treat disease
West Virginia University researchers are now able to view synthetic DNA at the atomic level, giving them the ability to understand how to change its structure in hopes of enhancing its scissor-like function. Learning more about these synthetic DNA re.....»»
Long-forgotten frozen soil sample offers a warning for the future
Ancient soil was buried under a mile of ice until excavated during the Cold War. Enlarge / Water and sediment pour off the melting margin of the Greenland ice sheet. (credit: Jason Edwards/Getty Images) About 400,000 yea.....»»
ATLAS sets record precision on Higgs boson"s mass
In the 11 years since its discovery at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the Higgs boson has become a central avenue for shedding light on the fundamental structure of the universe. Precise measurements of the properties of this special particle are a.....»»
New enzyme unlocks potential for health-promoting compounds in sorghum
Stilbenes are natural compounds found in various plants that have shown potential health benefits for humans, with a unique chemical structure consisting of two aromatic rings linked by a double bond. While resveratrol, found in grapes and red wine,.....»»
New computer simulations follow the formation of galaxies and cosmic large-scale structure with precision
York University and an international team of astrophysicists have made an ambitious attempt to simulate the formation of galaxies and cosmic large-scale structure throughout staggeringly large swaths of space......»»
New method expertly evaluates protein folding stability on a large scale
You may be familiar with the art of origami, in which paper is intricately folded to create shapes. But did you know that proteins in the human body also undergo an intricate folding process that is essential to their structure and function? Recently.....»»
3D/4D printed bio-piezoelectric scaffolds show potential in bone tissue engineering
Piezoelectricity has been well recognized as the key factor in bone regeneration. However, the current additive-manufactured scaffolds mainly focus on the reconstruction of bionic topological structure and mechanical microenvironment, while the cruci.....»»
Researchers develop NMR method for drug structure elucidation
In the late 1950s and 1960s, more than 12,000 malformed babies with short arms and legs were born as a side effect of thalidomide, a drug sold to pregnant women to prevent morning sickness. The tragedy was caused by the drug's side effect, which exis.....»»
Scientists create high-quality chromosome-level reference genome of Chelidonichthys spinosus
Chelidonichthys spinosus, commonly known as the spiny red gurnard in the order Scorpaeniformes, is a typical migratory fish that undertakes offshore overwintering migrations in late autumn and early winter, and returns to nearshore areas for spawning.....»»
Why trees outcompete shrubs to shift upward
Climatic warming is altering the structure and function of alpine ecosystems, including shifts of vegetation boundaries. The upward shift of alpine treelines, the uppermost limit of tree growth forming the boundary between montane forest and alpine c.....»»
Biologists publish new guidelines to facilitate data sharing of research on disordered proteins
For decades, structural biologists have been working on cracking the molecular 3D structures of proteins to understand their function. But what if a protein doesn't have a fixed structure? For molecules that keep changing their shape all the time, bo.....»»
Researchers investigate rotation in solar transition region
The solar transition region, located between the chromosphere and corona, plays an important role in the formation of solar wind and coronal heating mechanism. The solar transition region is not a statically layered structure, but a dynamic region wi.....»»
Investigating interactions at molecular junctions for novel electronic devices
The structure of a molecular junction with noncovalent interaction plays a key role in electron transport, reveals a recent study conducted by researchers at Tokyo Tech. Through simultaneous surface-enhanced Raman scattering and current–voltage mea.....»»
Double-stranded DNA donor with novel structure boosts gene knock-in efficiency
A research group led by Prof. Liang Haojun and researcher Bao Jianqiang from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) proposed a novel functional double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) donor that greatly enhances the efficiency of gene knock-in......»»
Molecular scissors caught in the act: Describing the function of tRNA splicing endonuclease TSEN based on its structure
In all living organisms, the biomolecule transfer RNA (tRNA) plays a fundamental role in protein production. tRNAs are generated from precursor molecules in several steps. The enzyme tRNA splicing endonuclease (TSEN), among other things, catalyzes on.....»»
The structure of a protein bound to DNA reveals how the toxicity of the cholera bacterium is activated
Understanding the molecular mechanism that triggers disease is essential for identifying new treatments. Cholera, a disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, is no exception......»»
A Hair Loss Study Raises New Questions About Aging Cells
A protein secreted by seemingly dormant cells in skin moles causes hair to grow again. That’s a big—and potentially useful—surprise......»»
Canned, frozen corn industry struggling across US growing regions
For those whose primary experience with corn is the butter-drenched cob variety, it might come as a surprise that other forms of sweet corn are in trouble. A new University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign analysis shows sweet corn production for frozen.....»»