Potent trivalent inhibitors of thrombin from anticoagulation peptides in insect saliva
Thrombosis, the clogging of blood vessels, is a major cause of heart attacks and embolism. Scientists have now engineered the first inhibitors of thrombin, a protease promoting thrombosis, that is three-fold efficient. In a study published in the jou.....»»
Plants" hidden allies: Root microbiota fight back against leaf-mining flies
Plants encounter various biotic stresses, with insect herbivory being particularly destructive. Traditional chemical insecticides used to combat these pests pose environmental and health risks......»»
Winter breeding offers lifeline for monarch butterflies in Northern California
Monarch butterflies in Northern California are adapting to a changing climate by embracing an unexpected strategy: breeding in the winter. The shift could be key to the survival of the iconic insect, according to a new study published in the Journal.....»»
Folded peptides are more electrically conductive than unfolded peptides, study reveals
What puts the electronic pep in peptides? A folded structure, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences......»»
When it comes to butterflies, people prefer pretty ones: That"s a problem for scientists.
Research shows humans often perceive attractive people as more intelligent, healthier, better leaders and more trustworthy. It turns out this bias extends to the insect world......»»
From trash to treasure: Machine learning enhances organic waste recycling
Biological treatment methods such as anaerobic digestion, composting, and insect farming are essential for managing organic waste, converting it into valuable resources like biogas and organic fertilizers. However, these processes often face challeng.....»»
New technique detects THC in saliva in minutes with minimal sample
With just a few drops of saliva and in a few minutes the presence of THC can be detected thanks to a technique developed by the universities of Cordoba and Valencia, making it possible to accelerate the analysis process and to use very small samples.....»»
Decomposing "refrigerants," a potent greenhouse gas, using industrial waste
A research team has developed a technology to decompose refrigerants, a greenhouse gas 1,300 times more potent than carbon dioxide, using challenging-to-handle industrial waste......»»
Insect pests study finds public surveillance is critical to early detection
A new study from the University of Maryland identifies key patterns and factors influencing insect pest establishment and detection across the U.S. and suggests public surveillance awareness and involvement is a critical component of efforts to prote.....»»
Insect infestation ravages North African prickly pear
Amor Nouira, a farmer in Tunisia's Chebika village, has lost hope of saving his prickly pear cacti, ravaged by the cochineal insect spreading across North Africa......»»
Stepping stones for wildlife: How linking up isolated habitats can help nature thrive in our cities
Imagine you're a fairywren living in a patch of scrub behind a schoolyard in the suburbs. It's been pretty nice so far, but a recent increase in neighborhood cats and the council's insect control tactics mean it's time to look for somewhere safer to.....»»
Studies find China-based emissions of three potent climate-warming greenhouse gases have spiked in past decade
When it comes to heating up the planet, not all greenhouse gases are created equal. They vary widely in their global warming potential (GWP), a measure of how much infrared thermal radiation a greenhouse gas would absorb over a given time frame once.....»»
Scientists develop dual-functional, high-efficiency antimicrobial nanozyme
A research team led by Prof. Gao Lizeng from the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed a bactericidal mechanism based on nanozymes that simulate antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and antimicrobial enzymes (AMEs) according to.....»»
How to make an old antibiotic 100 times more potent
Nathaniel Martin, Professor of biological chemistry, wondered what would happen if you took an antibiotic that has been known for 70 years and tried to improve it with the latest tools of modern chemistry. Turns out it can become up to a hundred time.....»»
Scientists pay tribute to tennis players with new insect species named after them
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will go down in history as two of the greatest tennis players of our time, but their names have also been immortalized in science, as two new insect species were just named in honor of the athletes......»»
New portable fluorescence sensors enable targeted detection of heavy metal chromium (III)
Prof. Jiang Changlong's research team from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a highly sensitive ratiometric fluorescent probe that can detect heavy metal trivalent chromium (Cr3+) in the environ.....»»
Phage display technology effectively improves specific targeting ability of anti-microbial peptides against S. aureus
Antibiotics are widely used in clinical treatment and animal production as an effective means to combat microbial infections. Antimicrobial peptides, as potential alternatives to antibiotics, have shown promising applications. However, owing to their.....»»
3 million iOS and macOS apps were exposed to potent supply-chain attacks
Apps that used code libraries hosted on CocoaPods were vulnerable for about 10 years. Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson) Vulnerabilities that went undetected for a decade left thousands of macOS and iOS apps susceptible to.....»»
Nitrogen-using bacteria can cut farms’ greenhouse gas emissionsÂ
Nitrogen fertilizers get converted to nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. Enlarge (credit: Timothy Hearsum) Fritz Haber: good guy or bad guy? He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1918 for his part in developing the.....»»
Insect frass becomes food for protein-rich microalgae
As the demand for protein-rich food increases with population growth and rising awareness of nutrition and health, traditional animal and plant-based protein sources that require arable land or freshwater put significant pressure on land and resource.....»»
Butterflies, bees, bugs and more: The summer of insect-counting gets underway in Germany
In a strip of greenery between Berlin's Natural History Museum and a busy street, bumble bees move swiftly between flowers while a ladybug makes its way along a leaf full of aphids and bugs crawl about......»»