Synthetic biology circuits can respond within seconds
Synthetic biology offers a way to engineer cells to perform novel functions, such as glowing with fluorescent light when they detect a certain chemical. Usually, this is done by altering cells so they express genes that can be triggered by a certain.....»»
Study: Managers can boost everyone"s productivity by praising successful workers in company-wide messaging
Workplace communications platforms such as Slack and Microsoft Teams are sometimes accused of reducing productivity by distracting workers with constant messages and the need to respond to them......»»
Societal factors can shape how companies best respond after customers misbehave
From rule breaking and theft to verbal abuse and foul language, one customer's behavior can negatively affect another customer's experience. How hospitality businesses can best respond to instances of customer misbehavior can depend on the strictness.....»»
New findings in a decade-long study of enzyme catalysis
Synthetic chemistry provides an essential material basis for our clothing, food, housing, transportation, and medicine and is an important driving force for economic development. However, traditional chemical synthesis has bottleneck problems such as.....»»
Woman drips with sweat from a bite of food due to rare nerve-wiring mix-up
After just 75 seconds of chewing, large drops of sweat ran down the woman's face. Enlarge (credit: Getty | MICHAEL KAPPELER) The human body is full of marvels, some even bordering on miraculous. That includes the limited.....»»
Maker Faire Bay Area: Learn All the Things at Field Trip Friday, October 18th
From mastering the art of soldering to crafting paper circuits and launching rockets, the opportunities for learning are boundless at Maker Faire Field Trip Day. Just ask teacher Michael Kim, who brought his students last year (and came himself as a.....»»
X-ray footage shows how Japanese eels escape from a predator’s stomach
It took escaping eels 56 seconds on average to free themselves from death. Enlarge / "The only species of fish confirmed to be able to escape from the digestive tract of the predatory fish after being captured.” (credit: Hasega.....»»
Opinion: Researchers don"t take enough account of variation in biology—doing so could unlock new understanding
The natural world is filled with variety. Ecological systems can look very different in different parts of the Earth. Every species has genetic variation, which means individuals can look and behave very differently. Diseases can affect people differ.....»»
Rolling in the deep: Street flooding can be predicted in seconds with machine learning models
Getting around on a rainy day often involves dodging puddles—or sloshing through them. But during downpours, shallow pools can quickly become roadway ponds that cripple transportation, threaten safety and undermine emergency response......»»
A roadmap for using viruses to enhance crop performance
Humans, livestock and companion animals benefit from virus-based vaccines and gene therapies, but crops do not. This paradox is highlighted by an international research group led by the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants (IBMCP) wi.....»»
With AI, extreme microbe reveals how life"s building blocks adapt to high pressure
An assist from a Google Artificial Intelligence tool has helped scientists discover how the proteins of a heat-loving microbe respond to the crushing conditions of the planet's deepest ocean trenches, offering new insights into how these building blo.....»»
Video evidence: Japanese eels escape from their predator"s stomach
Many prey species have defensive tactics to escape being eaten by their would-be predators. But a study published in Current Biology on September 9, 2024 has taken it to another level by offering the first video evidence of juvenile Japanese eels esc.....»»
Tidal wetlands study offers improved predictions of methane gas emissions
An international study led by UAB researcher Ariane Arias-Ortiz, and published in Global Change Biology, has analyzed methane gas fluxes in more than 100 tidal wetlands and marshes in the U.S......»»
How plant coverage is affecting the Arctic carbon cycle
Researchers at Columbia University's Department of Earth and Environment Science have discovered new implications for the Arctic carbon cycle in the face of climate change. Their paper, published in Communications Biology, shows how differing plant c.....»»
Long-range-interacting topological photonic lattices breaking channel-bandwidth limit
Topological physics, which focuses on physical quantities that remain invariant under deformations, has garnered widespread interest in different areas of physics—photonics, quantum computing, solid-state physics, acoustics, and electronic circuits.....»»
How stories can teach young people about life in a changing climate
Education is key to empowering young people to respond to climate change. It's something that will reach into every aspect of their lives in complex ways. However, the national curriculum largely confines climate change to a few subjects, meaning tea.....»»
Wild and human-cared spotted dolphins harbor different gastrointestinal microbiomes, researchers find
A recent study published in Water Biology and Security highlighted the significant role of food source variations in shaping the gut microbiome of spotted dolphins, even when they inhabit similar environments......»»
AI tool maps out cell metabolism with precision
Understanding how cells process nutrients and produce energy—collectively known as metabolism—is essential in biology. Modern biology generates large datasets on various cellular activities, but integrating and analyzing the vast amounts of data.....»»
Light-activated polymerization methods unlock new possibilities for intracellular applications
Synthetic polymers play a crucial role in cell biology, serving as delivery vehicles for DNA and drugs, acting as fluorescent probes for cellular sensing, functioning as bioinks for tissue engineering, and mimicking biological functionality (e.g., ar.....»»
Ancient gene gives spiders their narrow waist, research reveals
An ancient gene is crucial for the development of the distinctive waist that divides the spider body plan in two, according to a study published August 29 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Emily Setton from the University of Wisconsin-Madiso.....»»
Using metal ion-linked nanostructures to improve immune response and boost breast tumor treatment
Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) is one of the primary methods of tumor immunotherapy. However, clinical data have shown that only a portion of patients respond to ICB treatment. Since the tumor's immune-suppressive environment plays a crucial role i.....»»