Zombie viruses on a hijacking trip: How retroviral gene fragments affect embryonic cells
Ancient, dormant sequences in the genome impact embryonic development in unexpected ways. The mammalian genome contains retroviral sequences that are in an undead but mostly "harmless" state. An international research team recently discovered how som.....»»
Bacterial proteins shed light on antiviral immunity
A unique collaboration between two UT Southwestern Medical Center labs—one that studies bacteria and another that studies viruses—has identified two immune proteins that appear key to fighting infections. The findings, published in PLOS Pathogens.....»»
Detecting influence campaigns on X with AI and network science
In the age of generative-AI and large language models (LLMs), massive amounts of inauthentic content can be rapidly broadcasted on social media platforms. As a result, malicious actors are becoming more sophisticated, hijacking hashtags, artificially.....»»
Stiffness and viscosity of cells found to differ in cancer and other diseases
During illness, the stiffness or viscosity of cells can change. Tom Evers demonstrated this by measuring such properties of human immune cells for the first time. "The stiffness of certain cells could be a way to make a diagnosis," Evers said......»»
Mystery CRISPR unlocked: A new ally against antibiotic resistance?
CRISPR-Cas systems have revolutionized biotechnology by offering ways to edit genes like a pair of programmable scissors. In nature, bacteria use these systems to fight off deadly viruses. A recent international collaboration led by the University of.....»»
AI can help researchers understand what viruses are up to in the oceans and in your gut
Viruses are a mysterious and poorly understood force in microbial ecosystems. Researchers know they can infect, kill and manipulate human and bacterial cells in nearly every environment, from the oceans to your gut. But scientists don't yet have a fu.....»»
Lab-Grown Meat Is on Shelves Now. But There’s a Catch
A store in Singapore is selling lab-grown chicken, but it contains only 3 percent animal cells......»»
How do mindfulness, compassion and need fulfillment affect satisfaction in midlife married couples?
Many people practice mindfulness or self-compassion techniques in their everyday life as part of their normal self-care routine. Although many studies support the individual benefits of mindfulness and self-compassion, few have focused on romantic re.....»»
Researchers identify nutrient enrichment driven by canopy rainfall redistribution
Precipitation deeply couples with nutrient cycling through its interactions with atmospheric deposition and canopy interception, which alters its own chemical properties. Throughfall and stemflow carry numerous elements into the soil, not only affect.....»»
Uneven strain distribution induces detwinning in penta-twinned nanoparticles
Twinned nanoparticles have regions of clear symmetry that share the same crystal lattice, separated by a clear boundary. Changing the twin structure can affect the properties of the nanoparticles, which makes controlling twinning to create tailored n.....»»
Fetal cells can be traced back to the first day of embryonic development
Though more than 8 million babies have been born through in vitro fertilization (IVF), 70% of IVF implantations fail. As IVF is becoming a more common route to pregnancy in cases of infertility, there is a need for better understanding of embryonic d.....»»
Study discovers distinct population of "troublemaker" platelet cells appear with aging
As people age, they become more prone to blood clotting diseases, when blood cells called platelets clump together when they don't need to and can cause major issues such as strokes and cardiovascular disease. For decades, scientists have studied why.....»»
The hunt for rare bitcoin is nearing an end
Rare bitcoin fragments are worth many times their face value. Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Andriy Onufriyenko) Billy Restey is a digital artist who runs a studio in Seattle. But after hours, he hunts for rare chunks o.....»»
New iPad Air review roundup: Screen and Apple Pencil Pro are standouts
The first reviews of the iPad Air are in, and while there is a lot of focus on how there's now a larger-screen version, all also wonder how this will affect sales of the iPad Pro.The 11-inch and 13-inch iPad AirIt doesn't seem possible to review any.....»»
New work extends the thermodynamic theory of computation
Every computing system, biological or synthetic, from cells to brains to laptops, has a cost. This isn't the price, which is easy to discern, but an energy cost connected to the work required to run a program and the heat dissipated in the process......»»
A switch for the internal clock: Exploring quantum biology for novel medical therapies
A research collaboration has explored the effects of nuclear magnetic resonance on the internal clock of cells at different times of day and under oxygen deprivation......»»
Researchers clone "half-tendrilless" gene locus in pea mutant afila
Pea is the fourth largest edible legume crop in the world and is widely cultivated throughout the world. Several classical leaf mutants have been identified in peas, including unifoliata (uni), afila (af), tendril-less (tl), cocholeata (coch), stipul.....»»
The secret to mimicking natural faults? Plexiglass and Teflon
When a fault ruptures in nature, some sections of the fault slip suddenly and seismically, weakening as velocity increases. Other regions creep slowly and strengthen with increasing velocity. The relative locations of these sections affect the size a.....»»
Researchers breed tomato plants that contain the complete genetic material of both parent plants
In a new study published in Nature Genetics, led by Charles Underwood from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany, scientists established a system to generate clonal sex cells in tomato plants and used them to design.....»»
Nature"s 3D printer: Bristle worms form bristles piece by piece
A new interdisciplinary study led by molecular biologist Florian Raible from the Max Perutz Labs at the University of Vienna provides exciting insights into the bristles of the marine annelid worm Platynereis dumerilii. Specialized cells, called chae.....»»
The best State of Decay 2 mods
State of Decay 2 is a great zombie survival game that builds on the first, but it still lacks some features and has some rough edges. These mods fix all that......»»