Scientists uncover an ancient immune-evading strategy shared by animal viruses and viruses that infect bacteria; findings may help in the development of new antiviral therapies. Viruses are tricky to keep up with. They evolve quickly and regularly develop new proteins that help them infect their hosts. These rapid shifts mean that researchers are still trying to understand a multitude of viral proteins and precisely how they increase viruses’ infecting abilities—knowledge that could be crucial for developing new or better virus-fighting…
New AI-based digital platform enables extremely fast and accurate analysis of tissue sections from lung cancer patients / publication in ‘Cell Reports Medicine’. A team of researchers from the University of Cologne’s Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, led by Dr Yuri Tolkach and Professor Dr Reinhard Büttner, has created a digital pathology platform based on artificial intelligence. The platform uses new algorithms developed by the team and enables fully automated analysis of tissue sections from lung cancer patients….
Researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey have discovered that a protein produced by parasitic worms in the gut enhances wound healing in mice. The study, to be published August 23 in the journal Life Science Alliance (LSA), reveals that applying the protein to skin wounds speeds up wound closure, improves skin regeneration, and inhibits the formation of scar tissue. Whether the protein can be harnessed to enhance wound healing in human patients remains to be seen. Skin wounds must…
In a world overrun by petroleum-based plastics, scientists are searching for alternatives that are more sustainable, more biodegradable and far less toxic to the environment. Two new studies by biologists at Washington University in St. Louis highlight one potential source of game-changing materials: purple bacteria that, with a little encouragement, can act like microscopic factories for bioplastics. A study led by graduate student Eric Conners found that two relatively obscure species of purple bacteria have the ability to produce polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), natural…
Researchers from Charité are developing new methods to use the internal clock inside tumor cells to optimize cancer therapies. How effective medications are depends on various factors, including the time of day when they are administered. Why? Because our bodies don’t always function exactly the same. Instead, they follow the cycle set by their internal clock, otherwise known as circadian rhythm. But since each person’s circadian rhythm is different and depends on a number of different factors, it is difficult…
The elimination of damaged cell components is essential for the maintenance of the body’s tissues and organs. An international research team led by the University of Bonn has made significant findings on mechanisms for the clearing of cellular wastes, showing that strength training activates such mechanisms. The findings could form the basis for new therapies for heart failure and nerve diseases, and even afford benefits for manned space missions. A corresponding article has been published in the latest issue of…
Chlamydiae are sexually transmitted pathogens that can apparently survive in the human gut for a long time. Researchers from Würzburg and Berlin report this in the journal PLOS Pathogens. People who are infected with chlamydia can transmit these bacteria to other people during unprotected sex. The pathogens usually cause no or only mild symptoms at first, such as itching in the vagina, penis or anus. If the infection is noticed, it can be easily treated with antibiotics. If this does…
Primate ornamentation plays a crucial role in communication not only within social groups but also between them, according to a new study. The research reveals that the males of species with overlapping home ranges often display vibrant colors or elaborate features, traits that may help reduce intergroup aggression by enabling quick assessments of potential rivals. Ornaments are sexually selected traits that serve as powerful signals, often indicating an individual’s genetic quality, health or physical strength. These differences in appearance between…
A chemistry PhD student is stranded at the Leibniz-HKI in Jena and uses the time for research on Candida albicans. Combined with antifungal drugs, synthetic polymers are particularly effective against Candida albicans. This was discovered by a German-Australian research team, who also elucidated the mechanism of action behind this. The researchers presented their findings in Nature Communications. The international collaboration came about by chance through an unplanned research stay that initiated the study at the Leibniz-HKI in Jena. Every year,…
Scientists demonstrate highly selective catalyst for low-temperature, direct conversion of natural gas to liquid fuel. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborating institutions have engineered a highly selective catalyst that can convert methane, a major component of natural gas, into methanol, an easily transportable liquid fuel, in a single, one-step reaction. As described in a paper just published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, this direct process for methane-to-methanol conversion runs at a…
Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET), can be used to visualize and analyze cellular structures in their natural environment. Researchers at the MPI of Biochemistry in Martinsried and the University Medical Center Göttingen have now used cryo-ET to study protein folding helpers, so-called chaperonin complexes, in the bacterium E. coli. These chaperonins help newly synthesized proteins to fold into their correct, functional form. The researchers were able to illuminate the folding reaction with unprecedented detail, monitoring conformational changes in the chaperonin as well…
…reveals fundamental nature of chemical bonding. The distribution of outermost shell electrons, known as valence electrons, of organic molecules was experimentally observed for the first time by a team led by Nagoya University in Japan. As the interactions between atoms are governed by the valence electrons, their findings shine light on the fundamental nature of chemical bonds, with implications for pharmacy and chemical engineering. The results were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The behavior of the…
Billions of our cells die every day to make way for the growth of new ones. Most of these goners are cleaned up by phagocytes—mobile immune cells that migrate where needed to engulf problematic substances. But some dying or dead cells are consumed by their own neighbors, natural tissue cells with other primary jobs. How these cells sense the dying or dead around them has been largely unknown. Now researchers from The Rockefeller University have shown how the sensor system…
The causes and consequences of reproduction without males in brown algae. Researchers at Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen and Kobe University discovered populations of female brown algae that reproduce from unfertilised gametes and thrive without males. As published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, they used “Amazon” algae to shed light on the phenotypic and genetic consequences of the shift from sexual to asexual reproduction. The researchers found several populations of brown algae in the sea on the coast of…
Nanoscience Associate Professor Yang Yang has designed a nature-inspired filtration and conversion system that extracts carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere to create fuels and chemicals. In an effort to reduce the environmental impact of carbon dioxide emissions, a University of Central Florida researcher has developed a new technology that captures carbon dioxide and outputs useful fuels and chemicals. Yang Yang, an associate professor in UCF’s NanoScience Technology Center, created an innovative device that captures carbon dioxide with a microsurface…
Children born with defects that impair the heart’s lower chambers undergo a series of invasive surgeries early in life. The first surgery includes implantation of a plastic tube called a shunt to improve blood flow. However, as children grow, the shunt is often replaced to accommodate their changing bodies. Now, researchers have designed a shunt that expands when activated by light. If developed successfully, this device could reduce the number of open-chest surgeries these children receive. The researchers will present…
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