New study reveals how human astroviruses bind to humans cells and paves the way for new therapies and vaccines Human astroviruses are a leading viral cause of the stomach bug—think vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. It often impacts young children and older adults, leading to vicious cycles of sickness and malnutrition, particularly for those in low and middle income countries. It’s very commonly found in wastewater studies, meaning it’s frequently circulating in communities. As of now, there are no vaccines for…
To create their new waterproof adhesives, the MIT researchers engineered bacteria to produce a hybrid material that incorporates naturally sticky mussel…
Nerve cells communicate by using electrical signals. Via widely ramified cell structures—the dendrites—, they receive signals from other neurons and then…
Peroxisomes are vital cell components that degrade cellular toxins and long-chain fatty acids. Their malfunction may result in severe, often lethal…
A novel study by the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) found that an increase in a gene known…
As cancer cells divide, they accumulate random mistakes (mutations). This process creates new versions of proteins, some of which are recognized as foreign…
The interstitial pressure inside a tumor is often remarkably high compared to normal tissues and is thought to impede the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents…
An international collaboration led by research groups from Mainz and Darmstadt, Germany, has achieved the synthesis of a new class of chemical compounds for…
The continuous 24-hour day-and-night cycle and the unexpected occurrence of sudden events: These two factors determine the lives of nearly all organisms on…
But by using a signaling system called “quorum sensing,” these single-celled organisms radically alter their behavior to suit their population. In short, some…
Disorders such as autism are often caused by genetic mutations. Such mutations can change the shape of protein molecules and stop them from working properly…
Red or green? Small or large? Fast or slow? Humans and animals rely on their visual organs to classify objects in their environment. Decisions about how we…
The ability to swim upwards – towards the sun and food supplies – is vital for many aquatic microorganisms. Exactly how they are able to differentiate between…
The research, reported in a paper published today in the journal PLoS Pathogens and conducted by scientists at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute and…
A sleep-promoting circuit located deep in the primitive brainstem has revealed how we fall into deep sleep. Discovered by researchers at Harvard School of…
The work—a collaboration between Viviana Gradinaru (BS '05), assistant professor of biology and biological engineering, and Frances Arnold, the Dick…
The new vancomycin analog appears to have not one but two distinct mechanisms of anti-microbial action, against which bacteria probably cannot evolve…
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