298 articles from TUESDAY 6.7.2021

Bacterial survival kit to endure in soil

Soil bacteria have amazing strategies to attain energy in order to withstand stressful times. Researchers investigated how acidobacteria, which are widespread in soils, can survive under adverse conditions.

New nanotech will enable a 'healthy' electric current production inside the human body, researchers report

Researchers have developed an innovative material that is eco-friendly, completely biological and non-toxic, and causes no harm to the body's tissues. The material is as strong as titanium and extremely flexible. The new development will allow for the charging of pacemakers using only the heartbeat, eliminating the need for batteries. The new material will make it possible to produce green energy...

The evolution of vinegar flies is based on the variation of male sex pheromones

By analyzing the genomes of 99 species of vinegar flies and evaluating their chemical odor profiles and sexual behaviors, researchers show that sex pheromones and the corresponding olfactory channels in the insect brain evolve rapidly and independently. The new study is a valuable basis for understanding how pheromone production, their perception and processing in the brain, and ultimately the...

New species of pseudo-horses living 37 million years ago

Scientists have described two new species of palaeotheriidae mammals that inhabited the subtropical landscape of Zambrana (Álava) about 37 million years ago. Their atypical dental features could point to a difference in environmental conditions between the Iberian and Central European areas.

Making computer servers worldwide more climate friendly

An elegant new algorithm can significantly reduce the resource consumption of the world's computer servers. Computer servers are as taxing on the climate as global air traffic combined, thereby making the green transition in IT an urgent matter. The researchers expect major IT companies to deploy the algorithm immediately.

How an unfolding protein can induce programmed cell death

The death of cells is well regulated. If it occurs too much, it can cause degenerative diseases. Too little, and cells can become tumors. Mitochondria, the power plants of cells, play a role in this programmed cell death. Scientists have obtained new insights in how mitochondria receive the signal to self-destruct.

Developing new techniques to build biomaterials

Scientists have developed an approach that could help in the design of a new generation of synthetic biomaterials made from proteins. The biomaterials could eventually have applications in joint repair or wound healing as well as other fields of healthcare and food production.  

The mystery of heavy elements in galactic cosmic rays

Scientists have used data from the Southwest Research Institute-led Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission to explain the presence of energetic heavy elements in galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). GCRs are composed of fast-moving energetic particles, mostly hydrogen ions called protons, the lightest and most abundant elements in the universe. Scientists have long debated how trace amounts of heavy ions...

High-throughput metabolic profiling of single cells

Scientists from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have presented a new method for generating metabolic profiles of individual cells. The method, which combines fluorescence microscopy and a specific form of mass spectroscopy, can analyze over a hundred metabolites and lipids from more than a thousand individual cells per hour. Researchers...

Cracking the bitumen puzzle

While atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy have provided information on the morphology of bitumen surfaces in the past, it was not known whether surface and chemical composition correlate with each other. However, the chemical composition of the surface is of particular interest because oxidation processes take place there, triggered by oxygen-containing molecules in the air...

Falling in line: The simple design and control of MOF electric flow

Metal-organic frameworks (MOF) are crystalline porous organic-inorganic hybrid materials which, by filling their pores with guest molecules, can create functionalities through interactions between the organic-inorganic based frameworks of the MOF (host) and its guest molecules. This host-guest chemistry has the potential to bring 'designable' electrical properties, allowing for a material to be...

Sexual reproduction without mating

A type of fungi studied by a team of biologists for their sexual reproduction strategies are commonly known as Sword-belt Mushrooms. In addition to the European Sword-belt Mushroom (Cyclocybe aegerita), its Pacific relative, the so-called Tawaka (Cyclocybe parasitica), also possesses the unusual ability for agarics to single-handedly form complex multicellular structures for sexual reproduction....

Muscles retain positional memory from fetal life

Muscles and the resident stem cells (satellite cells) responsible for muscle regeneration retain memory of their location in the body. This positional memory was found to be based on the expression pattern of the homeobox (Hox) gene cluster, which is responsible for shaping the body during fetal life. These findings are expected to provide clues to elucidate the pathogenesis of muscle diseases...

Study shows laboratory developed protein spikes consistent with COVID-19 virus

A new study has found that the key properties of the spikes of SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes COVID-19 are consistent with those of several laboratory-developed protein spikes, designed to mimic the infectious virus. The findings show how that viral spike manufactured through different methods in laboratories across the globe are highly similar and provide reassurance that the spike can be robustly...

Key processes in early brain development revealed

The neocortex is a layered structure of the brain in which neurons are arranged parallel to each other. This organization is critical for healthy brain function. Researchers have uncovered two key processes that direct this organization. The researchers identify one crucial factor which ensures the timely movement of neurons into their destined layer and, subsequently, their final parallel...