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76 articles from ScienceDaily

Archaeologists discover salt workers’ residences at underwater Maya site

Maya archaeologists have excavated salt kitchens where brine was boiled in clay pots over fires in pole and thatch buildings preserved in oxygen-free sediment below the sea floor in Belize. But where these salt workers lived has been elusive, leaving possible interpretations of daily or seasonal workers from the coast or even inland. This gap left nagging questions about the organization of...

Delta-like SARS-CoV-2 variants are most likely to increase pandemic severity

Mathematical model indicates SARS-CoV-2 variants that combine enhanced transmissibility with the ability to escape immunity cause more infections than variants with either trait alone. Understanding which type of variants are most likely to increase infections and pandemic severity could help researchers and public health officials interpret the significance of novel and existing variants and...

Novel artificial genomic DNA can replicate and evolve outside the cell

Scientists successfully induced gene expression from a DNA and evolution through continuous replication extracellularly using cell-free materials alone for the first time. By adding the genes necessary for transcription and translation to the artificial genomic DNA, it could be possible to develop artificial cells that can grow autonomously, and it will be expected to produce efficient useful...

A genetic change for achieving a long and healthy life?

Researchers presented new insights for improving the health span by just regulating the activity of a protein. A research group has identified a single amino acid change in the tumor suppressor protein phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) that dramatically extends healthy periods while maintaining longevity.

New link between diet, intestinal stem cells and disease discovered

Obesity, diabetes and gastrointestinal cancer are frequently linked to an unhealthy diet. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for this are not fully understood. Researchers have gained some new insights that help to better understand this connection. These findings provide an important basis for the development of non-invasive therapies.

Age, sex and waning COVID-19 antibodies

Antibodies after COVID-19 vaccination peaked higher for women and younger people than men and individuals over the age of 65, respectively, but levels dropped by half within six months for everyone in a study group.

COVID-19 vaccine elicits weak antibody response in people taking immunosuppressant

People taking TNF inhibitors, a kind of immunosuppressive drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions, produced a weaker and shorter-lived antibody response after two doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, according to a new study. A third vaccine dose drove antibody levels back up, indicating that this additional dose may provide protection as the virus's delta variant...

Reading the mind of a worm

It sounds like a party trick: scientists can now look at the brain activity of a tiny worm and tell you which chemical the animal smelled a few seconds before. But the findings of a new study are more than just a novelty; they help the scientists better understand how the brain functions and integrates information.

Phages kill dystentery-causing bacteria and reduce virulence in surviving bacteria

Phages are viruses that infect bacteria and can also be used to treat human infections. However, as with antibiotics, bacteria can readily evolve resistance to phage attack, highlighting a key limitation to the use of phages as therapeutics. Now, researchers have shown that the naturally occurring phage A1-1 kills Shigella flexneri, a major cause of dysentery in sub-Saharan Africa and southern...

Suffering from psoriasis? Blame this trio of proteins

About 7.5 million Americans suffer from psoriasis, an autoimmune disease that shows up as patches of red, inflamed skin and painful, scaly rashes. Although there are effective treatments for psoriasis, not everyone responds to these therapies -- and for many, the relief is temporary. Scientists have discovered how a key protein called TWEAK damages skin cells in psoriasis patients. Their findings,...

Breeding plants with genes from one parent

Scientists are a step closer to breeding plants with genes from only one parent. New research led by plant biologists at UC Davis shows the underlying mechanism behind eliminating half the genome and could make for easier and more rapid breeding of crop plants with desirable traits such as disease resistance.

Cystic fibrosis faithfully modeled in a human Lung Airway Chip

Despite advances in patient screenings and breakthrough therapies that allow CF patients now to live into their mid- to late 30s or 40s, sometimes even longer, all patients are plagued by bacteria settling in their mucus, which causes inflammation in their lungs, and eventually causes their respiratory systems to fail. A major barrier to developing new and urgently needed treatments is the lack of...