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'Genetic Code Kit' could transform how biology and biochemistry are taught

An open-source educational biotechnology called the "Genetic Code Kit" has been developed by California Polytechnic State University researchers to allow students to interact with the molecular process inside cells in new ways.

20 Aug 2020

Newly developed transplantable human cells can help cure type 1 diabetes

Researchers have made a significant advancement in the quest for a safe, effective treatment for type 1 diabetes.

20 Aug 2020

Improving the accuracy of DNA melt curve

DNA is not only the blueprint of life, it has become the backbone for making tiny structures that can be inserted into the human body to diagnose and treat disease.

20 Aug 2020

Study sheds light on inner workings of the human heart

Researchers have investigated the function of a complex mesh of muscle fibers that line the inner surface of the heart.

20 Aug 2020

Removing copper from the blood can destroy some of the deadliest cancers

Australian researchers have discovered that removing copper from the blood can destroy some of the deadliest cancers that are resistant to immunotherapy using models of the disease.

20 Aug 2020

Climate change causes 'phenological mismatch' between bees and flowers

Bees and flowers seem inseparable harbingers of spring, but what happens when pollinators emerge later than their sources of nectar and pollen?

20 Aug 2020

Study shows how herpesvirus invades human cells and causes chickenpox

Inspite of several years of research, scientists are still clueless about how herpesviruses penetrate the human cells.

20 Aug 2020

Study shows age is a major risk factor for dying from COVID-19 infection

According to a study, genes that play a significant role in enabling SARS-CoV-2 to penetrate the heart cells become more active as people age.

20 Aug 2020

Cashew shell compound shows therapeutic potential for demyelinating diseases

In laboratory experiments, a chemical compound found in the shell of the cashew nut promotes the repair of myelin, a team from Vanderbilt University Medical Center reports today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

From Vanderbilt University 19 Aug 2020

Gene targeting could lead to better treatment of glioblastoma tumors

New insight into a gene that controls energy production in cancer stem cells could help in the search for a more effective treatment for glioblastoma.

19 Aug 2020

Surface structure of SARS-CoV-2 virus offers insights for development of therapeutics

At the start of a COVID-19 infection, the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 docks onto human cells using the spike-like proteins on its surface. The spike protein is at the centre of vaccine development because it triggers an immune response in humans.

19 Aug 2020

'Farm-tuning' cover crop mixtures to achieve maximum ecosystem services

Penn State researchers, in a recent study, were surprised to learn that they could take the exact same number of seeds from the same plants, put them in agricultural fields across the Mid-Atlantic region and get profoundly different stands of cover crops a few months later.

19 Aug 2020

Researchers study how bacteria adapt to their host cells

In the environment, they are often found inside unicellular organisms. A research team led by Matthias Horn at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science at the University of Vienna has made use of laboratory experiments to gain a better understanding of how these bacteria adapt to their host cell over time.

19 Aug 2020

Influenza viruses can spread through the air on dust, fibers

Influenza viruses can spread through the air on dust, fibers and other microscopic particles, according to new research from the University of California, Davis and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai.

From The University of California, Davis 19 Aug 2020

'Survival of the fittest': How meiotic drivers shape the evolution of gamete formation

It can be hard to dispute the common adage 'survival of the fittest'. After all, "most of the genes in the genome are there because they're doing something good," says Sarah Zanders, PhD, assistant investigator at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research

18 Aug 2020

Study shows how mitochondrial defects lead to neurodevelopmental diseases

The tiny organelles mitochondria supply the energy crucial for all cells in the human body, specifically in the brain that consumes an excessive amount of fuel.

18 Aug 2020

Researchers develop new, rapid test to diagnose COVID-19

A revolutionary test developed by scientists can now diagnose COVID-19 within 20 minutes.

18 Aug 2020

Study shows how proteins act as a defense mechanism to protect their own DNA

Viruses usually inject their DNA into a host cell to multiply. As soon as this foreign material penetrates the intracellular fluid, it activates a defense mechanism called the cGAS-STING pathway.

18 Aug 2020

Extrachromosomal DNA with potential to cause cancer drives poor patient outcomes

The multiplication of genes located in extrachromosomal DNA that have the potential to cause cancer drives poor patient outcomes across many cancer types, according to a Nature Genetics study published Aug. 17, 2020 by a team of researchers including Professors Vineet Bafna and Dr.Paul Mischel of the University of California San Diego and Professor Roel Verhaak of Jackson Laboratories.

From UC San Diego 18 Aug 2020

Switching off 'master regulator' may offer neuroprotection from Parkinson's-related damage

Switching off a molecular "master regulator" may protect the brain from inflammatory damage and neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease, reports a study published today in Nature Neuroscience.

18 Aug 2020