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Study uncovers a link between the genetic instructions for production and perception of sex pheromones

It's almost Valentine's Day, and love is in the air. Or in the waxy coating on your skin, if you are a vinegar fly. That's where flies encounter pheromones that play an important role in regulating sexual attraction.

1 Feb 2023

Exploring how plants can adapt to accelerating aridity due to climate change

At a time when climate change is making many areas of the planet hotter and drier, it's sobering to think that deserts are relatively new biomes that have grown considerably over the past 30 million years.

1 Feb 2023

Analyzing how disease-causing fungi become resistant to antifungal drugs

An investigation has been performed by scientists as to how disease-causing fungi become resistant to antifungal drugs to help avoid possibly detrimental impacts of the growing resistance harmful microbes are developing to drugs.

31 Jan 2023

Evolution of mint plants' chemistry could lead to new medicines, pesticides

The mint family of herbs, which includes sage, rosemary, basil, and even woody plants like teak, offers an invigorating jolt to our senses of smell and taste.

27 Jan 2023

Scientists receive $10 million from HHMI for research on using viruses as therapeutic agents

Taking a bold step into a new era of biology, a team of scientists from the University of California San Diego, the J. Craig Venter Institute and Yale University has been awarded $10 million by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to support research on using viruses as new therapeutic agents.

27 Jan 2023

AI develops first-ever functional artificial protein

Scientists have developed an AI system that can produce artificial enzymes from scratch. Even though several of these enzymes’ artificially generated amino acid sequences differed noticeably from those of any known natural protein, they nonetheless performed as well in laboratory testing as those found in nature.

27 Jan 2023

MicroRNA’s influence on lupus disease inflammation

Researchers from Nagoya University’s Graduate School of Medicine in Japan have uncovered how microRNA (miRNA) affects inflammation in mice with lupus. They discovered two downregulated miRNAs in the disease along with a rare circumstance where several miRNAs control the same set of genes.

27 Jan 2023

Researchers discover new transporter for recycling of bacterial cell wall

A transporter which some bacteria use to recycle fragments of their cell wall has been discovered by researchers at Umeå University, Sweden.

27 Jan 2023

How do methanogens grow on toxic sulfite?

Methanogens are microbes that produce methane when there is little or no oxygen in their surroundings.

From The Max Planck Institute 20 Jan 2023

Detecting the extent of natural selection over time

Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, the CNRS, and the Collège de France researchers have employed paleogenomics to trace 10,000 years of human immune system evolution. They examined the genomes of over 2,800 individuals who lived in Europe over the past 10 millennia.

From Institut Pasteur 18 Jan 2023

Insights into the role of the germline in de novo mutation

The male reproductive system is a hotspot for the introduction of new genes. Perhaps that might assist in understanding why fathers tend to pass on more new mutations than mothers do. However, it does not explain why older fathers pass on more mutations than younger fathers.

16 Jan 2023

Importance of involving descendant communities in ancient DNA research

Researchers can track human evolution and make crucial findings about modern populations by analyzing ancient DNA.

13 Jan 2023

Designing plants through more-sophisticated genetic editing

Genetic manipulation was used by humans for millennia, long before they worked in lab coats Selective breeding has been employed for a very long time to produce plants and animals of great value, from adorable dogs to palatable fruit.

From The University of Western Australia 11 Jan 2023

Chilling tolerance trait in rice with the codon repeats at a single site

A recent study performed by Professor Chong Kang’s group from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has disclosed a fact that a novel cold domesticated repair mechanism for DNA damage in rice.

11 Jan 2023

Scandinavian gene pool development via DNA analysis

The complex relationships between geography, ancestry, and gene flow in Scandinavia are resolved in a new study based on 297 ancient Scandinavian genomes that were analyzed along with the genomic data of 16,638 modern Scandinavians.

6 Jan 2023

CT scanning and 3D modeling shed light on evolution of pelvic fins in shark embryos

Curtin University researchers have revealed how the pelvic fins of fish such as sharks and chimeras have evolved from their sudden appearance in the fossil record over 410 million years ago.

16 Dec 2022

Octopuses' acuity may provide a critical link in understanding the evolution of complex life

Octopuses have captured the attention of scientists and the public with their remarkable intelligence, including the use of tools, engaging in creative play and problem-solving, and even escaping from aquariums.

16 Dec 2022

Understanding the step-by-step development of E. coli resistance to drugs

Antibiotic resistance, which occurs when infection-causing bacteria evolve to the point where they are no longer affected by conventional antibiotics, is a worldwide concern.

15 Dec 2022

The potential of cellular “glue” in regenerative medicine

Scientists at UC San Francisco have created molecules that function as “cellular glue,” enabling them to precisely control how cells adhere to one another. The discovery is a significant step toward regenerative medicine’s long-term goal of creating new tissues and organs.

14 Dec 2022

3D imaging of shark embryos reveals evolution of pelvic fins

Curtin University researchers have revealed how the pelvic fins of fish such as sharks and chimaeras have evolved from their sudden appearance in the fossil record over 410 million years ago.

13 Dec 2022