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A new method to efficiently produce biofuels from discarded plant matter

More corn is grown in the United States than any other crop, but we only use a small part of the plant for food and fuel production; once people have harvested the kernels, the inedible leaves, stalks and cobs are left over.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 28 Jun 2021

Innovative cyber seed is being brought to life by researchers

The first-ever manufacturing ‘cyber seed’ which grows just like a plant and produces innovative designs for products ranging from aircraft parts to medical devices has been conceptualized by researchers – and now it is being brought to life.

24 Jun 2021

Plants evolve defensive systems through a combination of environmental factors

According to research plants acquire unique defensive compounds through the collective effects of genes, geography, and environmental circumstances.

17 Jun 2021

Study provides new insights into the invariant rate of aging hypothesis

A study led by Fernando Colchero, University of Southern Denmark and Susan Alberts, Duke University, North Carolina, that included researchers from 42 institutions across 14 countries, provides new insights into the aging theory "the invariant rate of aging hypothesis", which states that every species has a relatively fixed rate of aging.

16 Jun 2021

Study explains the evolution of taste receptors in mammals

Is evolution responsible for people’s inability to resist a salty chip?

16 Jun 2021

Study reveals molecular factors that allow birds to fly

For many years, researchers, adventure-seekers, and aeronautical designers have attempted to simulate the characteristics that enable birds to fly, particularly balance and wing structure.

15 Jun 2021

World Food Safety Day 2021: An Interview with the World Health Organization (WHO)

AZoLifeSciences interviews Francesco Branca, director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at the World Health Organization, for World Food Safety Day 2021.

From World Health Organization (WHO) 14 Jun 2021

Study sheds new light on the early stages of viral evolution

Scientists from the Universities of York and Leeds, in association with Hilvert Laboratory at the ETH Zurich, have investigated the evolution, structure, and assembly of virus-like particles. According to the researchers, this breakthrough discovery will impact the way viruses are treated in the future.

11 Jun 2021

Pre-trained viruses are more effective in countering antibiotic resistance

The risk of antibiotic resistance increases as bacteria continue to evade even the most powerful contemporary medicinal treatments. Antibiotic-resistant microorganisms threaten to take more than 10 million lives by 2050, as present-day treatments prove ineffective.

9 Jun 2021

Sedimentary sequence provides a continuous record of five million years of climate change

Paleo researcher Charlotte Prud'homme, who until recently worked at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and is now a researcher at the Université Lausanne, explains: "The 80-meter-thick sedimentary sequence we found at Charyn Canyon in southeast Kazakhstan provides us with a virtually continuous record of five million years of climate change.

4 Jun 2021

World’s richest, most common ecosystems grow in the oldest, infertile landscapes

The world’s richest, most endemic ecosystems grow in the oldest, most infertile landscapes, according to new research by The University of Western Australia.

From The University of Western Australia 4 Jun 2021

First real-time observation of DNA-histone interactions

The genetic material of most organisms is carried by DNA, a complex organic molecule. DNA is very long -- for humans, the molecule is estimated to be about 2 m in length.

2 Jun 2021

Study reveals how cells respond to changes in the mechanical microenvironment

The mechanical properties of the cellular microenvironment in the body are sensed and responded to by cells.

27 May 2021

Researchers discover new genes and functionalities in bovine genome

Modern genetic research often works with what are known as reference genomes. Such a genome comprises data from DNA sequences that scientists have assembled as a representative example of the genetic makeup of a species.

27 May 2021

Study shows that higher treeless areas are home to far more species

Normally, mountain forests are among the most diverse habitats in alpine regions. Yet, as a team from the Alfred Wegener Institute discovered in the Tibetan Plateau, the higher, treeless areas are home to far more species.

20 May 2021

Study shows that Bubonic Plague had a long-term impact on immune gene expression

A new study shows that the Bubonic Plague has had a long-term impact on immune gene expression.

20 May 2021

Wild relatives of modern peanut plants can withstand diseases

The wild relatives of modern peanut plants have the ability to withstand disease in ways that peanut plants can't. The genetic diversity of these wild relatives means that they can shrug off the diseases that kill farmers' peanut crops, but they also produce tiny nuts that are difficult to harvest because they burrow deep in the soil.

From University of Georgia 19 May 2021

Cells within the center of a tumor have the highest chance of spreading around the body

Researchers from the Francis Crick Institute, Royal Marsden, UCL and Cruces University Hospital have found that cells from different parts of kidney tumors behave differently, and surprisingly, cells within the center of a tumor are the most aggressive and have the highest chance of spreading around the body.

18 May 2021

Plant eaters diversified quickly after mass extinctions to eat different kinds of plants

Researchers at the University of Bristol found that plant eaters diversified quickly after mass extinctions to eat different kinds of plants, and the ones that were able to chew harsher materials, which reflected the drying conditions of the late Triassic, became the most successful. These tougher herbivores included some of the first dinosaurs.

17 May 2021

Scientists shed light on the origins of Mimivirus and other giant viruses

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay shed light on the origins of Mimivirus and other giant viruses, helping us better understand a group of unique biological forms that shaped life on earth.

17 May 2021