Biochemistry

RSS

Researchers discover a new mechanism to regulate nerve impulses

Researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, have discovered a new mechanism by which substances can open a certain type of ion channel and in this way regulate nerve impulses.

13 Oct 2020

Scientists develop new antimicrobial molecules from toxic proteins in wasp venom

A team led by scientists in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has engineered powerful new antimicrobial molecules from toxic proteins found in wasp venom.

13 Oct 2020

Study clarifies role of ERβ in growth and regeneration of skeletal muscle in female mice

Researchers at Kumamoto University, Japan generated mice lacking the estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) gene, both fiber-specific and muscle stem cell-specific, which resulted in abnormalities in the growth and regeneration of skeletal muscle in female mice.

13 Oct 2020

Dopamine and serotonin found to be involved in perception, cognitive capacities

In first-of-their-kind observations in the human brain, an international team of researchers has revealed two well-known neurochemicals -- dopamine and serotonin -- are at work at sub-second speeds to shape how people perceive the world and take action based on their perception.

13 Oct 2020

Researchers trace neurons in mosquitoes that sense blood's distinctive flavor

It's one of the world's deadliest animals, and it has a taste for human blood: the mosquito. Mosquitoes spread diseases like malaria, dengue, and yellow fever that kill at least a half a million people each year. Now researchers are learning what humans taste like to mosquitoes, down to the individual neurons that sense blood's distinctive, delectable flavor.

13 Oct 2020

Serum antibodies from recovered SARS patients neutralized SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Antibodies in serum samples collected from patients infected with SARS-CoV during the 2003 outbreak effectively neutralized SARS-CoV-2 infection in cultured cells, according to a new study.

12 Oct 2020

Developing a 'Trojan Horse' nanotherapy to fight breast cancer

With a nearly $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Michigan State University researchers are using nanoscopic particles to turn the body's own cells into weapons that cancer won't see coming.

12 Oct 2020

Bone destruction caused by too little sugar

Bone marrow cancer is currently an incurable disease that affects about 400 people in Norway every year. Professor Therese Standal at NTNU has now found an important reason for bone destruction in people with this disease.

12 Oct 2020

UMD researchers use AI tools to predict how and when proteins form different shapes

By applying natural language processing tools to the movements of protein molecules, University of Maryland scientists created an abstract language that describes the multiple shapes a protein molecule can take and how and when it transitions from one shape to another.

12 Oct 2020

Biofilms of major pathogenic bacteria can deform soft surfaces

The vast majority of bacteria in the world live on surfaces by forming structures called "biofilms". These communities host thousands to millions of bacteria of different types, and are so biologically complex and active that scientists describe them as "cities".

9 Oct 2020

Reducing the harvest period of stem cell sheets to two days

Stem cells are cell factories that constantly divide themselves to create new cells. Implanting stem cells in damaged organs can regenerate new tissues.

9 Oct 2020

New approach to determine the structure of large RNA molecules

Researchers have designed a new technique to establish the structures of huge RNA molecules at high resolution.

9 Oct 2020

Traditional approaches to urban soil pollution monitoring ignore actual risks

A team of soil scientists from RUDN University confirmed that traditional approaches to urban soil pollution monitoring ignore actual risks for urban residents because they don't take into consideration the barrier function of the soil.

8 Oct 2020

Phosphorus supply chain dynamics may affect regional food security

Phosphorus is essential in agriculture to maintain higher production levels, where it is applied as a fertilizer. Some of the world regions are experiencing high population growth rates, which means more phosphorus will be needed to produce an increasing amount of food needed in the next decades.

8 Oct 2020