Cryo-EM imaging reveals high-resolution side and top views of the viral RNA replication “crown” complex structure. Credit: Paul Ahlquist, Morgridge Institute for ResearchFor the very first time, researchers at the Morgridge Institute for Research have created near-atomic resolution images of a significant viral protein complicated responsible for replicating the RNA genome of a member...
The newly described oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (green) contact long-distance neuronal axons (magenta) on the wall of the brain ventricles.According to a study published June 20 in Science, scientists discovered two types of glial cells in the brains of adult mice - an astrocyte and an oligodendrocyte progenitor cell - after pushing neural stem cells to...
The aerial scene depicts two Late Devonian early tetrapods – Ichthyostega and Acanthostega – coming out of the water to move on land. Footprints trail behind the animals to show a sense of movement. Credit: Davide BonadonnaOne of the most critical questions in evolution is how and when significant groups of animals first evolved....
An artistic rendering of antibodies surrounding a SARS-CoV-2 particle. Credit: LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORYAn antibody treatment that seems to reduce the effects of all recognized SARS-CoV-2 pressures and various other coronaviruses was created with some help from architectural biologist Jay Nix.Lifesaving COVID-19 injections are enabling us to feel optimistic once again, after over a...
There are significant differences in species numbers among the major branches of the tree of life. Some groups of organisms have numerous species, while others have some. For example, animals, plants, and fungi each have more than 100,000 known species, how most of the others-- such as many algal and bacterial groups-- have 10,000...
MIT researchers have devised a way to program memories into bacterial cells by rewriting their DNA more efficiently. Credit: MIT News, iStockphotoOrganic engineers at MIT have created a brand-new way to edit bacterial genomes successfully and program memories right into microbial cells by revising their DNA. Using this technique, various spatial and temporal information...
Illustration. Credit: Yuval Robichek, Weizmann Institute of ScienceAccording to the Weizmann Institute of Scientific scientists, proteins can connect through DNA, performing a long-distance dialogue that functions as a type of genetic "switch." They discovered that the binding of proteins to one point of a DNA molecule could affect an additional binding point at a...
Scanning was completed both during Time 1 and Time 2 (approximately 1.5 years later) in each of the 5 age groups (6-year-olds, 10-year-olds, 14-year-olds, 16-year-olds, and 18+-year-olds). Credit: Zacharopoulos G, et al., 2021, PLOS Biology, CC-BY 4.0The neurotransmitters GABA and glutamate have complementary functions - GABA inhibits neurons, while glutamate makes them extra active. Published...
US prisons currently hold about 2 million detainees - many held while awaiting trial, and others serving extremely long prison sentences. New research by Professor Christopher Slobogin, Milton R. Underwood Chair in Law at Vanderbilt Law School, indicates that a risk prediction algorithm can help dramatically reduce these numbers.According to the professor, there is...
New research published in Scientific Reports has revealed that a plain but robust new algorithm can help engineers improve the design of cellular materials used in various applications, from defense, biomedical to intelligent structures and the aerospace sector.How cell materials perform can be uncertain, so calculations to help engineers predict how they will react...
