Microbiology

Unveiling the Rice Washing Dilemma: To Wash or Not to Wash?

Washing the rice. Credit:  Teste Cooking.Rice is a staple food for billions of people in Asia and Africa. It's also a versatile ingredient for many iconic dishes worldwide, including Greece's dolmades, Italy's risottos, Spain's paella, and the UK's rice puddings. In this publication, we'll unravel the scientific dilemma of whether or not to wash...

Key Players in Anaerobic Digestion for Enhanced Biogas Production

Scientists discover Darwinibacteriales, a game-changing bacteria order, revolutionizing biogas production. Potential to enhance renewable energy globally. Credit: bioRxiv (2023). DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.08.556800In a significant breakthrough, scientists from the European research project Micro4Biogas have identified a new taxonomic order of bacteria known as Darwinibacteriales, which play a crucial role in the decomposition of organic matter and have the...

Identification of a Mucin and Insulin Secretion “Traffic Control” System

Tetraspanin 8 is localized at the plasma membrane of mucin-secreting cells. Credit: Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39277-9.In a recent study, scientists from the Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona investigated how cells execute the controlled release of mucins and insulin, two vital proteins for human health. Their findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.Mucins: Guardians...

Antimicrobials Used In Agriculture Create Highly Resistant Bacteria

Recent research has demonstrated that the excessive utilization of antimicrobials in the rearing of livestock may lead to the evolution of bacteria that are more resilient to the initial defense of the human immune system.As the journalist has noted in the past, antibiotic resistance refers to the ability of specific subsets of microorganisms to...

The Way Mouse Embryos Determine Between The Left And Right Sides

A light micrograph of a section through the thorax of a mouse embryo, which shows left–right asymmetry. RIKEN researchers have discovered how cilia detect fluid flow, which eventually leads to this asymmetry. Credit: Dr. Keith Wheeler/Science Photo LibraryThe process through which small hairs in embryos perceive fluid movement has been identified by biologists from...

New Antibiotic Cures Superbugs Without Bacterial Resistance

Credit: CanvaIn a potential game changer for the treatment of superbugs, a brand-new class of antibiotics was developed that cured mice infected with bacteria regarded virtually "untreatable" in humans-- and resistance to the drug was undetectable.Produced by a research team of UC Santa Barbara researchers, the research study was released in the journal eBioMedicine....

Using Origami DNA to Trap Big Viruses

Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell Reports Physical Science (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2022.101237A group of scientists from the Technical University of Munich and the College of Regensburg, both in Germany, has discovered that it is possible to develop origami DNA frameworks that can be used to trap large viruses. In their paper released in the journal Cell Reports Physical...

How Tardigrades Survive Freezing Temperatures

It is only under the microscope that the similarity of its namesake becomes apparent: the plump, round physique and the short legs are reminiscent of those of a bear. Credit: Ralph SchillTardigrades are excellent at adjusting to severe environmental problems. Back in 2019, Ralph Schill, one professor at the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular...

Building Human Muscle Genes in the DNA of Baker’s Yeast

Daran-Lapujade’s lab took human DNA (in red) encoding core functions in muscle cells, and inserted it into the DNA (chromosomes in purple) of a yeast cell (in yellow). The humanized yeast can be used as a tool for medical studies, for example in drug screening and cancer research. Credit: Ella Maru Studio / Pascale...

Mitochondria and the Origin of Eukaryotes

The complex cells of organisms known as eukaryotes, such as the animal cell pictured here, arose more than 1.5 billion years ago. Biologists have long known that back then, one simple, bacteria-like cell engulfed another, and the new arrival settled into its host cell to eventually become what we know as the energy-generating mitochondrion. But...