Laboratory News and Research

RSS

'Farm-tuning' cover crop mixtures to achieve maximum ecosystem services

Penn State researchers, in a recent study, were surprised to learn that they could take the exact same number of seeds from the same plants, put them in agricultural fields across the Mid-Atlantic region and get profoundly different stands of cover crops a few months later.

19 Aug 2020

Researchers study how bacteria adapt to their host cells

In the environment, they are often found inside unicellular organisms. A research team led by Matthias Horn at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science at the University of Vienna has made use of laboratory experiments to gain a better understanding of how these bacteria adapt to their host cell over time.

19 Aug 2020

Influenza viruses can spread through the air on dust, fibers

Influenza viruses can spread through the air on dust, fibers and other microscopic particles, according to new research from the University of California, Davis and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai.

From The University of California, Davis 19 Aug 2020

'Survival of the fittest': How meiotic drivers shape the evolution of gamete formation

It can be hard to dispute the common adage 'survival of the fittest'. After all, "most of the genes in the genome are there because they're doing something good," says Sarah Zanders, PhD, assistant investigator at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research

18 Aug 2020

Study shows how mitochondrial defects lead to neurodevelopmental diseases

The tiny organelles mitochondria supply the energy crucial for all cells in the human body, specifically in the brain that consumes an excessive amount of fuel.

18 Aug 2020

Researchers develop new, rapid test to diagnose COVID-19

A revolutionary test developed by scientists can now diagnose COVID-19 within 20 minutes.

18 Aug 2020

Study shows how proteins act as a defense mechanism to protect their own DNA

Viruses usually inject their DNA into a host cell to multiply. As soon as this foreign material penetrates the intracellular fluid, it activates a defense mechanism called the cGAS-STING pathway.

18 Aug 2020

Extrachromosomal DNA with potential to cause cancer drives poor patient outcomes

The multiplication of genes located in extrachromosomal DNA that have the potential to cause cancer drives poor patient outcomes across many cancer types, according to a Nature Genetics study published Aug. 17, 2020 by a team of researchers including Professors Vineet Bafna and Dr.Paul Mischel of the University of California San Diego and Professor Roel Verhaak of Jackson Laboratories.

From UC San Diego 18 Aug 2020

Switching off 'master regulator' may offer neuroprotection from Parkinson's-related damage

Switching off a molecular "master regulator" may protect the brain from inflammatory damage and neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease, reports a study published today in Nature Neuroscience.

18 Aug 2020

Scientists discover bacteria's secret weapon to evade immune responses

Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute scientists have discovered a previously unknown method used by bacteria to evade immune responses.

18 Aug 2020

Novel technique of biofortification converts leaves into nutrient stores

A new collaborative study led by researchers from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) at the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) in Barcelona and the Institute for Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMCP) in Valencia describes a promising strategy to improve the nutritional benefits of crops.

18 Aug 2020

Novel receptor protein can be a promising treatment for COVID-19

A novel receptor protein that binds to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and prevents it from entering cells may hold promise for treating COVID-19 and other coronavirus-related diseases, according to research published online Aug. 4 in the journal SCIENCE.

18 Aug 2020

Researchers show how two X chromosomes communicate during embryo development

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have solved a mystery that has long puzzled scientists: How do the bodies of female humans and all other mammals decide which of the two X chromosomes it carries in each cell should be active and which one should be silent?

18 Aug 2020

Sustainable biotechnological production of coral antibiotic

Thomas Brück saw the sea whip Antillogorgia elisabethae for the first time 17 years ago while diving on a research trip to the Bahamas.

18 Aug 2020

SIDT1 in the mammalian stomach mediates absorption of dietary miRNAs

In a new study published in Cell Research, Chen-Yu Zhang's group at Nanjing University School of Life Sciences, China, reports that SIDT1 in the mammalian stomach mediates host uptake of dietary and orally administered microRNAs (miRNAs), thus exerting biological functions in the host.

18 Aug 2020

"Ocean-in-a-lab" shows air pollution can alter weather patterns

Oceans cover almost three-quarters of the globe, yet little is known about how gases and aerosols made by ocean microbes affect weather and climate, or how human-produced pollution could influence this process.

18 Aug 2020

Study reveals why immunity boost from seasonal flu vaccines is not long lasting

A study from Emory Vaccine Center provides insights into why the boost in immunity from seasonal flu vaccination lasts for months but not years, unlike some childhood vaccinations.

14 Aug 2020

Scientists describe the mechanism of action of therapeutic antibodies

Since the late 1990s, immunotherapy has been the frontline treatment against lymphomas where synthetic antibodies are used to stop the proliferation of cancerous white blood cells.

14 Aug 2020

Antibodies from natural controllers appear to play crucial role in eliminating hepatitis B virus

Infections in humans caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) represent a major public health problem. Despite the availability of effective protective vaccines, more than 250 million individuals worldwide are chronically infected according to WHO estimates.

From Institut Pasteur 14 Aug 2020

Flavonoids in sorghum roots may lead to development of frost-resistant crop

Flavonoid compounds -- produced by the roots of some sorghum plants -- positively affect soil microorganisms, according to Penn State researchers, who suggest the discovery is an early step in developing a frost-resistant line of the valuable crop for North American farmers.

14 Aug 2020