Light News and Research

RSS

Bacteria Could Be Used to Make Sustainable Building Materials

Investigators have grown bacterial cells in potential sand-based construction materials, according to a recent study published in Research Directions: Biotechnology Design, a new journal from Cambridge University Press.

8 Aug 2023

Bacteria Have Complex Circadian Clocks, Study Finds

Bacteria make up more than 10% of all living things but until recently we had little realization that, as in humans, soil bacteria have internal clocks that synchronize their activities with the 24-hour cycles of day and night on Earth.

7 Aug 2023

Leveraging Nature's Blueprint: The Impact of Directed Evolution in Protein Engineering

In this interview conducted at SLAS EU 2023 in Brussels, Belgium, we spoke to Miguel Alcalde, a Research Professor at the CSIC, about directed evolution in enzymology and the wider biotechnology sector.

From Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) 4 Aug 2023

Do Host Social Interactions Influence Gut Bacteria Evolution?

A recent study demonstrates how host social interactions can have a significant influence on the development of gut bacteria in the gut microbiome. The study, carried out by a group of researchers from Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, sought to investigate the impact of host-to-host bacterial transmission on Escherichia coli (E. coli) evolution in mammalian guts.

3 Aug 2023

Single-Cell Sequencing Finds New Cell Types in the Visual Systems of Flies

Researchers from New York University have created a method that discovers and labels neurons throughout development, which has allowed them to identify novel cell types in the visual system of flies.

1 Aug 2023

Researchers Develop New Photoenzymatic Method to Produce Chiral Amines

Using energy from light to activate natural enzymes can help scientists create new-to-nature enzymatic reactions that support eco-friendly biomanufacturing -; the production of fuels, plastics, and valuable chemicals from plants or other biological systems.

1 Aug 2023

Alternate Fuel ‘Cells’ Redefines Function of Nutrition in the Immune System

A metabolic by-product that is more prominent during fasting can improve immune cells’ ability to fight off infection and disease, according to a preliminary study conducted by researchers at the Van Andel Institute and its partners.

31 Jul 2023

Cornell Researchers Develop a Multimodal Platform to Image Biohybrids

When considering ways to sustainably generate environmentally friendly products, bacteria might not immediately spring to mind.

31 Jul 2023

Integrating Ultrasound with Genetics to Precisely Modify Neurons in the Brain

Researchers have developed methods to study and manipulate areas of the brain, though many of those methods are restricted by the limited depth that light can reach within the brain. A multidisciplinary team at Washington University in St. Louis plans to overcome that limitation by integrating ultrasound with genetics to precisely modify neurons in the brain.

28 Jul 2023

New Method Facilitates Early Detection and Localization of Tumors

To help with early tumor diagnosis and tumor localization, researchers have devised a technology that concurrently detects many cancer-specific DNA circulating hallmarks.

26 Jul 2023

Towards Artificial Photosynthesis with Engineering of Protein Crystals in Bacteria

In-cell engineering can be a powerful tool for synthesizing functional protein crystals with promising catalytic properties, show researchers at Tokyo Tech.

26 Jul 2023

Identifying The Best Antibodies Using X-Rays

Imagine you're going to a party where you only know a single person. While you've been friends with this person for a long time, you're concerned about them leaving you alone in a room full of strangers. Even though they promise they'll stick by your side, they immediately walk away from you upon entering the party to speak to someone else they know.

26 Jul 2023

In-Cell Engineering Proves to be a Powerful Tool for Synthesizing Functional Protein Crystals

In-cell engineering can be a powerful tool for synthesizing functional protein crystals with promising catalytic properties, show researchers at Tokyo Tech.

26 Jul 2023

Study Unravels How the Microbiome Shapes Evolutionary Immune Defenses

Animals and humans coexist with a vast array of microorganisms known as the microbiome, forming an intricate relationship that can range from mutually beneficial to pathogenic.

25 Jul 2023

Caecilians Pass Microbes to Their Young Through Skin-Feeding

Caecilians are an elusive type of amphibian that primarily live underground and look like a cross between a worm and a snake. One of the few things that is known about caecilians is their unique method for feeding their young.

25 Jul 2023

New Method for Building Modular Optical Sensors to Detect Bacteria and Viruses

An innovative method for building modular optical sensors that can detect viruses and bacteria has been created by an interdisciplinary research team from Bochum, Duisburg, and Zurich.

24 Jul 2023

New Tool Maps Cellular Stress Memory

When does that seasonal tan turn into a melanoma risk? When might those extra pounds cause diabetes? Could severe head injuries cause Alzheimer’s to develop? In the grand scheme of things, genetics, lifestyle, and age are risk factors, with the solutions frequently appearing only after the unfortunate diagnoses.

20 Jul 2023

How Does the Brain Correct Navigational Errors?

The human brain uses spatial mapping and memory to steer from point A to point B during daily navigation. Making a navigational error that necessitates a course correction is also common.

20 Jul 2023

Berkeley Lab and Genentech Team Up to Develop Next-Generation Drug Delivery System

Many diseases can be successfully treated in the simple environment of a cell culture dish, but to successfully treat real people, the drug agent has to take a journey through the infinitely more complex environment within our bodies and arrive, intact, inside the affected cells.

18 Jul 2023

Scientists Discover Specific Genes Involved in Rare, Life-Threatening Heart Disease

By identifying genes in patients and testing their effects in fruit flies, researchers from Sanford Burnham Prebys have found new genes that contribute to hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a rare, life-threatening heart disease that occurs in infants.

18 Jul 2023