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First-Ever Molecular Movie Shows DNA Unzipping Mechanism in Action

Scientists at the University of Leicester have captured the first detailed "molecular movie" showing DNA being unzipped at the atomic level – revealing how cells begin the crucial process of copying their genetic material.

22 Mar 2025

Visualizing the Fundamental Process of DNA Strand Separation

The exact moment DNA starts to unravel has been seen by scientists for the first time, exposing a chemical process that is essential for DNA to be the molecule that codes for all life.

20 Mar 2025

Artificial Photosynthesis Advances with Novel Dye Stacking System

The amazing process of photosynthesis allows plants to create sugar molecules and oxygen from the basic building blocks of carbon dioxide and water.

17 Mar 2025

Molecular Intelligence Simplifies Cryo-EM Data Analysis with AI

Scientists from Purdue University’s College of Science and the Rosen Center for Advanced Computing have established Molecular Intelligence, a software company dedicated to assisting researchers in determining the 3D structures of biomolecules captured through cryogenic-electron microscopy (cryo-EM).

13 Mar 2025

New Cannabinoid Drug Brings Hope For Treating Chronic Pain Without Addiction

VIP36, a new CB1 agonist, targets a cryptic pocket to provide analgesia for chronic pain while minimizing side effects and avoiding opioid-related risks.

13 Mar 2025

Cryo-EM Reveals 3D Structure of Nipah Virus RNA Polymerase

The replication of the Nipah virus's genetic material in infected cells has been demonstrated for the first time by researchers from the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Multidisciplinary Sciences and the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG). In humans, the virus can cause fatal encephalitis.

11 Mar 2025

Protective ‘Slime’ In The Brain May Help Prevent Aging And Neurodegeneration

The study shows that boosting mucin-type O-glycosylation in aged mice reinforces the blood-brain barrier and improves memory, paving the way for new treatments.

10 Mar 2025

Structural Insights into uMtCK Offer New Pathways for Targeting Cancer Energy Mechanisms

Cancer cells have an insatiable appetite for energy as they multiply more rapidly than normal cells. Greedy cancer cells hijack various cellular functions to find and exploit energy and other resources, including a group of enzymes that help normal cells maintain a balance of energy.

8 Mar 2025

Cryo-ET Reveals Retrotransposon Replication Inside Cells

An arms race is occurring within human cells: Transposons, also known as jumping genes or mobile genetic elements, can replicate and reintegrate themselves into the genome, posing a threat to genomic integrity by inducing DNA rearrangements and mutations.

6 Mar 2025

Discovery of Ball-and-Chain Mechanism Sheds Light on Ion Channel Regulation

A new study has unveiled a precise picture of how an ion channel found in most mammalian cells regulates its own function with a "ball-and-chain" channel-plugging mechanism, according to investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine.

5 Mar 2025

Scientists Unveil Molecular Process of Polymerase Theta in Cancer Cells

DNA repair proteins act like the body's editors, constantly finding and reversing damage to our genetic code.

4 Mar 2025

Lactylation Levels Influence Cardiac Development and Regeneration in Mice

This study is led by Dr. Xiaodong Luan (Institute of Clinical Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital), Dr. Shuyang Zhang (Department of Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital) and Dr. He Huang (Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences).

3 Mar 2025

Mapping Bacterial Responses to Reactive Nitrogen and Oxygen Species

A study in Microbiological Research explored the impact of varying ratios of Reactive Nitrogen Species (RNS) and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) on pathogenic bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

28 Feb 2025

Unveiling the Role of Flexibility in Designer Proteins

Artificially designed proteins typically rely on building blocks with strict symmetrical rules, allowing for computational prediction of their structures.

27 Feb 2025

Danforth Center Scientists Innovate Cryopreservation for Plant Tissue Imaging

Danforth Center scientists Tessa Burch-Smith, PhD, and Kirk Czymmek, PhD, in collaboration with researchers at the CryoEM Facility at Stanford University, are embarking on a pioneering initiative to develop new cryopreservation and nanoscale imaging procedures for volume electron microscopy (vEM) of plant tissues.

26 Feb 2025

Innovative AI Software Automates Complex Microscopy Image Segmentation Tasks

Identifying and delineating cell structures in microscopy images is crucial for understanding the complex processes of life.

26 Feb 2025

Bacterial Cellulose Boosts Plant Healing, Opening New Frontiers in Agricultural Regeneration

Research shows bacterial cellulose stimulates plant tissue regeneration, activating key genes and signaling pathways for improved wound healing in agriculture.

24 Feb 2025

New Discoveries Challenge Textbook Knowledge of Mitochondrial Respiration

In an article published in the journal Trends in Biochemical Sciences, Alicia Kowaltowski, full professor at the University of São Paulo's Institute of Chemistry (IQ-USP) in Brazil, advocates the "rewriting" of textbooks on the location of the electron transport chain in mitochondria and the role of sodium in mitochondrial respiration.

20 Feb 2025

Novel Anti-CRISPR Protein Targets Cas13b RNA Nuclease

There are numerous potential uses for the CRISPR-Cas gene scissors, ranging from antiviral treatments and diagnostics to the treatment of genetic disorders.

18 Feb 2025