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Microtubule Skeleton Determines How Heart Muscle Cells Change Under Stress

Microtubules, part of heart muscle cells' internal "skeleton," help determine how the heart changes shape under stress, and a common signaling pathway called the ERK pathway acts as a key controller of where the building materials for these cells' growth are delivered inside them, a pair of new studies show.

9 Jun 2026

New Antibiotic Compound Blocks Ribosome to Starve Dangerous Pathogens

Researchers at McMaster University have discovered a new antibiotic that kills some of the world's most dangerous and drug-resistant bacteria - and does so by targeting a previously unknown vulnerability, opening the door to an entirely new class of treatments.

5 Jun 2026

How a Tiny Bacterial Enzyme Could Clean Up Chemical Manufacturing

Industrial oxidation chemistry is a cornerstone of modern manufacturing, accounting for nearly one-third of all chemical industrial processes.

3 Jun 2026

Cell Phase Separation Creates Droplets That Optimize and Activate Kinase Signaling

Within the past decade, biologists have discovered that one strategy cells use to keep their contents organized is a phenomenon known as phase separation.

2 Jun 2026

Fruit Fly Study Reveals Biochemical Pathways Connecting Stress to Sexual Dysfunction

Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have revealed key parts of the biochemical pathways connecting stress to sexual dysfunction.

1 Jun 2026

Molecular Blueprint Shows How Vital Gene Regulation Complexes Form

While scientists have known for over two decades that all cells use a strategy called RNA interference to regulate gene expression, a new study is the first to describe how a specific protein manages the step-by-step process of assembling the molecular complex that performs the regulatory job.

27 May 2026

Scientists Reveal How Surface Acids Prevent Bacteria From Blobbing

Researchers have discovered how acids on the surface of bacteria give these microscopic organisms their characteristic "rod" shape-by keeping an enzyme at bay that would otherwise turn the cylindrical cells into shape-shifting blobs.

27 May 2026

AI Designs Custom Miniproteins to Precisely Control Cell Receptors

G protein-coupled receptors, or GPCRs, sit in the plasma membrane, the boundary that defines the inside and outside of a living cell. They communicate with nearly every physiological process in our bodies - from the ability to see and smell, to sensing of adrenaline, insulin, nutrients and medicines.

22 May 2026

Drug-Resistant Superbugs Contribute to Nearly Five Million Global Human Deaths Every Year

A team of researchers from Florida State University and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory is looking to nature to find microbes that can be used to create new antibiotics to treat the growing threat of drug-resistant bacteria.

22 May 2026

Scientists Synthesize Rare Sea Sponge Molecules to Boost Future Cancer Drug Development

Florida State University chemists have synthesized new molecules derived from bacteria found in a Pacific Ocean sea sponge, a breakthrough for the future of drug development, particularly for rare forms of cancer.

21 May 2026

Nanoscopy Technique Reveals Hidden Networks Cells Use to Communicate

The Australian National University (ANU) has created a new nanoscopy technology that has revealed secret networks utilized for cell-to-cell communication, providing fresh insights into human disorders.

15 May 2026

Extra Chromosomes Trigger Cellular Changes Linked to Tumor Aggressiveness

One of the biggest challenges in cancer research is understanding why some tumor cells become especially aggressive, invasive and resistant to treatment.

11 May 2026

New CRISPR System Destroys Diseased Cells With High Precision

A new kind of CRISPR that destroys cells rather than gene editing them has shown potential for killing sick cells while leaving healthy cells untouched.

8 May 2026

Cryo-EM Images Reveal Coronavirus Proofreading Enzyme in Atomic Detail

The closest-ever detailed look at a key enzyme inside the virus that causes COVID-19 could lead to more effective treatment of the disease.

8 May 2026

UNC Professor Receives Grant to Investigate Origins of the Genetic Code

Over the course of natural history, animals and plants have evolved to adapt to an ever-changing environment and increase the chances of survival. So, too, has our own DNA.

7 May 2026

Breakthrough CRISPR Discovery Enables Selective Destruction of Cancerous Cells

Among the challenges in treating disease, including cancer, is wiping out malignancies, infection, contaminants or other pathologies, without destroying healthy tissue.

7 May 2026

Interactions Across the Genome Drive Neurodevelopmental Risks

People who have the same deletion of a section of chromosome 16 are susceptible to neurodevelopmental disorders; however, some may simply show moderate psychological symptoms like anxiety or depression, while others may have significant intellectual disability or developmental delay.

6 May 2026

Discovery Shows How Plants Prevent Excess Immune Responses

Salicylic acid, the active molecule in aspirin and some acne medications, is a hormone in plants that is essential for immunity, but it's a double-edged sword: Too much can cause autoimmunity and stunt growth.

5 May 2026

Engineered Bacteriophage Speeds up the "Training" of Plastic-Eating Bacteria

Millions of tons of plastic waste build up in landfills and oceans each year. One promising approach is to engineer microbes to break plastic down into useful chemical building blocks.

4 May 2026

Understanding the Origin of Early Life and Mystery of Protein Folding

How did the earliest life on Earth build complex biological machinery with so few tools? A new study explores how the simplest building blocks of proteins - once limited to just half of today's amino acids - could still form the sophisticated structures life depends on.

30 Apr 2026