Toxin News and Research

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New Genetic Circuit Forces Cancer Cells to Self-Destruct

Treating cancer can sometimes feel like a game of Whac-A-Mole. The disease can become resistant to treatment, and clinicians never know when, where and what resistance might emerge, leaving them one step behind.

5 Jul 2024

New Hypothesis Links Firefly Bioluminescence to Oxygen Levels

A genomic analysis disproved the popular theory regarding the origin of firefly lights.

26 Jun 2024

Researchers Recreate Chemically Regulated Actin Polymerization to Study Membrane Dynamics

A synthetic platform that uses dimerization modules consisting of chemical proteins to precisely control the polymerization of actin and demonstrate symmetry breaking.

19 Jun 2024

New Gene Drive System Offers Hope for Sustainable Agriculture

The Chinese Academy of Sciences and Peking University, along with Wenfeng Qian from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB), have collaborated to create a plant gene drive system known as CRISPR-Assisted Inheritance utilizing NPG1 (CAIN).

18 Jun 2024

Human Antibodies Offer Hope for Improved Black Widow Antivenom

Sera produced from horses can be used to treat serious illnesses caused by black widow bites. But this approach is not totally secure. To address this, scientists have produced entirely human antibodies that are capable of neutralizing the European black widow's alpha-latrotoxin.

13 Jun 2024

LSTM Scientists Discover Treatment for Tissue Damage by African Spitting Cobra Venom

Scientists at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) have discovered a groundbreaking new snakebite treatment to prevent the devastating tissue damage caused by African spitting cobra venom.

11 May 2024

Colossal Biosciences and University of Melbourne Partner to Save Northern Quolls from Invasive Cane Toads

Today scientists from Colossal Biosciences, the world’s first de-extinction company, and the University of Melbourne announce a major step forward in the effort to save Australia’s endangered northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) from the invasive cane toad.

11 May 2024

Soil Bacteria Use Umbrella Toxins to Fight Back

Scientists have found that soil bacteria called Streptomyces secrete toxic protein particles in the shape of umbrellas that are meant to suppress competitors, particularly those that belong to their species.

18 Apr 2024

Role of Candidalysin in Gut Microbiome Dynamics

The fungus Candida albicans commonly inhabits the human gastrointestinal tract. This versatile species can switch between existing as single-celled yeast and multicellular hyphae to adjust to its surroundings.

22 Mar 2024

New Cost-Effective RNA Sequencing Method for Legionella Detection

Legionnaires' disease (LD), a rare and severe type of pneumonia, is a respiratory infection caused by species of Legionella bacteria.

22 Mar 2024

Using Genomic Methods to Track Pesticide Resistance

Pesticides are used by farmers to manage agricultural pests. However, pesticide-resistant insects frequently become immune to their toxins.

19 Mar 2024

Algal Blooms May Pose More Health Risks Than Previously Thought

Florida's 156-mile-long Indian River Lagoon (IRL) borders five different counties and has five inlets that connect the lagoon with the Atlantic Ocean.

16 Jan 2024

National Korea Maritime and Ocean University Researchers Explore the Impact of Microplastics and Toxin Exposure on Goldfish

Microplastic particles can travel long distances in oceans and are known to carry with them harmful and persistent organic pollutants like benzo[α]pyrene (BaP), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon.

11 Jan 2024