Mysterious enzyme structure in photosynthesis solved
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion have solved a long-standing puzzle in photosynthesis research. With the aid of quantum chemistry they were able to provide unexpected insight into the properties of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC).
Posted: Dec 12th, 2012
Read moreExpert group assigned to examine patent law in biotechnology
The European Commission will be building a new team with 15 experts, to examine the development and implications of patent law in the field of biotechnology and genetic engineering.
Posted: Dec 12th, 2012
Read moreNew twist on using biomass for perfume, cosmetic, personal care products
In a new approach for tapping biomass as a sustainable raw material, scientists are reporting use of a Nobel-Prize-winning technology to transform plant "essential oils" into high-value ingredients for sunscreens, perfumes and other personal care products.
Posted: Dec 12th, 2012
Read moreMussel goo inspires blood vessel glue
A University of British Columbia researcher has helped create a gel - based on the mussel's knack for clinging to rocks, piers and boat hulls - that can be painted onto the walls of blood vessels and stay put, forming a protective barrier with potentially life-saving implications.
Posted: Dec 11th, 2012
Read moreNew method to directly sequence small genomes without library preparation
For the first time, researchers sequenced DNA molecules without the need for the standard pre-sequencing workflow known as library preparation.
Posted: Dec 11th, 2012
Read moreTracking gene flow in marine plant evolution
Physicists and biologists apply Big Data statistical tools to study marine plant evolution.
Posted: Dec 10th, 2012
Read moreBiohackers on the rise
In Shoreditch, residence to London artists, coffee shops and retro clothes, a group of amateur scientists and UCL students have met to engineer biology. They're building a bacteria incubator out of a fridge box, cardboard and open source electronics. Their mission? To test the potential and limitation of biohacking - citizen science in synthetic biology.
Posted: Dec 8th, 2012
Read moreAntibiotic-eating bug unearthed in soil
A newly discovered bacterium degrades an antibiotic both to protect itself and get nutrition.
Posted: Dec 7th, 2012
Read moreWhy copper busts bacteria
Researchers in the United Kingdom have discovered that copper has the ability to prevent the horizontal transmission of genes, which has fuelled the spread of global antibiotic-resistant infections.
Posted: Dec 6th, 2012
Read moreNew report finds increase in media coverage of synthetic biology
Press coverage of synthetic biology in the United States and Europe increased significantly between 2008 and 2011, according to a report released today by the Synthetic Biology Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Posted: Dec 5th, 2012
Read moreX-ray laser helps slay parasite that causes sleeping sickness
An international team of scientists, using the world's most powerful X-ray laser, has revealed the three dimensional structure of a key enzyme that enables the single-celled parasite that causes African trypanosomiasis (or sleeping sickness) in humans.
Posted: Dec 5th, 2012
Read moreMicrochoreography: Researchers use synthetic molecule to guide cellular 'dance'
Johns Hopkins researchers have used a small synthetic molecule to stimulate cells to move and change shape, bypassing the cells' usual way of sensing and responding to their environment. The experiment pioneers a new tool for studying cell movement, a phenomenon involved in everything from development to immunity to the spread of cancer.
Posted: Dec 5th, 2012
Read moreHybrid scaffold more than skin deep
Researchers in Japan have created a hybrid scaffold which promotes tissue regeneration, strong and biodegradable.
Posted: Dec 5th, 2012
Read moreDiscovery of 100 million-year-old regions of DNA shows short cut to crop science advances
Scientists have discovered 100 million-year-old regions in the DNA of several plant species which could hold secrets about how specific genes are turned 'on' or 'off'.
Posted: Dec 5th, 2012
Read moreStanford launches new center to advance 'information age of genomics'
With a new research center, Stanford scientists from across campus will join a new "information age of genomics." The goal is nothing short of improving human well-being.
Posted: Dec 4th, 2012
Read moreUnexpected toughness may mark out cancer cells in the blood
New finding might help improve "liquid biopsy" approach for detecting cancer cells in blood.
Posted: Dec 4th, 2012
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