Decoys could blunt spread of ash-killing beetles
After 25 years, researchers may have found a way to keep the emerald ash borer in check.
Feb 15th, 2013
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How a microbial biorefinery regulates genes
Digesting lignin, a highly stable polymer that accounts for up to a third of biomass, is a limiting step to producing a variety of biofuels. Researchers at Brown have figured out the microscopic chemical switch that allows Streptomyces bacteria to get to work, breaking lignin down into its constituent parts.
Feb 14th, 2013
Read moreFDA approves first bionic eye (w/video)
Argus II is first approved prosthesis to restore limited vision to those blinded by retinitis pigmentosa.
Feb 14th, 2013
Read moreA glimpse inside the control centres of cell communication
Researchers detect characteristic constructional features in a family of sensors that process signals in the human body and control physiological processes.
Feb 14th, 2013
Read moreUsing light to control cell clustering
A new study from engineers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of California, Berkeley, pairs light and genetics to give researchers a powerful new tool for manipulating cells.
Feb 12th, 2013
Read moreMolecular 'calcium sponge' created to tackle heart failure
Researchers at the University of Minnesota's Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology and the Lillehei Heart Institute have utilized molecular genetic engineering to optimize heart performance in models of diastolic heart failure by creating an optimized protein that can aid in high-speed relaxation similar to fast twitching muscles.
Feb 11th, 2013
Read moreNew synthetic biology circuits that combine memory and logic
MIT engineers have created genetic circuits in bacterial cells that not only perform logic functions, but also remember the results, which are encoded in the cell's DNA and passed on for dozens of generations.
Feb 11th, 2013
Read moreBioengineer to use hybrid imaging system to see deep tissue
Tool would use light, sound to give more accurate picture.
Feb 8th, 2013
Read moreScientists make groundbreaking discovery of cell nucleus structure crucial to understanding diseases
Genes relocated from their correct position in the nucleus cause them to malfunction and this may lead to the heart, blood vessels and muscles breaking down. This new discovery by A*STAR scientists may be the key to finding new cures in the future.
Feb 8th, 2013
Read moreA privacy risk in your DNA
Prof. Eran Halperin has found that advances in DNA sequencing carry with them an enormous risk - the theft of personal information from genetics databases poses a serious threat to privacy. He urges that new legislation concerning the maintenance of private and public databases, as well as anti-genetic-discrimination laws, should be drafted.
Feb 7th, 2013
Read moreBreakthrough allows the electroporation of cell cultures for less than 1 Euro
Researchers from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia have developed a technique that improves and cuts the cost of a technique called electroporation, which involves opening pores in cell membranes using an electric field to introduce substances like drugs and DNA.
Feb 7th, 2013
Read moreDNA chip to diagnose Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Researchers propose a DNA chip with 32 polymorphisms to be used for diagnosing, but also for calculating genetic susceptibility to different variables, including how well the patient is responding well to drugs or normalisation of symptoms.
Feb 7th, 2013
Read moreNylons made from shrimps
Scientists are investigating how shell waste from crustaceans could be turned into polymer precursors as a substitute to petroleum-derived solutions.
Feb 7th, 2013
Read more3D printing breakthrough with human embryonic stem cells
A team of researchers from Scotland has used a novel 3D printing technique to arrange human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) for the very first time.
Feb 5th, 2013
Read moreScientists succeeded in describing in molecular detail the architecture of the central scaffold of human TFIID
The Human TFIID is a megadalton-sized multiprotein complex composed of TATA-box-binding protein (TBP) and 13 TBP-associated factors (TAFs). Despite its crucial role, the detailed architecture and assembly mechanism of TFIID remain elusive.
Feb 4th, 2013
Read moreA macromolecular shredder for RNA
Max Planck Researchers unravel the structure of the machinery for RNA disposal.
Feb 4th, 2013
Read moreResearchers reveal mechanism to halt cancer cell growth, discover potential therapy
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) researchers have uncovered a technique to halt the growth of cancer cells, a discovery that led them to a potential new anti-cancer therapy.
Feb 4th, 2013
Read moreImaging unveils temperature distribution inside living cells
A research team in Japan exploring the functions of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) - a molecule that encodes the chemical blueprint for protein synthesis - has discovered a way to take a close look at the temperature distribution inside living cells. This discovery may lead to a better understanding of diseases, such as cancer, which generate extraordinary intracellular heat.
Feb 2nd, 2013
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