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Scientists have directed a common bacterium to produce more of a valuable fatty acid, lauric acid, than it typically does. The achievement is noteworthy not simply because of the increased production of fatty acid, which can be a useful component of biofuels.
Posted: Jul 15th, 2015
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Scientists attending a workshop at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory slipped the leash of scientific caution and tried to imagine what they would do if they could redesign plants at will. The ideas they dreamed up may make the difference between full bellies and empty ones in the near future when population may outrun the ability of traditional plant breeding to increase yields.
Posted: Jul 15th, 2015
Read moreResearchers have discovered that chromosomes play an active role in animal cell division. This occurs at a precise stage - cytokinesis - when the cell splits into two new daughter cells.
Posted: Jul 13th, 2015
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Certain genetic diseases arise from a deficit of specific genes. An enzyme that amplifies gene transcription could be a viable therapy in these cases, as long as genes are not stimulated to work on the wrong part of the body. SISSA scientists have created synthetic 'intelligent' enzymes which are able to differentiate between active and inactive genes and selectively stimulate the former ones.
Posted: Jul 8th, 2015
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The online, free service, RNAMiner, has been developed to handle large datasets which could lead to faster results in the study of plant and animal genomics.
Posted: Jul 8th, 2015
Read moreSurveying everything from sea cucumbers and Venus flytraps to human muscles and trees, a new review paper broadly explores the strategies that biology employs to create different functions and the mechanics at play within those functions. Discovering how and why biological systems attain desirable static and dynamic mechanical functionalities often reveals principles that inform new synthetic designs based on biological systems.
Posted: Jul 6th, 2015
Read moreScientists have managed to capture and describe a protein structure that, until now, has been impossible to study. The discovery lays the base for developing designed enzymes as catalysts to new chemical reactions for instance in biotechnological applications.
Posted: Jul 3rd, 2015
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Researchers have engineered yeast cells that can 'talk' to one another, using a versatile plant hormone called auxin.
Posted: Jun 30th, 2015
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Scientists have demonstrated that the Earth's daily rotation period (24 hours) is encoded in the KaiC protein at the atomic level, a small, 10 nm-diameter biomolecule expressed in cyanobacterial cells.
Posted: Jun 25th, 2015
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Researchers have developed a targeted drug delivery method that could potentially slow the progression of polycystic kidney disease.
Posted: Jun 25th, 2015
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Researchers describe building a new pathway that lets the bacterium, E. coli, feed on both sugar (glucose) and acetate, a common waste material from biomass, to make isobutyl acetate. This product can be used as the basis for flavoring agents, solvents and fuels.
Posted: Jun 25th, 2015
Read moreHow does our body keep its DNA intact? Researchers have just found a new piece of this puzzle. They discovered a novel alarm that cells use to signal DNA damage.
Posted: Jun 25th, 2015
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Researchers develop new method enabling DNA molecules to be counted in just 30 minutes.
Posted: Jun 25th, 2015
Read moreResearchers have, for the first time, uncovered the complex interdependence and orchestration of metabolic reactions, gene regulation, and environmental cues of clostridial metabolism, providing new insights for advanced biofuel development.
Posted: Jun 24th, 2015
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Chemists and biologists have succeeded in designing and synthesizing an artificial cell membrane capable of sustaining continual growth, just like a living cell.
Posted: Jun 24th, 2015
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The three-year clinical trial results of the retinal implant popularly known as the 'bionic eye', have proven the long-term efficacy, safety and reliability of the device that restores vision in those blinded by a rare, degenerative eye disease. The findings show that the Argus II significantly improves visual function and quality of life for people blinded by retinitis pigmentosa.
Posted: Jun 24th, 2015
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