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Remnants of bird ovaries can be preserved in the fossil record, confirms study

A research team led by Dr. Alida Bailleul from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has put one controversy to rest: whether or not remnants of bird ovaries can be preserved in the fossil record.

29 Jul 2020

Study provides insight into evolution of amyloid-β oligomer with temporary salt crystals

Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia worldwide and a major cause of disability. Now, researchers at Osaka University and Hokkaido University have shown that repeated precipitation-dissolution events of salt crystals do occur even at low salt concentrations in nanoscales, and that it can accelerate the aggregation of the neurotoxic amyloid-β peptides implicated in its pathogenesis.

27 Jul 2020

Exercise equipment in communal gyms have high levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Research presented at ASM Microbe Online found that 43% of Staphylococcus bacteria found on exercise equipment in university gyms were ampicillin-resistant, with 73% of those isolates being resistant to multiple additional drugs.

24 Jul 2020

Atomic force microscopy reveals nanoscale effects of beverages on tooth enamel

KAIST researchers used atomic force microscopy to quantitatively evaluate how acidic and sugary drinks affect human tooth enamel at the nanoscale level.

22 Jul 2020

Study captures unexpected features of SARS-Cov-2 spike protein

The rod-like spike proteins on the surface of SARS CoV-2 are the tip of the spear of the COVID-19 pandemic.

22 Jul 2020

Proximity of mutated cells guides the initiation of tumor

Scientists have revealed a key factor that influences whether malignant cells will grow to form a tumor, in a new study published today in eLife.

21 Jul 2020

Researchers visualize DNA G-quadruplex formation in live cells for the first time

The formation of four-stranded DNA has been tracked in living human cells, allowing scientists to see how it works, and its possible role in cancer.

20 Jul 2020

Reproductive outcomes predicted by label-free imaging technique

Researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and the Department of Animal Sciences have collaborated to develop a new technique that can be used to determine the fertility of sperm samples.

20 Jul 2020

Harvard scientists uncover the real reason behind goosebumps

If you've ever wondered why we get goosebumps, you're in good company -- so did Charles Darwin, who mused about them in his writings on evolution.

20 Jul 2020

Involvement of nicotine receptors in COVID-19

Researchers from the University of Bristol, Oxford Brookes University and the University of California San Diego neatly demonstrated how the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) exhibits high affinity for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), with significant implications for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pathology and infectivity. Their findings are published on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

20 Jul 2020

'Smart nanosheets' can help quickly isolate new types of proteins from mixtures

An interdisciplinary team from Frankfurt and Jena has developed a kind of bait with which to fish protein complexes out of mixtures.

20 Jul 2020

McGill researchers discover bacterial organelles involved in gene expression

Researchers at McGill University have discovered bacterial organelles involved in gene expression, suggesting that bacteria may not be as simple as once thought.

20 Jul 2020

Age-related hearing loss mainly caused by damage to hair cells, study shows

In a new study of human ear tissues, hearing scientists have demonstrated that age-related hearing loss, also called presbycusis, is mainly caused by damage to hair cells, the sensory cells in the inner ear that transform sound-induced vibrations into the electrical signals that are relayed to the brain by the auditory nerve.

20 Jul 2020

Olympus scanR high-content screening station v. 3.2 brings improved image quality with award-winning X Line objectives

The scanR high-content screening (HCS) station version 3.2 delivers improved image quality, better quantitative data, support for challenging segmentation and classification applications and increased speed to help life science researchers maximize the information they get from their samples.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 20 Jul 2020

Researchers determine how SARS-CoV-2 inhibits protein synthesis

Researchers from Munich and Ulm have determined how the pandemic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 inhibits the synthesis of proteins in infected cells and shown that it effectively disarms the body's innate immune system.

19 Jul 2020

Novel nanospectroscopy measures biomolecular changes induced by drugs in human cells

Synchrotron InfraRed Nanospectroscopy has been used for the first time to measure biomolecular changes induced by a drug (amiodarone) within human cells (macrophages) and localized at 100 nanometre scale, i.e. two orders of magnitude smaller than the IR wavelength used as probe.

17 Jul 2020

Emerging hydrogel material could improve oral drug delivery

An emerging hydrogel material with the capacity to degrade and spontaneously reform in the gastrointestinal tract could help researchers develop more effective methods for oral drug delivery.

16 Jul 2020

Study shows fused lung cells are pervasive in severe COVID-19

In a recent bioRxiv paper, scientists from Institut Pasteur and other research centers in France demonstrated how pathological effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are modulated by cellular proteins that can either inhibit or facilitate cell fusion and subsequent syncytia formation.

16 Jul 2020

Pioneering method reveals the dynamics of HIV Gag lattice structure

Viruses are scary. They invade our cells like invisible armies, and each type brings its own strategy of attack. While viruses devastate communities of humans and animals, scientists scramble to fight back.

16 Jul 2020

Cold sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 could impact vaccine studies

Researchers at Duke University in Durham, USA, have made an important discovery about the spike protein on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could have a broad impact on vaccine studies.

14 Jul 2020