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Researchers discover ear infections in the remains of ancient humans living in Levant

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have discovered evidence of ear infections in the skull remains of humans living in the Levant some 15,000 years ago.

26 May 2020

Women with Neandertal gene have increased fertility

One in three women in Europe inherited the receptor for progesterone from Neandertals - a gene variant associated with increased fertility, fewer bleedings during early pregnancy and fewer miscarriages.

26 May 2020

New AI tool could predict risk of lung cancer recurrence

Computer scientists working with pathologists have trained an artificial intelligence tool to determine which patients with lung cancer have a higher risk of their disease coming back after treatment, as part of Cancer Research UK’s landmark TRACERx study.

26 May 2020

Newly identified gene may have contributed to rapid evolution of COVID-19

An international team of researchers has identified a previously uncharacterized gene within the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genome that may be important in understanding the origins and evolution of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

25 May 2020

Researchers recombine entire chromosomes with CRISPR/Cas technology

The CRISPR/Cas molecular scissors work like a fine surgical instrument and can be used to modify genetic information in plants.

25 May 2020

SARS-CoV-2 is uniquely adapted to infect humans

The novel coronavirus pandemic has sparked much debate on its origin, with some suggesting it may have been laboratory-grown. Previous studies, however, mentioned that it is zoonotic in nature, which means that the virus jumped from wild animals and found its way to humans.

25 May 2020

Study shows cats can harbor SARS-CoV-2 without any symptoms

A recent paper from Spanish researchers at the Hospital Universitario San Pedro-CIBIR, available on the medRxiv* preprint server, suggests that cats may act as asymptomatic dispersers of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), even though viral transmission from animals to humans still seems highly unlikely.

24 May 2020

Scientists identify compounds in noxious weed that reduce virulence of Staphylococcus bacteria

Scientists have identified specific compounds from the Brazilian Peppertree -- a weedy, invasive shrub in Florida -- that reduce the virulence of antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria.

22 May 2020

Researchers analyze data on RNA structure of tick-borne encephalitis virus

Researchers from Sechenov University together with colleagues from several Russian institutes analyzed data on the RNA structure of tick-borne encephalitis virus.

22 May 2020

Study hints a mechanistic link between sex and stress response in microbes

Why is sex so popular? The question of why so many organisms reproduce sexually has mystified evolutionary biologists since before Darwin, who wrote that "The whole subject is as yet hidden in darkness."

21 May 2020

Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 may explain its dominance and spread

Researchers at Dokuz Eylül University, Turkey, have identified mutations in the genome of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that may have contributed to its dominance in Europe and elsewhere.

21 May 2020

Experts urge further improvements in COVID-19 testing to increase speed and availability

In an important, comprehensive, and timely review, an expert team from the University of California Berkeley details the methodologies used in nucleic acid-based tests for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

20 May 2020

New study initiated to establish the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in environmental samples

he Ministry of Science and Innovation, by way of the COVID-19 fund of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), is funding a study aimed at establishing the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in environmental samples as well as its indirect transmission potential.

20 May 2020

Methodologies to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2

20 May 2020

Rib movements started to facilitate locomotion, then co-opted for breathing

When early tetrapods transitioned from water to land the way they breathed air underwent an evolutionary revolution.

19 May 2020

Gene mutation linked to MEF2C haploinsufficiency syndrome

A collaboration between scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina and clinicians at the Greenwood Genetic Center has yielded new findings about how a particular gene might regulate brain development.

19 May 2020

Did SARS-CoV-2 adapt to humans long before the index case?

A new study from Canada and the U.S. suggests that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may have already been pre-adapted to human transmission when it emerged in late 2019, which means there may be lingering populations of progenitor SARS-CoV-2 adept for human transmission and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) re-emergence. The research is published on the preprint server bioRxiv in May 2020.

19 May 2020