The presence of introns in genes requires cells to process “messenger RNA” molecules before synthesizing proteins, a process that is costly and often error-prone. It was long believed that this was simply part of the price organisms paid for the fl…
DURHAM, NC — Duke University bioengineers have developed a new method for rapidly producing an almost unlimited variety of man-made DNA sequences.
These novel sequences of recombinant DNA are used to produce repetitive proteins to create new…
Under the electron microscope, a coronavirus may resemble a spiny sea urchin or appear crownlike, (the shape from which this family of pathogens takes its name). Previously recognized as the second leading cause of the common cold in humans a…
A team of researchers has demonstrated that the brain predicts consequences of our eye movements on what we see next. The findings, which appear in the journal Nature Neuroscience, have implications for understanding human attention and applications…
A Jackson Laboratory research team led by Professor Patsy Nishina, Ph.D., has identified a mutation in a gene that’s essential for correct protein-processing in cells. Defects in protein folding are associated with a variety of abnormalities and dis…
Babies, even those too young to talk, can understand many of the words that adults are saying — and their brains process them in a grown-up way.
Combining the cutting-edge technologies of MRI and MEG, scientists at the University of Califo…
More plant matter could be burned in coal-fired power stations if this ‘green’ fuel was delivered pre-roasted like coffee beans, according to researchers from the University of Leeds, UK.
Many UK power stations are now burning plant matter, or bio…
NEW YORK, December 23, 2010 — A new study by Dr. Zvi Reich, a researcher at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Beer-Sheva, Israel, documents the process through which journalists at major newspapers fought to receive byline recognition of …
JUPITER, FL, December 22, 2010 — A scientist from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute has discovered a molecular switch that controls the synthesis of ribosomes. Ribosomes are the large machineries inside all living cells that pro…
Rapid turnover and remodelling of lipid membranes could help phytoplankton cope with nutrient scarcity in the open ocean.
A team led by Patrick Martin of the National Oceanography Centre has shown that a species of planktonic marine alga can rapi…
AUSTIN, Texas — The role a key molecule plays in a plant’s ability to remember winter, and therefore bloom in the spring, has been identified by University of Texas at Austin scientists.
Many flowering plants bloom in bursts of color in spring af…
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Researchers have long argued that marriage generally reduces illegal and aggressive behaviors in men. It remained unclear, however, if that association was a function of matrimony itself or whether less “antisocial” men …