Phys.org news
Phys.org / Vitamin B12 drives inherited behavioral changes across generations in roundworms
It has long been known that environmental conditions can shape how traits are inherited, a phenomenon known as transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. However, the molecular signals responsible for encoding this biological ...
Phys.org / Designing better membrane proteins by embracing imperfection
Scientists at the VIB–VUB Center for Structural Biology have uncovered a counterintuitive principle that could reshape how membrane proteins are designed from scratch: Sometimes, making a protein less stable helps it fold ...
Phys.org / A cheaper, more sustainable way to manufacture breakthrough HIV drug Lenacapavir
Researchers at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) have used engineering biology—an emerging technology that uses nature's own processes to manufacture everyday chemicals and materials—to dramatically simplify ...
Phys.org / Oxide-based sensor opens door to greener, faster, more accurate quality testing of food
An electrochemical sensor developed at Oregon State University holds promise for making food quality testing faster, more accurate, more environmentally friendly, and less expensive. The novel sensor, which also has potential ...
Phys.org / Cacti fungal endophytes may help cacao tolerate drought
Beans of the cacao plant, Theobroma cacao, are used in chocolates, pharmaceuticals and other products, but they're under threat. Increased drought associated with climate change has already begun to stress cacao-growing regions ...
Phys.org / Nanodiscs capture HIV and Ebola surface proteins in lifelike membranes for vaccine design
Viruses are masters at invading cells thanks to specialized proteins that coat their surfaces. When scientists design vaccines, they often create versions of these viral surface proteins to study how the immune system might ...
Phys.org / Future-proofing livestock vaccines by anticipating viruses' next moves
The wave-shaped chart Ratul Chowdhury pulls up on a computer monitor in his office captures the evolutionary cat-and-mouse game his research lab is up against. The undulating curves track variants of the porcine reproductive ...
Phys.org / These nanotweezers grab thousands of tiny cell packets in seconds and expose their hidden cargo
Justus Ndukaife, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and Chancellor Faculty Fellow, and his team have developed next generation nanotweezers that better analyze extracellular vesicles and aid in unraveling ...
Phys.org / Disrupting genome architecture selectively impairs developmental genes
Weill Cornell Medicine researchers have found that temporarily disabling a protein complex that organizes DNA into loops inside the cell's nucleus drastically disrupted the three-dimensional structure of the genome, but surprisingly, ...
Phys.org / Astronomers find the strongest evidence yet for the universe's first stars
For decades, astronomers were only able to study the universe's very first stars using theoretical models. Now, observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed what may be the most compelling evidence ...
Phys.org / Extinct ice age giants in Bender's Cave challenge existing climate records for the Edwards Plateau
A recent study by Dr. John Moretti of the University of Texas and local caver John Young uncovered the remains of Ice Age megafauna, revealing an entirely new ecosystem that once thrived on the Edwards Plateau. Among the ...
Phys.org / Space telescopes track nearby quasar's dramatic X-ray state transition
By analyzing the data from various space observatories, Chinese astronomers have inspected a nearby quasar designated SDSS J000532.84+200717.4. Results of the new study, published April 1 on the arXiv preprint server, shed ...
