ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News

Marine biologists tested predictions about biological invasions, first in Panama and then in an experiment of unprecedented geographic scale.

Researchers found a way to reduce cellulosic feedstocks' toxicity to yeast, making it feasible to use these abundant feedstocks to produce ethanol, biodiesel, or bioplastics.

Researchers discovered that a small subpopulation of antibodies binding to unique sites on each serotype are linked to protection. The research provides important information for vaccine developers to consider when creating a dengue vaccine, which has long eluded scientists.

Using DNA, scientists organized bioactive proteins in desired 2D and 3D ordered arrays -- promising for structural biology, biomedicine, and more.

Scientists have gained novel insights into how an important class of immune receptors called tumor necrosis factor receptors (TNFR) are activated.

A new study could help scientists mitigate the future spread of zoonotic and livestock diseases caused by existing viruses. Researchers have used a form or artificial intelligence (AI) called machine-learning to predict more than 20,000 unknown associations between known viruses and susceptible mammalian species.

Researchers are using bioengineering to trigger and control cell differentiation and transition is expand possibilities for diagnostics, vaccine development and therapeutic treatments.

Researchers have created a CRISPR-Cas9-based gene drive designed for plants. The new technology, which allows scientists to cut and copy key genetic elements, helps scientists breed plants that defend against crop diseases and withstand the impacts of climate change.

Chemical engineers have been researching the anaerobic fungi found in the guts of herbivores, which make it possible for those animals to fuel themselves with sugars and starches extracted from fibrous plants. Recent work has centered on how these powerful fungi might be used to extract value-added products from the nonedible parts of plants -- roots, stems and leaves -- that are generally considered waste products.

The body's immune cells fight off microbes and other invaders, and can also be reprogrammed or 'trained' to respond even more aggressively to such threats, report scientists who have discovered the fundamental rule underlying this process in a particular class of cells. Their findings could help pave the way for targeted strategies to enhance the immune system.

A new study of vegetation growth in the Northern Hemisphere over the past 30 years has found that vegetation is becoming increasingly water-limited as global temperatures increase, which has the potential to reduce plants' ability to absorb atmospheric CO2, increasing greenhouse gasses.