ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News |
| New COVID-19 nasal spray outperforms current antibody treatments in mice Posted: 13 Apr 2022 05:31 PM PDT Current antibody treatments block SARS-CoV-2 by binding to one of three binding sites on the spike protein. A new protein-based antiviral binds to all three sites on the spike protein, making it more effective than current therapies. The new therapy also is low-cost, easy to manufacture, does not require complicated supply chains with extreme refrigeration and potentially could be self-administered. |
| Rotating blue laser light reveals unimagined dynamics in living cells Posted: 13 Apr 2022 01:18 PM PDT When cities transform into a colorful world of lights as darkness falls, it's often only possible to estimate their contours, which depending on the perspective can draw the attention to key details or trivia. In fluorescence microscopy, biological cells are marked with fluorescent dyes and excited to luminesce in specific areas by optical switches- like a city at night. However, this light is usually too faint for small, rapid objects, or even goes out after a while. This is known as 'fluorescence bleaching.' Now, researchers have developed a new way to make the smallest objects clearly visible without fluorescence. In this way, cellular structures or virus-sized particles can be observed 100 to 1,000 times longer, ten to 100-times faster and with almost doubled resolution than with fluorescence microscopy. |
| Social connections influence brain structure of rhesus macaques Posted: 13 Apr 2022 11:16 AM PDT Scientists have found that social connections influence the brain structure of rhesus macaques. Specifically, the number of grooming partners an individual had predicted the size of brain areas associated with social decision-making and empathy. |
| Posted: 13 Apr 2022 11:15 AM PDT A survey study of the guardians of more than 2,500 dogs explored links between dog diet and health outcomes, suggesting that nutritionally sound vegan diets may be healthier and less hazardous than conventional or raw meat-based diets. |
| Diverse life forms may have evolved earlier than previously thought Posted: 13 Apr 2022 11:15 AM PDT Researchers analyzed a fist-sized rock from Quebec, Canada, estimated to be between 3.75 and 4.28 billion years old. In an earlier article, the team found tiny filaments, knobs and tubes in the rock which appeared to have been made by bacteria. However, not all scientists agreed that these structures -- dating about 300 million years earlier than what is more commonly accepted as the first sign of ancient life -- were of biological origin. Now, after extensive further analysis of the rock, the team have discovered a much larger and more complex structure -- a stem with parallel branches on one side that is nearly a centimeter long -- as well as hundreds of distorted spheres, or ellipsoids, alongside the tubes and filaments. The researchers say that, while some of the structures could conceivably have been created through chance chemical reactions, the 'tree-like' stem with parallel branches was most likely biological in origin, as no structure created via chemistry alone has been found like it. |
| Discovery of wheat’s clustered chemical defenses creates new avenues for research Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:12 AM PDT Research collaboration has helps to explain the chemical defenses that protect wheat plants against disease. |
| Mutations across animal kingdom shed new light on aging Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:11 AM PDT A new study compares the accumulation of mutations across many animal species and has shed new light on decades-old questions about the role of these genetic changes in ageing and cancer. Researchers found that despite huge variation in lifespan and size, different animal species end their natural life with similar numbers of genetic changes. |
| Infectious bacteria force host plants to feed them, study finds Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:11 AM PDT A species of bacteria that infect corn crops compel their hosts to produce a feast of nutrients that keeps the pathogens alive and thriving long before they start to kill the plant's cells, new research shows. |
| Immune response to parasitic worms Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:11 AM PDT New research looked at if exposure to pathogens, in particular helminths, can stimulate the immune system and reduce predisposition for inflammatory bowel disease. |
| Climate change affects landscape freeze-thaw but not in the same way everywhere Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:08 AM PDT Researchers have use new statistical framework and analysis of datasets to demonstrate how increasing air temperatures and decreasing snow cover work in tandem to increase the effects of climate change in a non-linear fashion, meaning that they work to amplify the overall impact felt on the ground. |
| Posted: 13 Apr 2022 07:42 AM PDT A team of researchers has demonstrated that some plant species could help to remove toxic heavy metals and metalloids from contaminated soil. |
| Black Rhino extinction risk sharply increased by killing of specific female rhinos Posted: 13 Apr 2022 07:41 AM PDT New research has examined data from the Critically Endangered Kenyan black rhino populations which suggest that individuals really matter when assessing the impact of poaching on species' survival chances. |
| Physics models better define what makes pasta al dente Posted: 13 Apr 2022 07:41 AM PDT Researchers examined how pasta swells, softens, and becomes sticky as it takes up water. They combined measurements of pasta parameters, such as expansion, bending rigidity, and water content to solve a variety of equations to form a theoretical model for the swelling dynamics of starch materials. The team observed how the noodles come together when lifted from a plate by a fork. This provided them with a grounding of how water-driven hygroscopic swelling affects pasta's texture. |
| New approach enhances muscle recovery in aged mice Posted: 13 Apr 2022 06:38 AM PDT Scientists have developed a promising new method to combat the age-related losses in muscle mass that often accompany immobility after injury or illness. Their technique, demonstrated in mice, arrests the process by which muscles begin to deteriorate at the onset of exercise after a period of inactivity. |
| Coronaviruses evolve to recognize glycans of their host species Posted: 13 Apr 2022 06:09 AM PDT Researchers have characterized the binding of proteins from several animal and human coronaviruses to glycans called sialic acids, revealing host-specific patterns of binding. |
| Nanoparticles could enable a more sensitive and durable rapid COVID-19 test Posted: 13 Apr 2022 06:09 AM PDT Researchers have developed a rapid test that uses molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles, rather than antibodies, to detect SARS-CoV-2. The new test is more sensitive and works under more extreme conditions than antibody-based tests. |
| Deforestation drives climate change that harms remaining forest Posted: 12 Apr 2022 05:31 PM PDT Scientists using climate models and satellite data reveal for the first time how protecting tropical forests can yield climate benefits that enhance carbon storage in nearby areas. |
| Beyond the honeybee: How many bee species does a meadow need? Posted: 12 Apr 2022 05:31 PM PDT Entomologists have now shown that the more plant species there are in a meadow, the more bee species are needed for pollination. They found that the less common bees often visited specific plants others didn't, shedding new light on the role of rare species in ecosystems -- critical to conservation efforts because rare species are most at risk of extinction from habitat loss, pollution, climate change and other factors. |
| Climate change will reshuffle marine ecosystems in unexpected ways Posted: 12 Apr 2022 05:31 PM PDT Warming of the oceans due to climate change will mean fewer productive fish species to catch in the future, according to a new study that found as temperatures warm, predator-prey interactions will prevent species from keeping up with the conditions where they could thrive. |
| Bioprinting for bone repair improved with genes Posted: 12 Apr 2022 01:16 PM PDT Given enough time and energy, the body will heal, but when doctors or engineers intervene, the processes do not always proceed as planned because chemicals that control and facilitate the healing process are missing. Now, an international team of engineers is bioprinting bone along with two growth factor encoding genes that help incorporate the cells and heal defects in the skulls of rats. |
| How mussels maintain adhesion underwater Posted: 12 Apr 2022 11:10 AM PDT A research team lrevives surface adhesion in proteins by adding cysteine-rich protein of mussels. Adding cysteine-rich protein to conventional underwater adhesives will increase their adhesion. |
| A small mutation can make Zika virus even more dangerous Posted: 12 Apr 2022 11:10 AM PDT Researchers have found that Zika virus can mutate to become more infective -- and potentially break through pre-existing immunity. |
| How biomolecule mixtures communicate, interact and adapt to their environment Posted: 12 Apr 2022 11:10 AM PDT New research breakthrough bridges a complexity gap between chemistry and biology and provides a new methodology that uses designed mixtures to engineer adaptive properties that are normally only associated with living systems. |
| Research pioneers new frontiers in plant-based food science Posted: 12 Apr 2022 11:09 AM PDT Modern methods of creating plant-based meat can yield high optical similarities and targeted molecular-sensory methods, but on a molecular scale, it appears completely different from the food it tries to mimic. Scientists investigate the molecular function and effects of vegetable proteins of different origins to identify sensory weak points in plant-based substitutes, employing rheology and tribology and bringing greater insight than pure sensory analyses. They said muscle proteins emulsify fats and oils in a very different way while lending to a different biting behavior. |
| Potential to reduce reliance on non-renewable fertilizers in agriculture Posted: 12 Apr 2022 11:09 AM PDT An enzyme that can help release phosphorus from its organic forms has been identified. |
| Immunologists unravel battle plans of deadly coronaviruses Posted: 12 Apr 2022 11:09 AM PDT Researchers have unraveled new secrets behind coronaviruses' battle plans -- providing new insights into how these deadly viruses sometimes win the war against human immune systems. The immunologists have discovered how SARS and MERS proteins block the induction of antiviral proteins, which prevents us from mounting a strong innate immune response against infection. |
| Sunlight’s healing effects help imperiled green sea turtles with tumors Posted: 12 Apr 2022 06:54 AM PDT Helping green sea turtles suffering with large debilitating tumors may be a simple as sunlight. Turtles with fibropapillomatosis are treated at rehab facilities where the tumors are surgically removed. Many do not survive or the tumors regrow. Researchers compared vitamin D levels in green sea turtles with and without evident tumors to see if sunlight exposure would influence vitamin D levels and other health parameters. Turtles receiving treatment were housed in tanks exposed to higher or lower levels of sunlight. Results showed that turtles exposed to greater sunlight showed greater increases in plasma vitamin D and a more successful recovery. Turtles kept in the sun tanks also experienced less regrowth of tumors compared to those exposed to low UV light conditions. |
| Bacteria generate electricity from methane Posted: 12 Apr 2022 06:53 AM PDT Generating power while purifying the environment of greenhouse gases should be achievable using bacteria. Microbiologists have demonstrated that it is possible to make methane-consuming bacteria generate power in the lab. |
| Microscaffolds: A new strategy in tissue engineering Posted: 12 Apr 2022 06:53 AM PDT A new strategy in tissue engineering has been developed: Tiny spherical microscaffolds are created in a high precision 3D printer. They are cultivated with living cells and then assembled. The cells keep multiplying, creating a tissue, the scaffolds are eventually degraded. |
| New study suggests wildlife may be answer to phosphorus crisis Posted: 11 Apr 2022 03:43 PM PDT Modern agriculture is underpinned by a steady supply of fertilizer. However, one of the main ingredients of fertilizer, phosphorus, is running out, putting pressure and financial strain on farmers throughout the world. Now, with war in Europe causing additional supply disruptions, diminishing stocks of phosphorus may compromise the ability of the world to feed itself. Researchers now suggest an age-old solution to this global crisis -- wildlife. |
| Scientists crack egg forging evolutionary puzzle Posted: 11 Apr 2022 01:05 PM PDT Scientists have solved one of nature's biggest criminal cases, an egg forgery scandal two million years in the making. Their findings suggest that the victims of this fraud may now be gaining the upper hand. |
| Rhesus monkeys can perceive their own heartbeat Posted: 11 Apr 2022 01:05 PM PDT Rhesus macaques are able to perceive their own heartbeats, according to a new study. The research creates a first-of-its-kind animal model of interoception, the ability to sense the internal state of one's body. The findings provide an important model for future psychiatric and neuropsychiatric research as dysfunctions in interoception are associated with anxiety, depression, and Alzheimer's disease. |
| Climatic variability might not drive evolutionary change as much as previously thought Posted: 11 Apr 2022 01:05 PM PDT A new study combining records of climate change during the last 3.5 million years with fossil evidence of mammals in Africa reveals that times of erratic climate change are not followed by major upheavals in evolution. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Plants & Animals News -- ScienceDaily. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |