Scientists develop new tools to study the immune system

University of Alberta chemists have developed new tools for studying the human immune system that lay the foundation for research that could improve understanding of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Measuring the strength needed to move chromosomes

(PhysOrg.com) -- It’s about as long as the width of a human hair and only half that length across. So it’s tiny — measured in millionths of a meter — and extremely tricky to manipulate. But the meiotic spindle plays ...

Exploring the universe of biochemical reactions

Scientists at EMBL-EBI have developed EC-BLAST: software that makes it easier to develop novel enzymes. Published in Nature Methods, the program makes it possible to quickly compare the functions of thousands of catalysts, ...

Predicting the effects of changes on living systems

Can scientists predict what happens when they introduce a change into a living system—for example, if they change the structure of a gene or administer a drug? Just as changing one letter can completely change the meaning ...

In plants, small changes make big impact

(PhysOrg.com) -- You can’t see them or feel them, but right now countless biochemical interactions in your body affect your life in countless ways. These interactions are important because if they go poorly, really bad ...