Flexible throughout life by varying numbers of chromosome copies

Baker's yeast is a popular test organism in biology. Yeasts are able to duplicate single chromosomes reversibly and thereby adapt flexibly to environmental conditions. Scientists from the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine ...

Drought response identified in potential biofuel plant

Drought resistance is the key to large-scale production of Jatropha, a potential biofuel plant—and an international group of scientists has identified the first step toward engineering a hardier variety.

Fly society

(Phys.org) —USC Dornsife's Sergey Nuzhdin, professor of molecular biology, uses fruit flies to examine whether behavior is genetic- or social environment-based. The team provided proof for the first time that grouping according ...

A surprising new function for small RNAs in evolution

An international research team in including Christian Schlötterer and Alistair McGregor of the Vetmeduni Vienna has discovered a completely new mechanism by which evolution can change the appearance of an organism. The ...

Mechanical forces play major role in regulating cells

Researchers have for the first time demonstrated that mechanical forces can control the depolymerization of actin, a critical protein that provides the major force-bearing structure in the cytoskeletons of cells. The research ...

Molecular assembly line brings muscles into shape

Scientists at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna, Austria and at the University of Cologne, Germany have discovered the molecular basis underlying the patterned folding and assembly of muscle proteins. ...

Mystery of nematode pest-resistant soybeans cracked

For 50 years, the world's soybean crop has depended on the use of cyst nematode resistant varieties of beans, but no one knew how these plants fought off the nematode pests. Now, the secrets of resistant soybean plants are ...

Resistance evolution in weeds puts 2,4-D under the microscope

(Phys.org)—Researchers are investigating why a broadleaf herbicide used successfully to control weeds in agriculture for the past 60 years is now no longer effective against the crop weed, wild radish, in the Western Australian ...

Controlling inflammatory and immune responses

Researchers at the IRCM, led by geneticist Dr. Jacques Drouin, recently defined the interaction between two essential proteins that control inflammation. This important breakthrough will be published in tomorrow's print edition ...

page 7 from 9