About half of our genome is made up of transposable elements (TEs), also known as transposons. These 'jumping genes' are short stretches of DNA that have the unique ability to duplicate themselves and change their position ...
Often called the building blocks of life, cells are complex and highly dynamic. The genetic information encoded inside enables them to build biomolecular components like proteins, DNA, and RNA, which assemble into larger, ...
Biochemistry
Jan 28, 2021
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12
RNAi-based biocontrol is a great alternative to hazardous pesticides and can contribute towards reversing the alarming decline in farmland birds and beneficial insects (especially pollinating ones).
Plants & Animals
Jan 27, 2021
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29
A new Northwestern University-led study is unfolding the mystery of how RNA molecules fold themselves to fit inside cells and perform specific functions. The findings could potentially break down a barrier to understanding ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 15, 2021
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1166
At any given moment in the human body, in about 30 trillion cells, DNA is being "read" into molecules of messenger RNA, the intermediary step between DNA and proteins, in a process called transcription.
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 16, 2020
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50
Imagine trying to throw a bullseye when the dartboard lies buried within a crumpled box. That's the challenge faced by scientists working to make new medicines for some 'undruggable' diseases, including a type of metastatic ...
Biochemistry
Dec 15, 2020
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49
Just like people, cells get stressed too. A sudden drop in oxygen, overheating, or toxins can trigger a cascade of molecular changes that lead cells to stop growing, produce stress-protective factors, and form stress granules—proteins ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 14, 2020
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19
Researchers from the University of Basel have developed a sensitive testing system that allows the rapid and reliable detection of resistance in bacteria. The system is based on tiny, functionalized cantilevers that bend ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 7, 2020
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6
The synthesis and self-organization of biological macromolecules is essential for life on earth. Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich chemists now report the spontaneous emergence of complex ring-shaped macromolecules with ...
Biochemistry
Nov 23, 2020
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31
Protocell compartments used as models for an important step in the early evolution of life on Earth can be made from short polymers. The short polymers, which better approximate the likely size of molecules available on the ...
Biochemistry
Nov 23, 2020
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