Molecular inhibition gets cells on the move

Researchers at Osaka University show how the mutual inhibition of two molecules results in their localization at opposite ends of cells, acting as a trigger for the formation of appendages at one cell end that makes directional ...

Loose skin and 'slack volume' protect Hagfish from shark bites

Chapman University and University of Guelph have published new research showing how hagfishes survive an initial attack from predators before they release large volumes of slime to defend themselves. Because the slime is ...

Stiff fibres spun from slime

Nature is an excellent teacher – even for material scientists. Researchers, including scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, have now observed a remarkable mechanism by which polymer materials ...

Dawkins' fabled cooperative gene discovered in microbes

Geneticists from the Universities of Manchester and Bath are celebrating the discovery of the elusive 'greenbeard gene' that helps explain why organisms are more likely to cooperate with some individuals than others

Researchers explain the unique properties of hagfish slime

Hagfish are marine fish shaped like eels, famous for releasing large quantities of "slime" that unfolds, assembles and expands into the surrounding water in response to a threat or a predator's attack. This defense mechanism ...

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