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Newly identified RNA molecule may drive cancer patient survival

In a recent study, researchers at the Texas A&M University Health Science Center (Texas A&M Health) identify a novel RNA molecule that plays a crucial role in preserving the integrity of a key cellular structure, the nucleolus ...

How microorganisms on rock surfaces shape groundwater

Deep beneath the Earth's surface, in the pores and crevices of rock, live huge communities of microorganisms. They are invisible to the naked eye—yet they play a central role in the quality of our groundwater and in global ...

How bacteria learned to target numerous cell types

Viruses attack nearly every living organism on Earth. To do so, they rely on highly specialized proteins that recognize and bind to receptors on the surface of target cells, a molecular arms race that drives constant evolution. ...

Intelligent sensors created for quality-assured cell production

Whether for drug screening or toxicity testing, stem cell-based 3D tissue models are key to biomedical research. However, producing cell aggregates in bioreactors is highly complex and cost-intensive. Until now, quality has ...

How a broken DNA repair tool accelerates aging

Although DNA is tightly packed and protected within the cell nucleus, it is constantly threatened by damage from normal metabolic processes or external stressors such as radiation or chemical substances. To counteract this, ...

One of Earth's most abundant organisms is surprisingly fragile

A group of ocean bacteria long considered perfectly adapted to life in nutrient-poor waters may be more vulnerable to environmental change than scientists realized. The bacteria, known as SAR11, dominate surface seawater ...

Bacterial 'brains' operate on the brink of order and disorder

The sensory proteins that control the motion of bacteria constantly fluctuate. AMOLF researchers, together with international collaborators from ETH Zurich and University of Utah, found out that these proteins can jointly ...

Crosstalk inside cells helps pathogens evade drugs, study finds

Biologists have uncovered a new mode of communication inside cells that helps bacterial pathogens learn how to evade drugs. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, describe how these mechanisms drive ...

More news

Cell & Microbiology
Essential oils may provide a natural remedy for antibiotic resistance
Cell & Microbiology
A protein thought to play a supporting role in DNA replication actually facilitates the whole process
Ecology
Surprising green ice on Lake Lipno: Cyanobacteria bloom in mid-winter
Cell & Microbiology
Cryoelectron tomography reveals paracrystalline architecture of proteasome storage granules
Cell & Microbiology
Unprecedented 3D views of sensory cells accelerate hearing research
Cell & Microbiology
Extracellular vesicles manage to slip gene edits into Pneumocystis fungi
Cell & Microbiology
Cell surface glycoRNA clusters found to fine-tune growth factor signaling
Cell & Microbiology
Cells' built-in capacity limit for copying DNA could impact cancer treatment
Cell & Microbiology
How gut bacteria share antibiotic resistance genes and fuel dangerous hospital infections
Cell & Microbiology
Parasite behind toxoplasmosis hides multiple distinct subtypes inside each cyst
Cell & Microbiology
A specific immune system protein may drive antibiotic tolerance
Cell & Microbiology
A peek inside the clockwork that drives embryonic body patterning
Cell & Microbiology
Mapping cell development with mathematics-informed machine learning
Cell & Microbiology
How gut bacteria control immune responses
Cell & Microbiology
Mighty microscopic fibers are the key to cell division and life itself
Cell & Microbiology
A protein 'tape recorder' enables scientists to measure and decode cellular processes at scale and over time
Cell & Microbiology
Hibernating hamsters maintain muscle cells by suppressing muscle regeneration, study shows
Cell & Microbiology
Epigenetic switch found to halt fat cell formation in adipose tissue
Ecology
In polar regions, microbes are influencing climate change as frozen ecosystems thaw
Ecology
Nanoplastics in water help bacteria form stronger, disinfectant-resistant biofilms

Other news

Optics & Photonics
Ultra-thin metasurface can generate and direct quantum entanglement
Astronomy
JWST discovers a new extremely metal-poor dwarf galaxy
Nanophysics
Stacked graphene sandwich reveals switchable memory without traditional ferroelectrics
General Physics
Tiny droplets navigate mazes using 'chemical echolocation,' without sensors or computers
Evolution
High-tech scans of an enigmatic 400-million-year-old lungfish reveal new details
Superconductivity
Niobium's superconducting switch cuts near-field radiative heat transfer 20-fold
Analytical Chemistry
Stable boron compounds pave the way for easier drug development
Condensed Matter
Using duality to construct and classify new quantum phases
Evolution
How species competition shapes trait diversity worldwide
Social Sciences
From leadership to influencers: New study shows why we choose to follow others
Evolution
From sea to soil: Molecular changes suggest how algae evolved into plants
Optics & Photonics
Ultra-thin metasurface chip turns invisible infrared light into steerable visible beams
Planetary Sciences
Two huge hot blobs of rock influence Earth's magnetic field, study reveals
Molecular & Computational biology
Are cats 'vegan' meat eaters? Why isotopic signatures of feline fur could trick us into thinking that way
Archaeology
Ancient Alaskan site may help explain how the first people arrived in North America
Quantum Physics
91-qubit processor accurately simulates many-body quantum chaos
Astronomy
A student made cosmic dust in her lab—what she found could help us understand how life started on Earth
Astronomy
Long-period Jupiter-like exoplanet discovered with TESS
Planetary Sciences
Experiments clear up confusion over the form of solid methane
Earth Sciences
Tibet's tectonic clash: New satellite view suggests weaker fault lines

Decoding how cells choose to become muscles or neurons

Every cell in the body has the same DNA, but different cell types—such as muscle or brain cells—use different parts of it. Transcription factors help cells activate specific genes by reading certain DNA sequences, but ...

Novel technique reveals insights into soil microbe alarm clock

Soil microbes benefit plants by helping with nutrient uptake and disease resistance. Modulating these communities of bacteria and fungi could potentially sustainably improve agriculture, according to the Food and Agriculture ...

Soft gel advance enables lab-grown slow-twitch muscles

A team of researchers from the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) and Tokyo Metropolitan University has developed a biomaterial that could change how we treat muscle degeneration and metabolic disorders.

Bacteria reveal hidden powers of electricity transfer

Microbes are masters of survival, evolving ingenious strategies to capture energy from their surroundings. For decades, scientists believed that only a handful of bacteria used specialized molecular "circuits" to shuttle ...

Foundation model reveals how cells are organized in tissues

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed Nicheformer, the first large-scale foundation model that integrates single-cell analysis with spatial transcriptomics. Trained on ...