In the early 1980s, scientists observed an anomaly. Embedded within cell membranes, they identified ion channels with extraordinarily high conductance. These so-called "BK" (Big K, or Big Potassium) channels had roughly 10 ...
Evolution
Oct 21, 2026
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19
Every cell in the human body faces a chronic challenge: protecting its DNA. Whenever cells divide, their genetic material must be copied accurately. But DNA is continuously under attack, and when damage goes unrepaired, it ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 20, 2026
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23
A research team led by distinguished professor Giuseppe Pezzotti at the Biomedical Engineering Center, Kansai Medical University (Japan), has demonstrated that differences in the molecular structures of viral RNA can be captured ...
Biotechnology
Oct 20, 2026
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9
The fusion of two cells is a decisive event in the sexual reproduction of many organisms. In fungi, cells must not only bring their membranes together and merge them, but also locally open their protective cell wall.
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 19, 2026
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14
New research from the University of St Andrews has shed light on the evolution of an important yet thus far poorly understood group of marine invertebrate animals—brachiopods. The work, published in Science Advances, presents ...
Evolution
Oct 19, 2026
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43
Small snakes called dwarf reedsnakes can escape danger by rolling rapidly along the ground. Researchers investigated how they perform this unusual form of locomotion using multi-angle video analyses. The results show that ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 19, 2026
1
287
Paired appendages—the pectoral and pelvic fins of fishes and the forelimbs and hindlimbs of tetrapods—were a major innovation in vertebrate evolution. Their emergence greatly expanded the ways vertebrates could move through ...
Evolution
Oct 19, 2026
0
22
Humans throughout history have invented a variety of ways to fight back against troublesome bacteria. But bacteria live in a dangerous world too. The human body and other bacteria-rich environments abound with bacteriophages, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 19, 2026
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13
DNA is not randomly distributed within the nucleus but is packaged with proteins into chromatin, which is precisely folded into complex three-dimensional structures. However, scientists have not fully understood how this ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 18, 2026
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59
Scientists have discovered a gene that determines whether Japanese snails develop shells that are left- or right-coiling—with implications for understanding the underlying handedness of our own bodies. The researchers from ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Oct 16, 2026
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83
