When the SARS-CoV-2 virus mutates, this initially only means that there is a change in its genetic blueprint. The mutation may lead, for example, to an amino acid being exchanged at a particular site in a viral protein. In ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 10, 2021
0
6
Honey is humankind's oldest sweetener—and for thousands of years it was also the only one. Indirect clues about the significance of bees and bee products are provided by prehistoric petroglyphs on various continents, created ...
Archaeology
Apr 15, 2021
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5546
Body cells communicate with each other, receive signals from the outside world and react to them. A central role in this communication network is attributed to receiver proteins, called receptors, that are anchored at the ...
Biotechnology
Feb 26, 2021
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116
The lens of the human eye gets its transparency and refractive power from the fact that certain proteins are densely packed in its cells. These are mainly crystallines. If this dense packing cannot be maintained, for example ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Feb 10, 2021
1
14
Many anti-cancer drugs block signals in cancer cells that help degenerated cells to multiply uncontrollably and detach from tissue. For example, blocking the signaling protein FAK, a so-called kinase, causes breast cancer ...
Biochemistry
Jan 28, 2021
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16
Anyone entering the world of quantum physics must prepare themself for quite a few things unknown in the everyday world: Noble gases form compounds, atoms behave like particles and waves at the same time and events that in ...
General Physics
Dec 23, 2020
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436
Life without electricity is something that is no longer imaginable. Whether it be a smartphone, hair-dryer or a ceiling lamp—the technical accomplishments we hold dear all require electricity. Although every child at school ...
Education
Dec 18, 2020
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3
Increasingly, exotic animals and plants are being intentionally and unintentionally introduced into Europe from areas where they naturally occur. In Germany alone, more than one thousand invasive alien species (IAS) are registered. ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 7, 2020
1
10
The genetic code of the SARS-CoV2 virus is exactly 29,902 characters long, strung through a long RNA molecule. It contains the information for the production of 27 proteins. This is not much compared to the possible 40,000 ...
Biotechnology
Nov 23, 2020
0
10
The development of new drugs or innovative molecular materials with new properties requires specific modification of molecules. Selectivity control in these chemical transformations is one of the main goals of catalysis. ...
Materials Science
Nov 13, 2020
0
17
