Unprecedented videos show RNA switching 'on' and 'off'

Similar to a light switch, RNA switches (called riboswitches) determine which genes turn "on" and "off." Although this may seem like a simple process, the inner workings of these switches have confounded biologists for decades.

Unveiling the secrets of biofilms

Most bacteria have the ability to form communities, biofilms, that adhere to a wide variety of surfaces and are difficult to remove. This can lead to major problems, for example in hospitals or in the food industry. Now, ...

Step forward in quest to develop living construction materials

Some engineered living materials can combine the strength of run-of-the-mill building materials with the responsiveness of living systems. Think self-healing concrete, paint that changes color when a specific chemical is ...

Scientists discover new rules about 'runaway' transcription

On the evolutionary tree, humans diverged from yeast roughly 1 billion years ago. By comparison, two seemingly similar species of bacteria, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, have been evolving apart for roughly twice ...

Scientists examine bacterial cannibalism

Researchers from Sechenov University and their colleagues summarised the results of various studies devoted to a process that can be described as bacterial cannibalism. Why some microorganisms start to kill their relatives ...

Researchers unravel mechanisms that control cell size

Working with bacteria, a multidisciplinary team at the University of California San Diego has provided new insight into a longstanding question in science: What are the underlying mechanisms that control the size of cells?

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