Tube worm slime displays long-lasting, self-powered glow

When threatened, the marine parchment tube worm secretes a sticky slime that emits a unique long-lasting blue light. New research into how the worm creates and sustains this light suggests that the process is self-powered.

Super-charging drug development for COVID-19

Researchers are ramping up production of a promising drug that has proven effective in obliterating SARS-CoV in cellular cultures. The team hopes that the drug might also be effective in the fight against SARS's close genetic ...

Copper boosts pig growth, and now we know why

Pigs have better feed conversion rates with copper in their diets, but until now, scientists didn't fully understand why. Existing research from the University of Illinois shows copper doesn't change fat and energy absorption ...

Genetic typing of a bacterium with biotechnological potential

Pseudomonas putida is a bacterium occuring in soil, aquatic environments and plants. Although the virulence of Pseudomonas p.—the ability of the bacterium to infect its host and inflict a disease—is considered to be low, ...

Study tracks evolutionary history of metabolic networks

By analyzing how metabolic enzymes are built and organized, researchers have reconstructed the evolutionary history of metabolism. Their study shows how metabolic networks—which drive every cellular process from protein ...

Preparing protocols for making deuterated biomolecules

Neutron techniques are good for studying light atoms like hydrogen—great for biological molecules that contain large numbers of them. Neutrons are particularly sensitive to isotopic substitution of hydrogen (1H) with deuterium ...

An unnatural way to make natural products

From medicine to fragrances, nature provides many of the key chemical compounds needed in an endless number of pharmaceuticals and consumer products. Now, a cutting-edge technique engineered by researchers at University of ...

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