Research reveals fruit fly circadian clock mechanisms

The higher the temperatures, the faster physiological processes are. But there is an exception: the so-called circadian clock, which regulates the sleep-wake cycle in organisms. A fascinating question for scientists is why ...

Shedding light on the origin of complex life forms

How did the complex organisms on Earth arise? This is one of the big open questions in biology. A collaboration between the working groups of Christa Schleper at the University of Vienna and Martin Pilhofer at ETH Zurich ...

Decoding the secret language of photosynthesis

For decades, scientists have been stumped by the signals plants send themselves to initiate photosynthesis, the process of turning sunlight into sugars. UC Riverside researchers have now decoded those previously opaque signals.

When was the first time life began to prey on each other?

Using the word predation may seem surprising when we talk about the first organisms that set out to eat other organisms, for they were not deadly predators with sharp teeth and claws, but small single-celled life forms that ...

Molecular monitoring of RNA regulation

The better we understand cellular processes such as RNA regulation, the better molecular therapies can be developed. Until now, it has been especially difficult to track the regulation of non-coding RNA, which is RNA that ...

How squid and octopus get their big brains

Cephalopods—which include octopus, squid, and their cuttlefish cousins—are capable of some truly charismatic behaviors. They can quickly process information to transform shape, color, and even texture, blending in with ...

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