Diphthamide is an Achilles heel shared by both plants and animals

The biomolecule diphthamide is essential for the proper formation of proteins in cells. When humans are infected with diphtheria, diphthamide is altered by the diphtheria toxin so that life-threatening complications can arise ...

Sensor detects toxins in drinking water sources

University of Cincinnati researchers have developed a sensor that detects toxins from algal blooms that taint surface water such as rivers, lakes and streams. Early detection of these toxins can aid water treatment plants ...

A recording device for cell history

ETH researchers are using the CRISPR-Cas system to develop a novel recording mechanism: The snippets of DNA it produces can provide information about certain cellular processes. In the future, this cellular memory might even ...

Can environmental toxins disrupt the biological 'clock'?

Can environmental toxins disrupt circadian rhythms - the biological "clock" whose disturbance is linked to chronic inflammation and a host of human disorders? Research showing a link between circadian disruption and plankton ...

How molecular riboswitches work in bacteria

Many bacteria have molecular control elements via which they can switch genes on and off. These riboswitches also open up new options in the development of antibiotics or the detection and decomposition of environmental toxins. ...

Making new functional polymers for 3-D printers

Chemical engineers at the University of Melbourne have found a way to 3-D print smart polymers (or plastics) that can perform a function, in a way that is cheaper, cleaner and more accessible than ever before.

Farming amoebae carry around detoxifying food

Humans aren't the only farmers out there. Five years ago, the Queller-Strassmann lab at Rice University, now at Washington University in St. Louis, demonstrated that the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum—affectionately ...

Even bacteria use social networks

The next time your Facebook stream is filled with cat videos, think about Myxococcus xanthus. The single-cell soil bacterium also uses a social network. But forget silly distractions. M. xanthus relies on its connections ...

page 1 from 5