For centuries, naturalists have puzzled over what might constitute the head of a sea star, commonly called a "starfish." When looking at a worm, or a fish, it's clear which end is the head and which is the tail. But with ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 1, 2023
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2586
Programming living cells offers the prospect of harnessing sophisticated biological machinery for transformative applications in energy, agriculture, water remediation and medicine. Inspired by engineering, researchers in ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 9, 2014
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0
Using genes as interchangeable parts, synthetic biologists design cellular circuits that can perform new functions, such as sensing environmental conditions. However, the complexity that can be achieved in such circuits has ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 8, 2012
22
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Like most animals, snails have either left- or right-handed asymmetry (chirality), both internally and externally, and the handedness is hereditary. A new study has for the first time found that handedness, ...
(PhysOrg.com) -- Charles Darwin described the sudden origin of flowering plants about 130 million years ago as an abominable mystery, one that scientists have yet to solve.
Evolution
May 18, 2009
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0
Australia's grassland earless dragon is no bigger than a pinkie when it emerges from its shell, but the little lizard faces an enormous challenge in the years ahead: avoiding extinction.
Plants & Animals
Mar 27, 2024
0
169
Wageningen researchers have discovered a molecular self-destruct mechanism in a bacterium living on seaweed. With this mechanism the bacteria sacrifice themselves when they are infected, thus protecting their brothers and ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 16, 2024
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29
Cambridge scientists have identified two crucial genetic factors needed to produce specialized root organs that can accommodate nitrogen-fixing bacteria in legumes such as peas and beans.
Molecular & Computational biology
Feb 1, 2024
0
23
Adult insects, including butterflies and moths, typically have only three pairs of legs. But the existence of extra legs in caterpillars—chubby abdominal appendages also known as "prolegs"—has long posed an evolutionary ...
Evolution
Oct 13, 2023
0
143
Early detection of infectious diseases can be key to successful treatment, but we often don't know we are infected until symptoms appear. What if our bodies could detect the presence of an infectious pathogen before the onset ...
Biotechnology
Jul 5, 2023
0
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