Anti-microbial coatings with a long-term effect for surfaces

Hygienic conditions and sterile procedures are particularly important in hospitals, kitchens and sanitary facilities, air conditioning and ventilation systems, in food preparation and in the manufacture of packaging material. ...

Protecting cells from their neighbors

Almost all organisms evolve from a single cell, a fertilised egg. In the first hours after fertilisation, the fate of its future development is determined. It is dictated by the separation of cells that will become sperm ...

The immortality of germ cells

Germ cells, the reproductive cells that eventually become eggs and sperm, are set aside early in embryonic development, when the embryo is just a hollow ball of cells called the gastrula. This means that the cells transferring ...

Trimming piRNAs' tails to clip jumping genes' wings

A research group at the University of Tokyo has identified a Pac-Man-like enzyme called "Trimmer" involved in the generation of a class of small RNAs, which protect the genome of germ cells from unwanted genetic rewriting.

Germ cells move like tiny bulldozers

During fruit fly embryo formation, primordial germ cells—the stem cells that will later form eggs and sperm—must travel from the far end of the embryo to their final location in the gonads. Part of the primordial germ ...

Smart interaction between proteins

Very little was known till now about DNA repair by homologous recombination, which is fundamental for human health. Now an ETH research group has for the first time isolated and studied all the key proteins involved in this ...

Healthy seeds: Treated environmentally friendly

Farmers treat seeds chemically in order to rid them of pest infestation. Now researchers have developed a method that kills pathogens without harming the environment. Pioneering seed suppliers are already implementing the ...

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