The underestimated mutation potential of retrogenes

Genetic information is stored in DNA and transcribed as mRNA. The mRNA is usually translated into proteins. However, it has long been known that mRNA can also be reverse transcribed to DNA and integrated back into the genome. ...

Teamwork in a molecule

Chemists at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena have demonstrated the value of 'teamwork' by successfully harnessing the interaction between two gallium atoms in a novel compound to split the particularly strong bond between ...

Neanderthal thumbs better adapted to holding tools with handles

Neanderthal thumbs were better adapted to holding tools in the same way that we hold a hammer, according to a paper published in Scientific Reports. The findings suggest that Neanderthals may have found precision grips—where ...

How consumers responded to COVID-19

The unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on people's daily lives has facilitated changes ranging from social interactions to purchasing behavior. Adjusting to the many disruptions may seem difficult, but ...

Researchers produce low-cost hand sanitizer from waste

A Tel Aviv University breakthrough allows, for the first time, a local production of ethanol—and hand sanitizer—based on plant and paper waste, using a novel lignin (a substance found in plants) degradation process. This ...

Wrong number of fingers leads down wrong track

Have you ever wondered why human hands have five fingers? And what about amphibians? They usually only have four. Until now, researchers assumed that this was the case with the early ancestors of today's frogs and salamanders, ...

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