How cells know when it's time to eat themselves

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a molecular mechanism regulating autophagy, a fundamental stress response used by cells to help ensure their survival in adverse conditions.

Living cells behave like fluid-filled sponges

Animal cells behave like fluid-filled sponges in response to being mechanically deformed according to new research published today in Nature Materials.

The secret of nanoparticle packing in cement

Cement production is responsible for 5% of carbon dioxide emissions. If we are to invent a "green" cement, we need to understand in more detail the legendary qualities of traditional Portland cement. A research group partly ...

Gene network illuminates stress, mutation and adaptation responses

For much of her professional life, Dr. Susan Rosenberg has studied the puzzling response of bacteria to stress and the mutations that result. In the current issue of the journal Science, she puts together the pieces of that ...

Predicting fatigue: Nanocrystals reveal damaged material

A small crack in a metal wheel caused Germany's worst-ever rail accident—the 1998 Eschede train disaster. The problem: it was practically impossible to detect damage of that nature to a metal by inspecting it externally. ...

New injectable gels toughen up after entering the body

Gels that can be injected into the body, carrying drugs or cells that regenerate damaged tissue, hold promise for treating many types of disease, including cancer. However, these injectable gels don't always maintain their ...

Sea urchin's spiny, elastic strength revealed

(Phys.org)—For the first time, a team of Australian engineers has modelled the microscopic mechanics of a sea urchin's spine, gaining insight into how these unusual creatures withstand impacts in their aquatic environment.

New process to prevent cold cracking in high-strength steel

Cold cracking in high-strength steel presents major quality assurance challenges for the automotive and machine-building industries, since cracks are difficult to predict – until now. A new process can determine, as early ...

Salt cress genome yields new clues to salt tolerance

An international team, led by Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Science, and BGI, the world's largest genomics organization, has completed the genomic sequence and analysis of salt cress ...

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