External wounds such as skin cuts or abrasions can often be easily covered with a simple Band-Aid or a larger wound patch to protect them and facilitate their healing. When it comes to some internal surfaces like those of ...
Biochemistry
Aug 13, 2019
0
9
The human body is full of mucus. This viscous goo isn't just a nuisance that gets coughed up or sneezed out—it can bind to drugs, toxins or microbes, potentially impacting human health. However, relatively little is known ...
Materials Science
Mar 13, 2019
0
3
Mucus is able to protect us from infection thanks to ancient genes that have been conserved throughout 350 million years of evolution—dating back to our days as a jellyfish.
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 9, 2018
0
46
Around one in 3,300 children in Germany is born with mucoviscidosis. A characteristic of this illness is that one channel albumen on the cell surface is disturbed by mutations. Thus, the amount of water of different secretions ...
Bio & Medicine
Dec 15, 2017
0
22
Biochemists at the University of Zurich have used cryo-electron microscopy to determine the detailed architecture of the chloride channel TMEM16A. This protein is a promising target for the development of effective drugs ...
Biochemistry
Dec 13, 2017
0
106
Disruptions in the microbiome of the human gut are correlated with several diseases, including obesity and cancer. Yet little is known about the spatial organization of the nearly 1,000 bacterial species in the human gut, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 10, 2017
0
30
ETH researchers have created an effective weapon against the plant disease fire blight and a new method for detection of Salmonella. Both are based on particular viruses that attack only one species of bacteria.
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 12, 2017
0
2
The ancient Chinese practiced copromancy, the diagnosis of health based on the shape, size and texture of feces. So did the Egyptians, the Greeks and nearly every ancient culture. Even today, your doctor may ask when you ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 27, 2017
4
249
Most people get upset stomachs from time to time. Usually, a few trips to the bathroom or antibiotics solve the problem. For pandas, it's an entirely different story. Our research into panda digestion shows that pandas get ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 24, 2016
0
23
Sharks prowl the watery depths for their prey, lions stalk the tall-grass savannah, and bacteriophages, well, they've got snot. The thin layer of mucus that coats epithelial cells serves as the hunting ground for phages, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 19, 2015
0
30
