How three mutations work together to spur new SARS-CoV-2 variants

Like storm waves battering a ship, new versions of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have buffeted the world one after another. Recently, scientists keeping tabs on these variants noticed a trend: Many carry the same set of three mutations. ...

How a gene mutation leads to higher intelligence

When genes mutate, this can lead to severe diseases of the human nervous system. Researchers at Leipzig University and the University of Würzburg have now used fruit flies to demonstrate how, apart from the negative effect, ...

Crystal study may resolve DNA mystery

When cells reproduce, the internal mechanisms that copy DNA get it right nearly every time. Rice University bioscientists have uncovered a tiny detail that helps understand how the process could go wrong.

Mapping the effects of mutations in antibiotic-resistant bacteria

When a bacterium becomes more resistant to one antibiotic, it sometimes becomes more sensitive to another. To better understand this interaction, researchers from the Leiden Institute of Biology (IBL) and the Leiden Academic ...

Only 10 vaquita porpoises survive, but species may not be doomed

The vaquita porpoise, the world's smallest marine mammal, is on the brink of extinction, with 10 or fewer still living in Mexico's Gulf of California, their sole habitat. But a genetic analysis by a team of UCLA biologists ...

Uncovering warped protein interactions in cancer

Scientists at Emory have revealed widespread distortions of a cell's protein interaction machinery resulting from cancer-causing mutations. They developed a process resembling ground-penetrating radar, for its ability to ...

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