The shape of a cell affects its physical and chemical properties. Different cell types have developed different shapes to enable effective functioning. But what shape were the very first cells, as life began to evolve?
Evolution
Jan 12, 2022
0
98
A mutated protein causes the genetic disease cystic fibrosis. Now, researchers have solved the structure of the protein and how certain drugs bind to it, unveiling their mode of action.
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 7, 2022
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590
Mutations in genes encoding mitochondrial aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are linked to diverse diseases. However, the precise mechanisms by which these mutations affect mitochondrial function and disease development are not fully ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jan 3, 2022
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11
Natural evolution is a slow process that relies on the gradual accumulation of genetic mutations. In recent years, scientists have found ways to speed up the process on a small scale, allowing them to rapidly create new proteins ...
Biotechnology
Dec 30, 2021
1
736
Each one of the trillions of cells that make up the human body suffers more than 10,000 DNA lesions every day. These injuries would be catastrophic if cells were unable to repair them, but a very delicate machinery that detects ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 28, 2021
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254
A team of researchers from Skoltech and their Russian and U.S. colleagues have gathered two dozen mushrooms of the species Schizophyllum commune and analyzed their DNA, gaining insights into mutations that cancel the negative ...
Evolution
Dec 16, 2021
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20
A skull is not one single bone but rather a collection of bone plates joined together early in development. In a study of mice, scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai showed how the activity of one gene, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 9, 2021
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71
Not to pile on, but winter is coming and the COVID-19 pandemic is about to get worse. Not necessarily because of omicron—scientists are still working that one out—but because there's more evidence than ever that COVID-19 ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 8, 2021
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17
On 22 May 2019, scientists from Queen's University boarded a modified Falcon 20 aircraft at Ottawa airport. Scheduled was a 'vomit comet' flight, where the plane repeatedly climbs to 8km in a steep parabola, alternating with ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 29, 2021
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63
The molecular mechanism underlying enzyme activity regulation of ubiquitin-specific protease 8 (USP8) has been decoded by researchers at Tokyo Tech. USP8 has been implicated in Cushing's disease pathogenesis. They have identified ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Nov 26, 2021
0
73
