Genetic research reveals Neanderthals could tolerate smoke

The idea that modern humans displaced Neanderthals because they were better protected against toxic smoke components is now under fire. An earlier study that put forward this suggestion has now been refuted by genetic research ...

DNA nanorobots find and tag cellular targets

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, working with their collaborators at the Hospital for Special Surgery, have created a fleet of molecular "robots" that can home in on specific human cells and mark them for ...

How botox binds to neurons

Botulinum neurotoxin A, better known as botox, is a highly dangerous toxin that causes paralysis in man that may prove fatal. In cosmetic applications the paralysing action of small doses is used in a specific manner for ...

How Botulism Paralyzes Nerve Cells: New Details Revealed

(PhysOrg.com) -- New structures of a botulism toxin interacting with a mimic of the nerve-cell protein it destroys suggest new ways to block this often-fatal interaction. Indeed, the mimic molecules have such high affinity ...

New insight into the molecular weapons of the plant microbiome

Like all organisms, plants are associated with bacterial communities in which helpful and harmful bacteria compete for dominance. Among the weaponry of these warring bacteria are molecular syringes that some bacteria can ...

Even bacteria use social networks

The next time your Facebook stream is filled with cat videos, think about Myxococcus xanthus. The single-cell soil bacterium also uses a social network. But forget silly distractions. M. xanthus relies on its connections ...

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