Scientists at Arkansas Tech University and University of Arkansas have produced a high-quality genome assembly for a scorpion. The genome could lead to the development of new medically relevant pain treatments. The work is ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 20, 2024
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154
While seeking to unravel how marine algae create their chemically complex toxins, scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography have discovered the largest protein yet identified in biology.
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 8, 2024
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21
In a novel study, researchers have unveiled new secrets about a fascinating bacterial weapon system that acts like a microscopic syringe. The research paper, titled "Identification of novel toxins associated with the extracellular ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Aug 6, 2024
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53
Wildlife rescuers are reporting an uptick in diseased sea lions along California's Central Coast. The culprit: domoic acid, a neurotoxin produced by harmful algal blooms.
Plants & Animals
Aug 5, 2024
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0
The prevalence of obesity worldwide has led to an increase in the risk of metabolic diseases and socio-economical burdens. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) has been established as a promising therapeutic target to overcome obesity, ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 30, 2024
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1
The wildfire season of 2023 was the most destructive ever recorded in Canada and a new study suggests the impact was unprecedented. It found that four of the year's wildfires in mine-impacted areas around Yellowknife, Northwest ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 23, 2024
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52
Cholera infections caused by Vibrio cholerae bacteria can be life-threatening and the trigger is the cholera toxin produced by the bacteria. It binds to the surface of intestinal cells—more precisely, to certain "sugar ...
Biochemistry
Jul 15, 2024
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60
In the summer of 2022, around 1,000 tons of fish, mussels and snails died in the River Oder. Although the disaster was manmade, the immediate cause of death was the toxin of a microalgae with the scientific collective name ...
Ecology
Jul 9, 2024
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59
Northwestern Medicine investigators have discovered novel protein mechanisms that promote the rapid spread of Vibrio vulnificus, a rare but lethal bacteria that can cause vibriosis and sepsis, according to findings published ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 9, 2024
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27
The Southern green shield bug is a major problem for food production. The insect loves tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers and is responsible for up to 40% of crop losses.
Plants & Animals
Jul 1, 2024
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0
A toxin (Greek: τοξικόν, toxikon) is a poisonous substance produced by living cells or organisms. (Although technically man is a living organism, man-made substances created by artificial processes usually aren't considered toxins by this definition.)
For a toxic substance not produced by living organisms, "toxicant" is the more appropriate term, and "toxics" is an acceptable plural.
Toxins can be small molecules, peptides, or proteins that are capable of causing disease on contact with or absorption by body tissues interacting with biological macromolecules such as enzymes or cellular receptors. Toxins vary greatly in their severity, ranging from usually minor and acute (as in a bee sting) to almost immediately deadly (as in botulinum toxin).
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