Biology
Q&A: How does technology help track foodborne pathogens and outbreaks?
After a cyclospora outbreak and recalls of imported beef over the summer, a recent Gallup poll found that Americans' confidence in food safety has fallen to a record low, and cons…
New 4D biofabrication technology holds promise for tissue engineering, wound healing
If you've ever created a snowflake by folding, cutting and unfolding a piece of paper, you've practiced the art of kirigami. Like origami, kirigami has inspired innovations far be…
Molecular switch controls how cells load cargo for recycling
Cells constantly recycle proteins and other cellular components. But how do they ensure that the right cargo ends up in the right recycling vesicle—one of the cell's transport car…
‘Once-in-a-lifetime chance’: Japan launches historic mission to collect rocks from Mars’s moon Phobos
Scientists hope Martian material collected will shed light on the origins of the solar system and life on EarthJapan has successfully launched a spacecraft on an unprecedented mis…
Researchers unlock new way to map molecular structure on surfaces
Scientists at NPL, with the University of Surrey, University of Oxford, the Francis Crick Institute and IONTOF GmbH, have developed a technique to distinguish and map molecules th…
Beehives act as 'living immune systems' with layered antimicrobial defenses
Researchers have discovered honey beehives act as "living immune systems" that help protect the bee colony, its offspring and food supplies from disease. The finding underlines th…
Birds are among Earth's most important nutrient movers
Birds play an outsized, underappreciated role in shaping Earth's chemistry, distributing nutrients across oceans, forests and coral reefs and sustaining life far beyond the nest. …
New wheat disease detection tool established in Tanzania
John Innes Centre researchers have trained scientists from across Tanzania to use new loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays to rapidly detect wheat blast, a looming…
How enzymes locally block cell wall repair, allowing cells to fuse in an irreversible manner
The fusion of two cells is a decisive event in the sexual reproduction of many organisms. In fungi, cells must not only bring their membranes together and merge them, but also loc…
Scientists are growing human brain tissue in living mice—could this make their welfare harder to assess?
What happens when scientists start changing the brain—the very system through which an animal's mental states are expressed in behavior?
Why haven't farm animals evolved against humans? A biologist explains why there won't be a chicken uprising anytime soon
"Why haven't farm animals evolved to protect themselves against humans?—Sarang, age 15, Latur, Maharashtra, India"
Discovery of chicken immune cells could pave the way for more effective poultry vaccines
A previously unknown population of immune cells in chickens has been discovered by researchers from the University of Bristol Veterinary School in collaboration with The Pirbright…
Smart farming is already proving profitable in some regions, global analysis finds
The use of robots, drones and AI tools in agriculture is already paying off on 42% of the world's cropland. This could increase to 50% in the next 20 years and to as much as 75% i…
Oldest animals on Earth found to share a common wormlike ancestor
New research from the University of St Andrews has shed light on the evolution of an important yet thus far poorly understood group of marine invertebrate animals—brachiopods. The…
Ancient technique can improve the bland taste of beans
Faba beans are rich in protein and can easily be grown in Denmark—yet they are more often used as animal feed than as food for people. One of the main reasons is that their flavor…
Researchers use artificial intelligence to design potential antiviral compounds
Viral infections can be difficult to treat because viruses evolve rapidly, allowing them to develop resistance to drugs designed to attack viral proteins directly.
How plants unwittingly help fungal pathogens
Infecting a maize plant is no simple task for a fungal pathogen such as Ustilago maydis. A group of researchers led by Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) has now uncovered…
Rolling without wheels: How dwarf reedsnakes coordinate their bodies for high-speed escapes
Small snakes called dwarf reedsnakes can escape danger by rolling rapidly along the ground. Researchers investigated how they perform this unusual form of locomotion using multi-a…
Algae fossils from Cambrian explosion hint at sophisticated reproductive system
The Cambrian explosion was a major diversification of animal life that unfolded early in the Cambrian period, which began around 538.8 million years ago. During this interval, mar…
Epigenetic markers linked to psychotherapy response in OCD
OCD is a mental health disorder characterized by unwanted, recurring thoughts and repetitive behaviors that can severely interfere with everyday life. Exposure-based psychotherapy…
Ancient Hox code reveals the developmental roots of vertebrate hind fins and limbs
Paired appendages—the pectoral and pelvic fins of fishes and the forelimbs and hindlimbs of tetrapods—were a major innovation in vertebrate evolution. Their emergence greatly expa…
What evolved first—our brain or gut?
What if the brain evolved to serve the gut? Scientists at Flinders University are challenging a cornerstone of biology, arguing that the gut's nervous system may be the body's ori…
How bacteria survive in a world full of killer bacteriophages
Humans throughout history have invented a variety of ways to fight back against troublesome bacteria. But bacteria live in a dangerous world too. The human body and other bacteria…
Early heat and drought stress can have lasting effects on corn growth
A brief period of heat and drought early in a corn plant's life can affect its growth and flowering months after the stress ends, according to new research from the Donald Danfort…