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A Matter of Survival: How the Immune System Sets Priorities

When a second infection follows on the heels of a first, the two arms of our immune system may clash

Researchers identify protein complex critical in helping control cell death

USF Health-UT Southwestern Medical Center preclinical study suggests inhibiting PPP1R3G/PP1γ may protect against tissue damage from heart attacks, other diseases linked to inflammation

Biodiversity, fisheries conservation benefitted by connected coral reefs

Coral reefs connected by larvae dispersal networks have been found to benefit local fisheries and biodiversity conservation, prompting recommendations to increase the protection of connected reefs.

Cell Brakes: Some Assembly Required

How do speeding cells come to a screeching halt at just the right point within blood vessels?

Yale calorie restriction trial reveals key factors in enhancing human health

Decades of research has shown that limits on calorie intake by flies, worms, and mice can enhance life span in laboratory conditions.

California researchers use CRISPRi to devise new method for studying essential genes

Although essential genes are only a tiny part of the genes of most organisms (about 5% to 10%), they are important because they are responsible for much of the organism's protein synthesis and because they are the targets of most antibiotics. Essential genes are notoriously hard to study, however, because their removal leads to the death of the organism.

Indiana University experiments link cadmium toxicity to methylation pattern

Daphnia pulex, the common water flea, has been extensively studied to help science understand human disease processes. Daphnia’s short reproductive cycle makes it ideal for studies of genetic changes over generations. It was the first crustacean to have its full genome sequenced.

Behavior of living 'minimal cell' simulated in 3D by researchers

Scientists report that they have built a living “minimal cell” with a genome stripped down to its barest essentials – and a computer model of the cell that mirrors its behavior.

Wisconsin scientists discover first Old World animal that shows biofluorescence

Biofluorescence is present in the platypus and several other New World animals. Recently scientists documented it for the first time in an Old World mammal: the springhare.

Special magazine issue honors Murray's contributions to mathematical biology

A special issue of the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, Dec. 4, celebrates the contributions of J.D. Murray, one of the modern founders of mathematical biology.

The meat, the muscle, and the motion of cell fusion

One day Prof. Eldad Tzahor peered into a microscope in his lab and saw steak.

Swedish experiments show bacterial DNA repair completed in 15 minutes

DNA, the famous double-strand helix that holds the genetic code, can break along one or both strands. Double-stranded breaks can kill a cell or create an opportunity for cancerous growth.

‘Host’ insects control bacterial populations

A new review discusses how host organisms dominate bacteria populations in their systems to maintain overall health.

U.S., Czech researchers uncover good, bad properties in common gut microbes

Bifidobacterium are with us at birth and play an important role in human health, yet much is still unknown about how they work.

U.S. team studies what drives amphibian extinctions

Emerging infectious diseases, in particular chytridiomycosis, are responsible for drastic declines in amphibian diversity around the world. Determining the factors that influence these pathogens and how they spread can help scientists understand the dynamics involved.

Receptor structure reveals new targets for cancer treatment

A molecule known as anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a driver of several cancers, including pediatric neuroblastoma, B-cell lymphomas, and myofibroblast tumors.

New Australian study finds noncoding DNA has epigenetic regulation like coding RNA

Only a small part of the DNA in eukaryotes (organisms with a cell nucleus) codes for the production of the proteins that make life possible. The rest is called non-coding, or sometimes, “junk” DNA. In humans this may be as much as 98% of the total DNA strand.

Harvard team designs soft robotic mechanism modeled from biology

The chameleon's catapulting tongue and the bloodworm's burrowing proboscis inspired the creation of a soft touch robotic mechanism that can manipulate delicate objects without damaging them.