https://phys.org/biology-news/molecular-computational en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest news on molecular and Computational biology Polar bears are icons of the Arctic, elusive and vulnerable. Detailed monitoring of their populations is crucial for their conservation—but because polar bears are so difficult to find, we are missing critical data about population size and how well-connected those populations are. Scientists have now developed a new tool to help: DNA analysis using skin cells shed in the bears' footprints in the snow. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-polar-footprints-dna-tracks-threatened.html Ecology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 04 Dec 2023 00:00:01 EST news620633915 Upon infection or immunization, all jawed vertebrate species generate proteins called antibodies that bind and neutralize pathogens. Strong and long-lasting antibody responses in warm-blooded species such as mammals are produced in secondary lymphoid microstructures (SLMs) among which germinal centers (GCs) are the centerpiece. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-scientists-uncharted-fish-immunology.html Molecular & Computational biology Veterinary medicine Fri, 01 Dec 2023 14:00:01 EST news620648327 In a study published in Science Advances, researchers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE-Berlin) shed light on the intricate dance between the prion protein and copper ions in the physiopathology of live cells. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-physics-biology-prion-protein-orchestrates.html Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 01 Dec 2023 11:04:03 EST news620651041 New genetic research has revealed how British otters were able to recover from species loss in the 1950s with the help of their counterparts from Asia. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-uncovering-genetic-history-british-otters.html Evolution Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 01 Dec 2023 08:56:03 EST news620643361 Two teams of bio-researchers have developed similar processes for demonstrating how photolyase isolates use light to repair damaged DNA. In their papers, both published in the journal Science, the two groups outline their stop-motion-animation-type process to capture the action in detail. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-methods-photolyase-isolates-dna.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 01 Dec 2023 08:55:38 EST news620643336 There is good news for researchers working with high-resolution fluorescence microscopy: Biocompatible molecular rulers are available for the first time to calibrate the latest super-resolution microscopy methods. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-molecular-rulers-high-resolution-microscopy.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 01 Dec 2023 06:42:21 EST news620635338 A tiny but prolific world of microbes encompasses everything around us, both inside and out. Microbiomes, which are comprised of diverse communities of microbes, play a pivotal role in shaping human health, yet the intricacies of how different microbial compositions influence our well-being remain largely unknown. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-microbial-interactions.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 16:37:04 EST news620584621 Maize is one of the world's most widely grown crops. It is used for both human and animal foods and holds great cultural significance, especially for indigenous peoples in the Americas. Yet despite its importance, the origins of the grain have been hotly debated for more than a century. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-modern-maize-hybrid-years-mexico.html Molecular & Computational biology Agriculture Thu, 30 Nov 2023 14:00:02 EST news620561475 Dogs' food preferences are mirrored in their brain activity, particularly within their caudate nuclei -a brain region associated with reward processing, a new study combining behavioral and neuroimaging data by researchers from the Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary) and Symrise Pet Food (France) finds. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-pickier-dogs-brains.html Molecular & Computational biology Veterinary medicine Thu, 30 Nov 2023 12:36:38 EST news620570195 In today's medical landscape, antibiotics are pivotal in combating bacterial infections. These potent compounds, produced by bacteria and fungi, act as natural defenses against microbial attacks. A team of researchers delved into the intricate world of glycopeptide antibiotics—a vital resource in countering drug-resistant pathogens—to uncover their evolutionary origins. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-reverse-evolution-ancient-glycopeptide-antibiotics.html Evolution Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 11:58:42 EST news620567920 Biomolecular condensates transport RNA molecules inside of cells for functions such as cell signaling and regulating cell processes, but little is known about how they form distinct compositional identities, similar to how oil and water stay separated. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-rna-molecules-added-condensates-composition.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 11:57:52 EST news620567869 A new study led by the University of Oxford has shed light on why certain species of bacteria carry astonishing arsenals of weapons. The findings, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, could help us to engineer microbes that can destroy deadly pathogens, reducing our reliance on antibiotics. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-mystery-bacteria-extensive-weaponry.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 11:00:01 EST news620557079 Have you ever wondered why we carry two copies of each chromosome in all of our cells? During reproduction, we receive one from each of our parents. This means that we also receive two copies, or alleles, of each gene—one allele per chromosome or parent. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-reveals-clever-dosage-mechanism-biallelic.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 29 Nov 2023 11:00:01 EST news620476142 Bees, wasps and ants belong to the Hymenoptera order and inject a whole cocktail of venomous ingredients when they sting. Despite their tremendous ecological and economic importance, little was previously known about the origins of their venom. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-genomic-bee-venom.html Evolution Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 29 Nov 2023 10:29:18 EST news620476155 Researchers have designed a new electron cryo-microscope that is a fraction of the size and cost of current alternatives and used it to determine 11 atomic structures. The breakthrough aims to slash the cost of running electron cryo-microscopy (cryoEM) to make it more accessible to scientists all over the world. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-smaller-cost-efficient-electron-cryo-microscope.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 29 Nov 2023 10:26:03 EST news620475961 A team of zoologists and wildlife managers at the Endangered Wildlife Trust, in South Africa, working with a colleague from Stellenbosch University, another with South Africa's Department of Agriculture, and a third from the University of Pretoria, has found DNA evidence of a golden mole thought to be extinct. In their study, published in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation, the group used two techniques to find evidence of the mole. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-evidence-golden-mole-species-thought.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 29 Nov 2023 10:25:04 EST news620475902 A research team has found that microorganisms in the human gut utilize beta-elimination to break down plant natural products and thus make them available to humans. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-decipher-enzyme-scissors-intestinal-microbes.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 29 Nov 2023 10:05:03 EST news620474701 Living systems—unlike non-living or inanimate objects—use information about their surrounding environment to survive. But not all information from the environment is meaningful or relevant for survival. The subset of information that is meaningful, and perhaps necessary for being alive, is called semantic information. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-theory-semantic-realistic-survival.html Ecology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 28 Nov 2023 16:52:03 EST news620412721 If you added up all the microbes living deep below Earth's surface, the amount of biomass would outweigh all life within our oceans. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-minimalist-maximalist-life-microbe-mile.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 28 Nov 2023 15:25:04 EST news620407501 Living cells are bombarded with many kinds of incoming molecular signal that influence their behavior. Being able to measure those signals and how cells respond to them through downstream molecular signaling networks could help scientists learn much more about how cells work, including what happens as they age or become diseased. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-cell.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 28 Nov 2023 11:00:01 EST news620388967 A team of scientists at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and MIT has spatially mapped the choices stem cells make during tissue regeneration in flatworms, revealing an unexpected finding: Rather than being organized into homogeneous neighborhoods—where one group of stem cells becomes eye cells and another becomes muscle cells, for example—the spatial pattern of stem cell choice is highly heterogeneous, with adjacent stem cells choosing different fates. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-cell-fate-choice-adult-regeneration.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 28 Nov 2023 10:31:04 EST news620389861 A team of scientists from Cornell University and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have revealed an unexpected function of a transport protein and its role in plant regulatory mechanisms. Their research, published in The Plant Cell earlier this year, could help reduce human mineral deficiencies by packing essential micronutrients into edible parts of plants. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-x-rays-reveal-unexpected-protein-function.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 28 Nov 2023 09:54:05 EST news620387641 Far too many antibiotics are used around the world. As a result, bacteria are becoming resistant to these drugs. Curing bacterial diseases is becoming more difficult than before because antibiotics are perhaps our foremost weapons in the fight against them. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-method-bacteria-easily.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 28 Nov 2023 09:50:04 EST news620387402 Machine learning is now helping researchers analyze the makeup of unfamiliar cells, which could lead to more personalized medicine in the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-secrets-peptide-sequences-cells-ai.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 28 Nov 2023 09:06:03 EST news620384761 For successful fertilization, sperm should move forward rapidly and be shaped correctly. The unique structure of the sperm cells forms during spermiogenesis. Now, researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the Transdisciplinary Research Unit Life & Health at the University of Bonn have found that fertility problems in both mice and humans can be caused by loss of so-called cylicins. This causes defects in the head and tail structure of sperm. The results of the study have now been published in the journal eLife. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-malfunction-spermatogenesis-uncover-contribution-cylicin.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 28 Nov 2023 08:55:04 EST news620384102 Messenger bubbles produced by human cells can pick up bacterial products and deliver them to other cells, University of Connecticut researchers report in the Nov. 16 issue of Nature Cell Biology. The discovery may explain a key mechanism by which bacteria, whether friendly or infectious, affect our health. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-extracellular-vesicles-messages-non-human-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 27 Nov 2023 15:14:03 EST news620320441 All animals start out as a single-celled organism and then start growing. At some point, of course, they need to stop getting bigger, but the process by which this happens is poorly understood. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-puberty-trigger.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 27 Nov 2023 15:00:01 EST news620299819 A cell nucleus is a busy place. Cellular proteins twist and pull DNA, folding the genome into intricate 3D structures that support functioning of its coding parts. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-team-protein-crucial-cell-differentiation.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 27 Nov 2023 14:49:06 EST news620318943 As a marine biologist, I've always found it fascinating to learn about how animals adapt to their habitat. But climate change has made it more important than ever—wild animals' futures may depend on how much we understand about them. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-stones-fish-ears-tree-theyre.html Ecology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 27 Nov 2023 13:34:04 EST news620314440 Alan Turing might be best know for his work helping to crack Germany's "Enigma" communications code during the second world war. But he also came up with a theory where patterns can form just through chemical compounds spreading out (diffusing) and reacting with one another. This became known as reaction-diffusion theory for pattern formation. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-sperm-tail-mathematics-alan-turing.html Molecular & Computational biology Sun, 26 Nov 2023 14:00:01 EST news620053100