Biology – Page 16
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ResearchHeavy metal proteins are the secret weapon in ant bites
Protein-rich biomaterials containing zinc, manganese, copper and bromine allow ants, crabs and scorpions to pack more punch for their size
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BusinessThe future of ‘next generation’ DNA sequencing
As it gets cheaper and easier to read genetic code, its applications are expanding rapidly
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ResearchOverreliance on cryocooled protein structures may compromise computational structure-based drug design
Scientists behind first of its kind study encourage more researchers to analyse protein structures at room temperature
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BusinessThe multi-pronged search for Covid-19 treatments
Drugs that block infection or reduce inflammation will complement vaccine protection
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BusinessBudget cuts at UK medicines regulator raise eyebrows
MHRA to cut 300 jobs amid financial pressures arising from Brexit
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ResearchMethane mystery on Saturn’s moon rekindles search for life on other planets
Researchers struggle to explain suspicious amounts of methane on Enceladus while a new chapter opens in the debate around the source of Venus’s phosphine. Why is it so hard to decide what counts as a sign of life?
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FeatureHow a virus ancestor powers our memory’s chemistry
Andy Extance tells the astonishing story of the Arc protein and its capsid forms, and the questions it poses
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BusinessBrewing up plant-inspired medicines
Antheia reconstructs complex biochemical pathways in yeasts to speed up production of natural product-based drugs
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ResearchTusk isotopes reveal a mammoth’s life
17,000 years after its death, scientists use strontium analysis to trace animal’s movements throughout its 28-year life
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ResearchNeural network scours vast chemical space to design drug-delivering peptides
Oligonucleotide drug activity boosted 50-fold with peptide designed by machine learning algorithm
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ResearchMirror image enzyme constructs longest ever mirror DNA strand
Since chirally inverted DNA is more stable than its natural counterpart, it can be used to encode secret messages
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ResearchThere was more than simple oxygen depletion to ancient mass extinction event
Thallium isotopes reveal that rapid swings in ocean oxygenation preceded the events that wiped out 90% of species 250 million years ago
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NewsMachine learning delivers ‘human genome’ moment for proteins
Protein structure prediction tools AlphaFold and RoseTTAFold take the latest steps towards maturity and make their software open source
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ResearchEnigmatic DNA dubbed ‘Borgs’ discovered in methane-metabolising microbes
The large nucleic acid structures may help bacteria play a role in regulating global methane
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ResearchSnake extract used to speed up haemostasis in new bioadhesive
Hydrogel-based bioadhesive could be suitable for arterial injuries
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ResearchIndividual cell’s energy metabolism caught on camera for the first time
Combining machine learning with fluorescence imaging provides new insight in glycolysis and might help with development of new therapies for cancer
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BusinessEngineering microbes to degrade contaminants
Allonnia is using synthetic biology to tackle major environmental challenges like PFASs, metals and plastic waste
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ResearchElectrochemical DNA on a chip sensor detects bacterial urinary tract infections faster
Synthetic nucleic acid probes combine with tiny star-shaped electrodes tests for bacteria in less than an hour
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ResearchMolecular machines talk to living cells for the first time
Artificial molecular motors gently pull on cells’ membrane receptors to trigger a biochemical response
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OpinionOpening up a cellular black box
Working out how biomolecular condensates work may reveal a lot about the success or failure of different drugs