Biology – Page 56
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OpinionHoming pigeons should thank quantum chemistry
Philip Ball asks whether quantum biology holds the secret to how birds navigate
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ResearchDissolving electrodes could ease pain of epilepsy surgery
Electronics could identify areas of brain for treatment and then melt away after use with no need for surgical removal
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ResearchMouth-puckering molecule inspires fish-catching glove
Relevance of measuring tannic acid’s friction-increasing astringency reaches beyond food
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ResearchOptical tweezers extract biomolecule folding secrets
Pioneering ‘transition path’ analysis studies mad cow disease-causing prions
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FeatureLiving colour
Fluorescent protein probes can illuminate cells’ inner workings, but making them takes effort – and luck, as Andy Extance discovers
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ResearchBuilding blocks of life made in space ice simulations
Complex sugars – including the ‘backbone’ of RNA – have been created in lab-made interstellar ice
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ResearchSmallest ever genome gives life to minimal microbe
Stripped down bacterium has fewest genes of any replicating organism and will help scientists understand gene function
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FeatureEnzymes for everyone
Can scientists overcome enzymes’ fragility and exploit their speed and specificity? Fiona Case investigates
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PodcastFluorescein
Kat Arney discovers the compound that first coloured the Chicago river green for St Patrick’s Day
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ResearchLifting molecular brake may have kept primeval cells running
Removing RNA restriction can steady biochemical function, with relevance for life’s emergence
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Business
BASF to cut 350 jobs in plant science research
Company will also close field trial sites in Hawaii, India and Puerto Rico
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ResearchCleaning solution test doesn’t move contact lens wearers to tears
Microfluidic device personalises contact lens care
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ResearchPenguin feathers’ ice-resistant design revealed
Polymer surface based on feathers might one day lead to coating to protect ship and planes from deadly build-ups of ice
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NewsThe huge impact of ‘mini-brains’
‘Mini-brains’ created by Johns Hopkins researchers in the US could revolutionise how drugs and compounds are tested for safety and effectiveness
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ResearchNew buzz around vibrational smell theory
Controversial theory bolstered by discovery that ordinary and deuterated odour compounds elicit different responses in honeybee brains
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Research3D printed tissues grow and develop in animal tests
Muscle, bone and cartilage successfully transplanted as limitations of printing technology overcome
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ResearchPolymer worms hold stem cells in suspended animation
A new hydrogel mimics natural mucins to delay the development of human stem cells and embryos