Biology – Page 7
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ResearchHigh mercury levels in tropical birds in Americas blamed on gold mining
Exotic birds are the canary in the gold mine when it comes to mercury pollution and provide warning that other animals, including humans, affected
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ResearchBiocatalysis breakthrough enables synthesis of lactam building blocks for drugs
Enzymatic cyclisation of oxazolone reagents offers a cheap and simple route to important antibiotic precursor
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ResearchMolecular movie captures DNA repair from start to finish
Study spans pico- to microsecond timescales to uncover enzymatic process
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ResearchDNA-damaging device could make mutant discovery safer and simpler
Cool microplasma jets create a stream of radicals that induce mutations
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BusinessUK becomes first country in the world to authorise a Crispr-based gene therapy
Treatment aims to cure patients with β-thalassaemia and sickle-cell disease
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NewsFisheries agency concludes it’s ‘very unlikely’ pyridine behind UK crustacean deaths after new tests
Cause of mass die-offs in late 2021 and early 2022 still a mystery
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ResearchSynthetic yeast genome project creates strain with over 50% synthetic DNA
Entirely artificial organism opens up door to designer yeast with biotechnology applications
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ResearchUnderwater device reveals marine chemical diversity
I-Smel device probes metabolites produced by Mediterranean sponges
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ResearchPainting with DNA
Fluorescently labeled DNA strands produce a palette of 16 million colours
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ResearchControlling insulin activity in cells with ‘DNA origami’
Insulin–DNA nanorods elicit geometry-dependent insulin activity, which could lead to more targeted treatments for diabetes
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FeatureBattling long Covid with drugs
The challenge of finding drugs for a poorly understood disease with many symptoms is clear. Clare Sansom looks at the work going on to help the people suffering in its shadow
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ResearchACE2 receptor not essential for Sars-CoV-2 infection, study shows
Fresh understanding linked to evolutionary plasticity of Covid-19 virus
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ResearchField study reveals banned pesticide sulfoxaflor had no effect on pollination by bumblebees
Work adds to nuanced picture of pesticide’s effect on pollinating insects
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FeatureMedical uses for silk
Nina Notman speaks to the researchers exploring medical applications for silkworm silk
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ResearchDirect imaging reveals individual protein-bound glycans in new detail
Sequences and locations of biomolecule-bound sugar chains studied at the single-molecule level
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ResearchGenetic-editing of chickens protects them from catching the flu
Approach heralds new way to make animals resistant to disease
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OpinionWill the assembly theory imbroglio do anything for evolution?
A claim to have explained selection has caused a stir, and it’s worth asking why, says Philip Ball
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ResearchAssembly theory puts chemistry centre stage to explain molecular complexity and life’s origins
Concept that attempts to join physics and biology via chemistry met with interest but also harsh criticism
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OpinionMoving beyond protein structure
Efforts to understand how intrinsically disordered regions interact have produced a variety of answers
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ResearchMutation studies reveal how Antarctic octopus arms itself with cool enzyme
Understanding cold-tolerant enzyme could help with transplant organ preservation