A team has developed a new CRISPR genome-editing approach by combining two of the most important proteins in molecular biology — CRISPR-Cas9 and a reverse transcriptase — into a single machine.
Read moreA study has revealed a protein's role in helping bacteria 'reel in' DNA from their environment to acquire new traits, such as antibiotic resistance.
Read morePhagocytosis can be viewed as a primitive immune system used by all cells. When a pathogen is near the cell, the cell membrane will deform to engulf the pathogen and dispose of it. Researchers have found that a two-dimensional sheet formed by the protein GAS7 is critical for this process, identifying through crystallography and microscopy two key hydrophilic loops in the protein.
Read moreResearchers discover a new principle — how cells protect themselves from mitochondrial defects.
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The evolution of dietary and hygienic habits in Western countries is associated with a decrease in the bacteria that help in digestion. These very bacteria were also found in the Iceman, who lived 5300 years ago, and are still present in non-Westernized populations in various parts of the world. The depletion of the microbiome may be associated with the increased prevalence, in Western countries, of complex conditions like allergies, autoimmune and gastrointestinal diseases, obesity.
Scientists have isolated a natural chemical that acts as a potent kryptonite against parasitic worms that burrow through human skin and cause devastating health problems. Researchers now describe the successful characterization of this chemical, which could help in finding new ways to fight the neglected tropical disease schistosomiasis.
Read moreThe molecules of life are twisted. But how those familiar strands in DNA's double helix manage to replicate without being tangled up has been hard to decipher. A new perspective from physicists is helping unravel the mystery.
Read moreA new epigenetic study now suggests that mothers' behavior can also have a substantial impact on their children's developing oxytocin systems.
Read moreSince its invention during the Second World War for soldiers stationed in countries where malaria transmission rates were high, researchers have worked to pinpoint precisely how DEET actually affects mosquitoes.
Read moreResearchers discovered that the human diet — a result of increased meat consumption, cooking and agriculture — has led to stark differences in the saliva of humans compared to that of other primates.
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