Subscribe

Alain White

Viruses found to use intricate 'treadmill' to move cargo across bacterial cells: State-of-the-art technologies reveal bacterial cells organized like human cells, offering insights for new phage therapies on untreatable infections

Now, using advanced technologies to explore the inner workings of bacteria in unprecedented detail, biologists at the University of California San Diego have discovered that in fact bacteria have more in common with sophisticated human cells than previously known. Publishing their work June 13 in the journal Cell, UC San

How multi-celled animals developed: Evolutionary discovery to rewrite textbooks

Using new technology to investigate how multi-celled animals developed, their findings revealed a surprising truth.Professor Bernie Degnan said the results contradicted years of tradition.

Earth's heavy metals result of supernova explosion, research reveals

In a finding that may overthrow our understanding of where Earth's heavy elements such as gold and platinum come from, new research by a University of Guelph physicist suggests that most of them were spewed from a largely overlooked kind of star explosion far away in space and time from

Origin of life: A prebiotic route to DNA

How were the building-blocks of life first formed on the early Earth? As yet, only partially satisfactory answers to this question are available.

Two hours a week is key dose of nature for health and wellbeing

Research led by the University of Exeter, published in Scientific Reports and funded by NIHR, found that people who spend at least 120 minutes in nature a week are significantly more likely to report good health and higher psychological wellbeing than those who don't visit nature at all during an

New evidence links ultra-processed foods with a range of health risks: Policies that limit ultra-processed food intake are urgently needed, say researchers

The researchers say further work is needed to better understand these effects, and a direct (causal) link remains to be established, but they call for policies that promote consumption of fresh or minimally processed foods over highly processed foods. Ultra-processed foods include packaged baked goods and snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary

Translation of genes more complex than expected

From gene to protein Each cell in our body contains the same DNA, yet different cells, like brain cells or muscle cells, have different functions..

Global commodities trade and consumption place the world's primates at risk of extinction

The world's primate fauna, distributed in the Neotropics, Africa and in South and Southeast Asia, represents an important global component of the Earth ́s land-based biodiversity..

Reaching and grasping: Learning fine motor coordination changes the brain

Simply grasping a coffee cup needs fine motor coordination with the highest precision.This required performance of the brain is an ability that can also be learned and trained.Prof.

Africa's elephant poaching rates in decline, but iconic animal still under threat

However, the team say the continent's elephant population remains threatened without continuing action to tackle poverty, reduce corruption and decrease demand of ivory..

How old are your organs? To scientists' surprise, organs are a mix of young and old cells: Scientists discover cellular structures with extreme longevity, leading to insights for age-associated diseases

"We were quite surprised to find cellular structures that are essentially as old as the organism they reside in," says Salk Vice President, Chief Science Officer Martin Hetzer, senior author and professor. "This suggests even greater cellular complexity than we previously imagined and has intriguing implications for how we think

The fellowship of the wing: Pigeons flap faster to fly together

Birds that fly in 'V'-formations, such as geese, are able to conserve energy by flying in aerodynamically optimal positions.

Small cluster of neurons is off-on switch for mouse songs: With precise control, researchers could make a mouse sing or not on command

In fact, they now understand these neurons well enough to be able to make a mouse sing on command or to silence it so that it can't sing, even when it wants to impress a mate.

Saturn's moon Mimas: A 'snowplough' in the planet's rings

Saturn's rings are made up of ice particles whose orbital velocity increases the closer they are to the planet..

Squid could thrive under climate change

Dr Blake Spady, from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) at James Cook University (JCU), led the study.