Biology

DiDAX: Innovating DNA-based data applications

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The DiDAX consortium is enabling a vision of DNA as a versatile medium for secure and long-term data applications. DiDAX is a consortium of eight research groups, coming from both academia and industry and working together, under EU EIC funding, to innovate DNA-based data applications. Our work is based on novel encoding and decoding algorithms, … Read more

Island land snails’ extinction rates as high as 80% or more

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Reading time: 2 minutes Invasive species, like this flatworm, contribute to land snail extinctions. (Photo credit: S. Sugiura) Extinction rates for island land snails commonly range from 30% to as high as 80% on some volcanic islands, according to a new review paper that confirms “devastation” is no exaggeration for the state of global snail … Read more

Researchers discover new treatments for liver and bowel cancer – The Irish News

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Researchers have discovered new treatments to suppress the growth of cancers of the bowel and liver. Researchers at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute in Glasgow studied genes which can cause cancer, looking specifically at the bowel and liver, to discover why those genes only cause cancers in specific tissues. The research team, part of … Read more

Iron deficiency during pregnancy leads to sex change in mice

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Scientists in Japan and Australia have shown that iron deficiency during pregnancy can cause a complete sex reversal in genetically male mice carrying XY chromosomes, leading them to develop ovaries. The research team from Japan’s Osaka University and Australia’s University of Queensland found that a severe lack of iron in the womb caused some genetically … Read more

Donor with cancer gene fathers 67 kids; 10 later develop cancer

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At the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics in Milan, biologist Dr. Edwige Kasper from the University Hospital of Rouen presented a case involving a sperm donor who unknowingly carried a rare mutation of the TP53 gene associated with Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a severe hereditary cancer predisposition. Between 2008 and 2015, this … Read more

Friendly Viruses: How the Virom Benefits Your Health

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BUCHAREST – May 3, 2024 – Trillions of viruses, a hidden world within us, are now emerging as key players in our health, influencing our well-being from the gut to the brain. Scientists are uncovering the intricate roles viruses play in our bodies,not as illness-causing agents,but as silent,essential partners. These findings are opening new avenues … Read more

Intelligence on Earth Evolved Independently at Least Twice

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“How we end up with similar circuitry was more flexible than I would have expected,” Zaremba said. “You can build the same circuits from different cell types.” Zaremba and her team also found that in the bird pallium, neurons that start development in different regions can mature into the same type of neuron in the … Read more

Thousands of Urine and Tissue Samples Are in Danger of Rotting After Staff Cuts at a CDC Laboratory

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Cathy Tinney-Zara, a worker at NIOSH’s Pittsburg facility who spoke to WIRED in her capacity as the union representative, says that before they lost their jobs, the researchers at the Morgantown facility had been actively studying how Gulf War soldiers were affected by exposure to Mustard Gas, how pregnant workers have been affected by exposure … Read more

Sun-powered hydrosponge harvests water from air with 40% less energy

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Scientists in Shanghai have developed a unique material that combines the best features of a hydrogen and a sponge. This unique ‘hydrosponge’ can extract water from air in a far more energy-efficient way than existing methods.  While hydrogels are known for their ability to soak up and hold large amounts of water, they often hold … Read more