Scientists have documented the way a single gene in the bacterium that causes bubonic plague, Yersinia pestis, allowed it to survive hundreds of years by adjusting its virulence and the length of time it took to kill its victims, but these forms…
Category: 5. Biology
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Dinosaurs could hold key to cancer discoveries
New techniques used to analyse soft tissue in dinosaur fossils may hold the key to new cancer discoveries, according to a new study published in the journal Biology.
Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and Imperial College London…
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‘Future-proofing’ crops will require urgent, consistent effort
In a review in The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, Stephen Long, a professor of crop sciences and of plant biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, describes research efforts to “future-proof” the crops that are…
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Keep the cool feeling: A lipid enzyme for maintaining cool temperature sensation and avoidance
Sensing environmental temperature is crucial for the development and survival of animals. Insects such as fruit flies have evolved a particularly delicate thermosensory system that can discriminate temperature changes within a milli-degree per…
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Genetic basis of purring in cats
Whether you are lucky enough to have a cat companion or must merely live this experience vicariously through cat videos, Felis catus is a familiar and comforting presence in our daily lives. Unlike most other feline species, cats exhibit…
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HIV discovery could open door to long-sought cure
University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have uncovered a key reason why HIV remains so difficult to cure: Their research shows that small changes in the virus affect how quickly or slowly it replicates, and how easily or stubbornly…
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Cotton virus circulated undetected for nearly 20 years, study finds
A virus responsible for damaging cotton crops across the southern United States has been lurking in U.S. fields for nearly 20 years — undetected. According to new research, cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV), long believed to be a recent…
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Discovery of a new marine flagellate
Researchers at University of Tsukuba have identified a previously unknown species of unicellular organism in seawater collected near Hachijojima Island. The newly discovered species, named Viscidocauda repens, belongs to the protist group…
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Cannabis pangenome reveals potential for medicinal and industrial use
Cannabis has been a globally important crop for millennia. While best known today as marijuana for its psychoactive cannabinoid THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), historically, cannabis has been a cornerstone of human civilization, providing seed oil,…
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Short type gene variant associated with increased purring in domestic cats
Whether you are lucky enough to have a cat companion or must merely live this experience vicariously through cat videos, Felis catus is a familiar and comforting presence in our daily lives. Unlike most other feline species, cats…
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