Fungal infections kill millions of people each year, and modern medicine is struggling to keep up. But researchers at McMaster University have identified a molecule that may help turn the tide—butyrolactol A, a chemical compound that targets a…
Category: 5. Biology
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Overlooked molecule points to new treatments for drug-resistant fungal infections
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Castration Linked to Increased Lifespan in Mammals
A large-scale analysis of 117 mammal species found that preventing reproduction is associated with longer lifespans, suggesting a strong link between reproductive activity and life expectancy. Why do some animals live for decades while others…
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Forests under climate stress: Why trees are growing less despite an early start
Climate change is causing trees to sprout earlier in spring. Nevertheless, some tree species are growing less. A study by the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL shows that increasing heat and drought are slowing down the growth of the most…
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AI boosts bird sound identification accuracy
In a study conducted at the University of Helsinki, AI was trained to classify bird sounds with increasing accuracy. The results of the study have been used, among others, in the “Muuttolintujen kevät” (Spring of Migratory Birds) mobile…
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Ribosomal engineering creates 'super-probiotic' bacteria with enhanced immune activation
Using ribosome engineering (RE), researchers from Shinshu University introduced mutations affecting the protein synthesis mechanism of probiotic Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG). These mutant LGGs exhibit altered surface protein expression,…
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Earth's early sponges were soft: Scientists close fossil record gap
Sponges are among Earth’s most ancient animals, but exactly when they evolved has long puzzled scientists. Genetic information from living sponges, as well as chemical signals from ancient rocks, suggest that sponges evolved at least 650 million…
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How rice viruses manipulate plant defenses to protect insect vectors
Planthoppers and leafhoppers not only feed on rice plants but also act as highly efficient vectors for plant viruses, causing substantial yield losses worldwide. Notably, their persistent ability to evade natural enemies is not merely a matter of…
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What Chimps Reveal About Human Parenting
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Young chimpanzees differ from human children in a key way—the hairier…
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Small chimps, big risks: What chimps show us about our own behavior
The riskiest behavior in humans peaks in adolescence. Researchers from the University of Michigan and James Madison University expected to find risky behavior to peak in adolescence in a study of chimpanzees as well. But instead, they found that…
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The “Invisible” Energy Cost of Being Alive That Physics Long Ignored
A new JSTAT study shows how to compute the minimum energy cells use to sustain certain metabolic pathways while suppressing others, revealing a “cost” invisible to mechanical physics. There are “costs of life” that mechanical physics…
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