Tidying up the Casualties of Photosynthesis
Transforming light into energy is inherently dangerous for photosynthetic organisms. The transfer of energy (in the form of electrons) from protein to […]
Author: K.E.D.C.
Highlights: October 23
A Glimmer of Hope in the Voids of Drug Screening In the search for new drugs, millions of molecules are repeatedly tested […]
Unravel and snip: A dual strategy for amyloid fibril degradation
Beyond its ability to degrade tau amyloid fibrils, the serine protease HTRA1 displays an unprecedented dual ability to both disaggregate tight amyloid […]
Highlights: October 16
Carnivorous plants and other microscopic dalliances See the winners of Nikon’s ‘Small World’ competition at Popular Science here. Of particular note is […]
Tracking a Slew of Microscopic Neurotoxin Factories
Converting mercury to its far more toxic organic form, methylmercury, doesn’t seem like the most intuitive detox strategy, but scientists suspect that […]
Antarctic Lichens Shelter Fungal Boom Towns
Antarctic lichens like this Usnea antarctica can be hundreds of years old and can, although fungal symbionts themselves, provide microhabitats for an […]
A tale of growth and power
My latest post at NERD about uncovering the self-powered mechanisms of muscle growth ~
When tolerance outweighs resistance
When might it be better to tolerate a macroparasite than to resist it? Out in the wild, it’s difficult to avoid parasites. […]
Which ticks carry what where?
A tick bite is disturbing enough, but when that bite can give you a host of incurable, debilitating diseases, it’s worth knowing […]
How do solar panels change today’s forecast?
Solar panels influence climate change in the long term by cutting CO2 emissions, but French researchers recently simulated the short-term effects of […]
Seasonal poison
Dutch researchers recently found that springtime sunlight may render herbicide pollution even more toxic to marine microalgae than previously thought. Microalgae form […]
As Paramecia go in reverse, scientists explore microbial intelligence
Paramecia don’t make a habit of swimming backwards for long distances, but when Japanese researchers placed them in dead-ended tubes with no […]
In the aftermath of a disaster
Microbial communities thrive despite the toxic contamination of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill In April of 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig […]
Of Biophysics and TNT
Researchers in Japan have been using antibodies and biophysics to detect explosives A team in Fukuoka has been steadily refining a quick […]