At last: Concise synthesis of potent neurotoxin, tetrodotoxin

26-Jul-2022 - Researchers have discovered a concise way to synthesize a “biosynthetic and ecological enigma” that has intrigued chemists and biologists for more than a century: tetrodotoxin (TTX), a potent natural neurotoxin commonly associated with pufferfish that is also used as a vital probe in neuroscience ...

Identified: Genes that can boost maize and rice yields

29-Mar-2022 - Researchers comparing domestication pathways between maize and rice – two of the world’s most economically important crops – identified a gene involved in kernel row number in maize, manipulation of which resulted in an increase in maize yield. Manipulating a related gene in rice gave that staple ...

Powerful new tool in the CRISPR genome editing toolbox

Recently discovered CRISPR enzyme from huge bacteriophages expands genome editing toolbox

20-Jul-2020 - A recently discovered hypercompact CRISPR enzyme found only in huge bacteriophages, and known as CRISPR-CasΦ, is functional, a new study by Patrick Pausch, Jennifer Doudna and colleagues reports, and it provides a powerful new tool in the CRISPR genome editing toolbox, including because it can ...

Antibiotic tolerance reduces the ability to prevent resistance under drug combination therapies

10-Jan-2020 - Antimicrobial tolerance can promote the evolution of antimicrobial resistance even under combination drug treatments widely used and expected to prevent it from occurring, a new study finds. The results suggest the need to consider drug tolerance when designing antibiotic treatments to prevent ...

Scientists see how a protein preserves vision in a unique group of diabetic patients

05-Jul-2019 - An analysis of samples obtained from a well-studied cohort of over 1,000 patients affected by type 1 diabetes (T1D) for 50 years or longer has identified a protein that protects against an eye condition called diabetic retinopathy (DR) - one of the most common consequences of diabetes - which ...

Molecular oxygen sensing systems conserved across kingdoms

04-Jul-2019 - Researchers have discovered a biochemical oxygen sensing system conserved across biological kingdoms, which allows both plant and animal cells to sense and respond appropriately to changes in oxygen levels - an ability central to the survival of most forms of life. The newly identified enzymatic ...

Difficult to kill bacteria develops tolerance against alcohol based disinfectants

Frequent intestinal bacteria E. faecium could render hand washing in hospitals ineffective.

06-Aug-2018 - A multidrug-resistant bacterial species that can cause infections in hospitals is becoming increasingly tolerant to the alcohols used in handwash disinfectants, a new study finds. The analysis of bacterial samples taken from two Australian hospitals over 19 years suggests that the species ...

U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) recommends Science to publish only an abbreviated version of a H5N1 research report

Science Editor-in-Chief Bruce Alberts on Publication of H5N1 Avian Influenza Research

22-Dec-2011 - Science confirmed that it has received a recommendation by the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) to publish only an abbreviated version of a research report related to a strain of H5N1 avian influenza virus. Editors at the journal are considering the request seriously ...

Draft sequence of Neandertal genome wins the 2010 AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize, supported by Affymetrix

17-Feb-2011 - Composed of more than 4 billion nucleotides, a draft sequence of the Neandertal genome won the 2010 Newcomb Cleveland Prize of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).The Association's oldest prize, now supported by Affymetrix, the Newcomb Cleveland Prize annually ...