The genetic secret of night vision

Compact DNA organization improves vision in nocturnal mammals

26-Feb-2020 - One of the most remarkable characteristics of the vertebrate eye is its retina. Surprisingly, the sensitive portions of the photoreceptor cells are found on the hind side of the retina, meaning that light needs to travel through living neural tissue before it can be detected. While the origin of ...

The discovery of ancient Salmonella

Oldest reconstructed bacterial genomes link agriculture and herding with emergence of new disease

25-Feb-2020 - Using Salmonella enterica genomes recovered from human skeletons as old as 6,500 years, an international team of researchers illustrates the evolution of a human pathogen and provides the first ancient DNA evidence in support of the hypothesis that the cultural transition from foraging to farming ...

Bacterium makes complex loops

Research team analyses flagellar locomotion

25-Feb-2020 - A scientific team from the Biosciences and Biotechnology Institute of Aix-Marseille in Saint-Paul lez Durance, in collaboration with researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam and the University of Göttingen, determined the trajectory and swimming speed of the ...

Antibodies: the body’s own antidepressants

Antibodies can be a blessing or a curse to the brain - it all depends on their concentration

25-Feb-2020 - If the immune system attacks its own body, it can often have devastating consequences: autoantibodies bind to the body’s structures, triggering functional disorders. The receptors for glutamate, a neurotransmitter, can also become the target of autoantibodies. Researchers at the Max Planck ...

"Make two out of one" - Division of Artificial Cells

Scientists uncover a novel and generic mechanism for the division of artificial cells into two daughter cells

21-Feb-2020 - The success of life on earth is based on the amazing ability of living cells to divide themselves into two daughter cells. During such a division process, the outer cell membrane has to undergo a series of morphological transformations that ultimately lead to membrane fission. Scientists at the ...

Modified tuberculosis vaccine as a therapy for cancer of the bladder

21-Feb-2020 - The human immune system can recognize and eliminate not only germs but also cancer cells. This is why treatments with weakened germs can help the immune system in its fight against cancer. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin have genetically modified the ...

Biological machine produces its own building blocks

Researchers have for the first time developed a genome the size of a minimal cell that can copy itself

18-Feb-2020 - The field of synthetic biology does not only observe and describe processes of life but also mimics them. A key characteristic of life is the ability to ability for replication, which means the maintenance of a chemical system. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried ...

In the right place at the right time

Scientists decipher the activation chain of protein degradation

17-Feb-2020 - Proteins are molecular work horses in the cell that perform specific tasks, but it is essential that the timing of protein activities is exquisitely controlled. When proteins have fulfilled their tasks, degradation of these proteins will end processes that are unneeded or detrimental. To control ...

Cellular waste system disposes of coronavirus

Scientists discover a possible starting point for medications to treat coronavirus infections

11-Feb-2020 - Research into basic cellular processes continually leads to unexpected discoveries. A study by researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, the University Clinic in Bonn, and Charité in Berlin illustrates how even basic research can lead to new medical treatments. The ...

New membranes for cellular recycling

Cells produce the shell of the autophagosomes on the spot

04-Feb-2020 - There is a constant spring-cleaning in our cells: The cell’s own recycling system, so-called autophagy, fills garbage bags with cellular waste, transports them to the recycling yard and makes the decomposed material available again. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing ...