Author: Dangist

Large bacteriophages carry bacterial genes, including CRISPR and ribosomal proteins     Bacterial viruses, called bacteriophages, are simple genetic machines, relying on their bacterial hosts to replicate and spread. However, scientists have found hundreds of huge phages that carry a slew of bacterial proteins that the phages use to manipulate their microbial hosts more efficiently. These…

    A new study finds the value of using ‘parentese,’ an exaggerated speaking style that conveys total engagement with a child. Used in virtually all of the world’s languages, parentese is a vocal style that draws baby’s attention. Parents adopt its simple grammar and words, plus its exaggerated sounds, almost without thinking about it. Nevertheless,…

A new study should sound alarm bells regarding the ‘biodiversity crisis’ or the loss of wildlife around the world. The loss of any species is devastating. However, the decline or extinction of one species can trigger an avalanche within an ecosystem, wiping out many species in the process. When biodiversity losses cause cascading effects within…

The study found two cosmetics chemicals damage the DNA of breast cells at low doses     A new approach to studying the effects of two common chemicals used in cosmetics and sunscreens found they can cause DNA damage in breast cells at surprisingly low concentrations, while the same dose did not harm cells without estrogen…

Men’s testosterone levels are primarily determined by their environment during childhood, according to new research. The Durham University-led study suggests that men who grow up in more challenging conditions where there are lots of infectious diseases, for example, are likely to have lower testosterone levels in later life than those who spend their childhood in…

The system achieves a new level of efficiency in harnessing sunlight to make fresh potable water from seawater     A completely passive solar-powered desalination system could provide more than 1.5 gallons of fresh drinking water per hour for every square meter of solar collecting area. Such systems could potentially serve off-grid arid coastal areas to…

Summary     Scientists have determined the structure of the protein complex that gives cyanobacteria their unique ability to convert weak, filtered sunlight into useable energy. Their findings could one day be used to engineer crops that thrive under low-light conditions. Tiny photosynthetic organisms that live virtually everywhere on earth, cyanobacteria helped to create an oxygen-rich…

Summary     Astronomers have pinpointed the location of a repeating fast radio burst. The breakthrough is only the second time that scientists have determined the precise location of a repeating source of these millisecond bursts of radio waves from space. Astronomers in Europe, working with members of Canada’s CHIME Fast Radio Burst collaboration, have pinpointed…

Summary     For the first time, physicists have successfully converted electrical signals into photons and radiated them in specific directions using a low-footprint optical antenna that is only 800 nanometers in size. Directional antennas convert electrical signals to radio waves and emit them in a particular direction, allowing increased performance and reduced interference. This principle,…