Category: Science

Fig 1. Escherichia coli. While tracing the movement of Escherichia coli, a team of French researchers noticed that near solid surfaces, the bacteria run in circles. Loop after loop, the tracing almost looks like an Olympic figure skating rink before the Zamboni irons the sheet of ice smooth. Breaking down E. coli’s routine step by…

Fig 1. The researchers found that mosquitoes are most likely to transmit malaria in the early evening when people are exposed, then at midnight, when people are protected by bed nets, or in the morning. Wide-scale use of insecticide-treated bed nets has led to substantial declines in global incidences of malaria in recent years. As…

Native bees that boost food crops are in decline but changing fire management policies could help them. A new study finds these native bees are better able to survive harsh climate events, like drought, in areas where naturally occurring fires are allowed to burn.  Most flowering plant farms employ honeybees, a non-native species originally imported…

The eyes have a surprise Fig 1. Retinal section from a mouse where cell nuclei are labelled in blue, inhibitory cells is labelled with magenta, and ipRGCs are labelled in green. For decades, biology textbooks have stated that eyes communicate with the brain exclusively through one type of signalling pathway. But a new discovery shows…

New process improves lab-on-chip devices to isolate drug-resistant strains of bacterial infection, viruses Summary     Scientists designed a next-generation miniature lab device that uses magnetic nano-beads to isolate minute bacterial particles that cause diseases. This new technology improves how clinicians’ isolate drug-resistant strains of bacterial infections and difficult-to-detect micro-particles such as those making up Ebola…

Molecules in tarantula venom could be used as an alternative to opioid pain killers for people seeking chronic pain relief. University of Queensland researchers have designed a novel tarantula venom mini-protein that can potentially relieve severe pain without addiction. Dr. Christina Schroeder from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience said the current opioid crisis around the…

A new chemical compound is lighting the way for renewable energy.           A new chemical compound created by researchers at West Virginia University is lighting the way for renewable energy. The compound is a photosensitizer, meaning it promotes chemical reactions in the presence of light. It has many potential applications for improving the efficiency of…

Researchers are developing new peptide-based therapeutics for targeting and disabling the coronavirus’ so-called “spike proteins.” Spike proteins—the crown of bulbous projections that give the coronavirus its signature halo effect—attach to and infect healthy cells, causing COVID-19. Led by Northwestern University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the research team is engineering a new nanostructured therapy…

Fig 1. Most bacterial cells are covered in tiny, hair-like structures called pili. Their diameter is smaller than 1/10,000th of a human hair.           Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major bacterial pathogen that leads to periodontitis, also known as gum disease. In Japan, 80% of adults aged 35 and over suffer from this disease. What is…