In a recent survey of published animal studies, researchers found disregarding the animals’ circadian rhythms can hamper reproducibility, reliability and validity. According to a new analysis out of West Virginia University, that’s often what it’s like to be a rodent in a biomedical study. Mice and rats, which make up the vast majority of animal…

To test the possible relationship between the gut and chemo brain, a lab is examining chemo’s effects on mice whose guts have been manipulated before treatment. One experiment involves feeding the mice antibiotics. The other relies on the universal practice among mice of eating their own and their roommates’ feces. Because chemotherapy is so hard…

An initial infection with dengue virus did not prime monkeys for an especially virulent infection of Zika virus, according to a new study. Nor did a bout with Zika make a follow-on dengue infection more dangerous. As outbreaks on Pacific islands and in the Americas in recent years made Zika virus a pressing public health…

Biologists and neuroscientists have published an update on the reputed environmental toxins that have been suspected of being involved in mammal neurodegeneration. A decades-long search for a dementia-causing toxin Interest in the correlations between environmental toxins and neurodegeneration focused the world’s magnifying glass on the island of Guam in the 1950s due to an unexpected…

The findings of this study are intended to aid botanists who specialize in crop protection in better understanding the distribution of planteose throughout the endosperm, perisperm, and seed coat of Orobanche minor — a root parasitic weed, which is consistent with planteose’s role as a storage carbohydrate. The findings of this work demonstrate unequivocally that…

Using sophisticated microscopy techniques, researchers show why proteins stick better to some surfaces than others. The details could be important to manufacturers fine-tuning drug purifications, biosensors or anti-fouling surfaces. Exactly how proteins interact with solid surfaces is a concern for health care manufacturers who design drugs, make biosensors or develop anti-fouling materials. The mechanisms that…

Drinking more coffee may help reduce the risk of developing gallstones, according to a new study. Among 104,493 individuals, those who drank more than six cups of coffee per day had a 23% lower risk of developing symptomatic gallstones compared with individuals who did not drink coffee. Drinking one extra cup of coffee per day…

Using DNA, scientists organized bioactive proteins in desired 2D and 3D ordered arrays — promising for structural biology, biomedicine, and more. «For decades, scientists have dreamed about rationally assembling proteins into specific organizations with preserved protein function,» said corresponding author Oleg Gang, leader of the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) Soft and Bio Nanomaterials Group…

Understanding the basic mechanisms that lead to cell death (apoptosis) is essential for the development of therapies for cancer and other diseases. Scientists have now discovered a protein interaction that directly triggers cell death. It is known that the so-called ‘apoptotic enforcer protein’ BAX encounters DRP1 in the cell at the mitochondrial membrane. The latter…

Whether Guard Cells (GCs) carry out photosynthesis has been debated for decades. Earlier studies suggested that guard cell chloroplasts (GCCs) cannot fix CO2 but later studies argued otherwise. Until recently, it has remained controversial whether GCCs and/or GC photosynthesis play a direct role in stomatal movements. Researchers have now discovered GCs’ genuine source of fuel…