Researchers Kazuaki Takasan and Kyogo Kawaguchi of the University of Tokyo with Kyosuke Adachi of RIKEN, Japan, have demonstrated that ferromagnetism, an ordered state of atoms, can be induced by increasing particle motility and that repulsive forces between atoms are sufficient to maintain it. The discovery not only extends the concept of active matter to … Read more
Adding one simple rule to an idealized game of billiards leads to a wealth of intriguing mathematical questions, as well as applications in the physics of living organisms. This week, researchers from the University of Amsterdam, including two masters’ students as first authors—have published a paper in Physical Review Letters about the fascinating dynamics of … Read more
Scientists from multiple institutions in North America have achieved a significant milestone in unraveling the mechanisms underlying Ebola virus replication within human cells. This breakthrough marks a crucial advancement towards the creation of novel treatments aimed at tackling this formidable and often fatal illness. The study, published in PLOS Biology, involved a team of pharmacologists … Read more
In response to the efficient attacks of the host CRISPR-Cas system, bacteriophages have evolved various resistance strategies, including encoding anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins. Since their initial discovery in 2013, over a hundred Acr proteins have been identified. These proteins use different mechanisms to inhibit the recognition and cleavage of target nucleic acids by the Cas protein-RNA … Read more
The periodic table is a tabular arrangement of chemical elements, organized by their atomic number, electron configuration, and recurring chemical properties. It provides a systematic way to categorize and understand the behavior of elements based on their shared characteristics. Dmitri Mendeleev is credited with developing the first periodic table in 1869, arranging elements by their … Read more
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have discovered profound similarities and surprising differences between humans and insects in the production of the critical light-absorbing molecule of the retina, 11-cis-retinal, also known as the “visual chromophore.” The findings deepen understanding of how mutations in the RPE65 enzyme cause retinal diseases, especially Leber congenital amaurosis, a … Read more
In the microscopic realm of cellular function, the significance of minute details becomes apparent. A prime example is found in the intricate world of proteins, where even a slight variation in the sequence of amino acids can wield transformative influence over a cell’s architecture. Scientists from the Universities of Göttingen and Warwick delved into the … Read more
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary field that merges principles from physics and biology to investigate the physical mechanisms underlying biological processes. This dynamic branch of science employs quantitative and analytical approaches to unravel the mysteries of life, exploring how physical forces, energy, and structure govern the behavior of biological systems. Biophysics spans a wide range of … Read more
Physics, often referred to as the fundamental science, is a branch of natural science that seeks to understand the fundamental principles governing the behavior of matter and energy in the universe. It is a discipline that explores the properties of the smallest particles at the quantum level and the vastness of cosmic structures at the … Read more
Plants in which an ion channel of the vacuole is hyperactive are extremely stressed and grow poorly. But the broad bean is an exception, as Würzburg researchers have discovered. Their research is published in the journal eLife. Like the human body, plants also use electrical signals to process and pass on information. In addition to … Read more
Proteins, the workhorses of biology, are encoded by DNA sequences and are responsible for vital functions within cells. Since the first experimental measurement of a protein structure was made by John Kendrew in the 1950s, protein’s ability to fold into complex three-dimensional structures has long been a subject of scientific fascination and importance. However, determining … Read more
Our DNA is not indestructible. Throughout the course of our lives, DNA can break in response to natural and environmental factors. Thankfully, our bodies have dedicated enzymes and pathways which can glue our broken DNA back together through several different mechanisms, known as DNA repair pathways. Some cancers, however, can hijack these pathways for their … Read more
In a groundbreaking clinical trial published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine, researchers from Lawson Health Research Institute, the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), and the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) have made a significant discovery. They found that fecal microbiota transplants (FMT) from healthy donors can be safely used and hold promise in … Read more
Scientists from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have conducted a study on a transporter involved in cancer and immunity. By capturing six different structures of the transporter, including its binding to an inhibitor, the researchers have gained unprecedented insights into its structure and function. This breakthrough, published … Read more