Researchers at Tel-Aviv University have found plants making airborne emission of ultrasound screams when subjected to stress. They suspect that the sounds are generated by a process called cavitation. The sound may be alerting other plants nearby. Researchers have for the first time found evidence of plants making airborne emission of ultrasound screams when subjected … Continue reading Plants emit ultrasonic distress screams when stressed
Biology
JNCASR’s molecule effective against multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii
JNCASR researchers have synthesised a molecule that shows high antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. The molecule has no toxicity to human cells. It is effective against A. baumannii bacteria that is dormant as well. A novel molecule developed by chemically linking (conjugate) an amino acid (glycine) to a polymer has been found to possess … Continue reading JNCASR’s molecule effective against multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii
IGIB finds a protein with better gene editing precision
IGIB researchers have used a different Cas9 protein derived from another bacteria to make gene editing more efficient and precise. The new Cas9 protein shows very less tendency to bind to off-target (unintended) sites on DNA. The new Cas9 protein was able to correct sickle cell anaemia mutation in patient-derived stem cells. Researchers at the Delhi-based … Continue reading IGIB finds a protein with better gene editing precision
IIT Kanpur team unravels molecular mechanism of a prostate cancer subtype
IIT Kanpur-led team discovers the molecular mechanism by which a protein (EZH2) is produced in excess leading to a reduction in the levels of two microRNAs. This causes an oncogene (SPINK1) to get overexpressed in the SPINK1-positive prostate cancer subtype. Synthetic microRNAs and epigenetic drugs that increase the microRNA levels reduce tumour growth and metastasis. … Continue reading IIT Kanpur team unravels molecular mechanism of a prostate cancer subtype
Podcast: How cholesterol helps bacterial toxins kill cells
IISc researchers have found cholesterol present in cell membrane playing a central role in the two-step process of stabilising and binding together the pore-forming toxin Cytolysin A. On binding to cholesterol, the structure of the toxin protein that is bound to the cell membrane undergoes a change and is also stabilised. Cholesterol is also essential in … Continue reading Podcast: How cholesterol helps bacterial toxins kill cells
IISc researchers find cholesterol helps bacterial toxins kill cells
IISc researchers found cholesterol present in cell membrane plays a central role in the two-step process of stabilising and binding the pore-forming toxin Cytolysin A. On binding to cholesterol, the structure of the toxin protein that is bound to the cell membrane undergoes a change and is also stabilised. Cholesterol is also essential in holding together … Continue reading IISc researchers find cholesterol helps bacterial toxins kill cells
Himender Bharti gets honoured, has an ant species named after him
A new ant species discovered from the southern foothills of Pir Panjal Himalayas in Rajouri district, Jammu and Kashmir is named after Dr. Himender Bharti from Punjabi University, Patiala. He has so far discovered 77 new ant species from India, and four new species from Southeast Asia. He has been working on ants for about 20 years … Continue reading Himender Bharti gets honoured, has an ant species named after him
Scientists are accidentally helping poachers drive rare species to extinction
Benjamin Scheele, Australian National University and David Lindenmayer, Australian National University If you open Google and start typing “Chinese cave gecko”, the text will auto-populate to “Chinese cave gecko for sale” – just US$150, with delivery. This extremely rare species is just one of an increasingly large number of animals being pushed to extinction in … Continue reading Scientists are accidentally helping poachers drive rare species to extinction
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