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Sugars influence cell-to-surface adhesion
New mechanism of force transduction in muscle cells discovered
Muscling RNA Polymerase Off the DNA
Variety: spice of life for bumble bees
Correctly Delivered and Integrated: How Proteins Find Their Place in the Cell
Stopping a Runaway Train - How Bacteria Avoid Making Unwanted RNA
How epithelial cells ward off viruses
Small molecules control bacterial resistance to antibiotics
An epigenetic ageing clock in trees
Infection by parasites disturbs flight behaviour in shoals of fish
More plant diversity, less pesticides
The seductive scent of sweet fruits
Beetle larvae think with a brain ’under construction’
Biodiversity monitoring programmes need a culture of collaboration
Shifts in Flowering Phases of Plants Due to Reduced Insect Density
On the way to fish-friendly hydropower
Life Sciences
Results 1 - 20 of 108.
Life Sciences - Physics - 29.12.2020

How can cells adhere to surfaces and move on them? This is a question which was investigated by an international team of researchers headed by Prof. Michael Hippler from the University of Münster and Prof. Kaiyao Huang from the Institute of Hydrobiology (Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China).
Psychology - Life Sciences - 21.12.2020
Emotional headlines have an impact regardless of the credibility of the source
New HU study on the influence of "fake news" on the brain Neurocognitive studies by researchers at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) show that headlines with emotional content influence our judgments about other people even when we consider the media source to be untrustworthy. Rumours, half-truths and misinformation can be consumed and shared non-stop online and have an enormous reach.
Chemistry - Life Sciences - 18.12.2020

Researchers of Münster University reveal mechanobiological function of muscle-specific adhesion protein / Study published in "Nature Communications" The ability of cells to sense and respond to their mechanical environment is critical for many cellular processes but the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular mechanosensitivity are still unclear.
Life Sciences - Chemistry - 18.12.2020

Researchers elucidate a unique molecular mechanism for efficient gene expression in pathogenic bacteria No 256/2020 from Dec 18, 2020 Three international research teams, including a consortium coordinated at Freie Universität Berlin, find that a motor protein, called HelD, acts like a "molecular bully" to pry the central enzyme of transcription, RNA polymerase, away from the DNA template, setting it free for the continued production of genetic messages.
Agronomy / Food Science - Life Sciences - 16.12.2020

The yield and quality of many crops benefit from pollination, but it isn-t just honey bees that do this work: bumble bees also have a role. However, placing honey bee or bumble bee colonies next to the field does not guarantee that they will visit the desired plants since there may be other plant species flowering at the same time that prove more attractive.
Life Sciences - Materials Science - 03.12.2020

Heidelberg Researchers determine the three-dimensional architecture of a molecular machine that inserts essential proteins into biomembranes Over a quarter of all proteins in a cell are found in the membrane, where they perform vital functions. To fulfil these roles, membrane proteins must be reliably transported from their site of production in the cell to their destination and correctly inserted into the target membrane.
Life Sciences - Chemistry - 03.12.2020

Publication in Science by biochemists from Freie Universität Berlin and international colleagues No 235/2020 from Dec 03, 2020 An important gene expression process in bacteria seems to proceed differently than described in textbooks. This is the result of an international team of scientists headed by the Structural Biochemistry group at Freie Universität Berlin.
Life Sciences - Chemistry - 27.11.2020

The cytosolic sensor NLRP1 identifies viruses as non-self and triggers inflammatory responses The ability to differentiate between self and potentially harmful non-self is vital for the integrity and survival of organisms. In most organisms, the so-called innate immune system is responsible for the recognition of such intruders.
Life Sciences - Health - 26.11.2020

Jena research team discovers molecule that influences the resistance of cholera bacteria Life Antibiotics have revolutionized medicine by providing effective treatments for infectious diseases such as cholera. But the pathogens that cause disease are increasingly developing resistance to the antibiotics that are most commonly used.
Computer Science - Life Sciences - 25.11.2020
Analysing Plant Cells With 3D Images
A new image processing programme makes it possible to view and analyse plant cells in detail in 3D. Bioscientists and computer scientists at Heidelberg University helped to develop the open-source software called PlantSeg. It is based on methods of machine learning and can be used to study the process of morphogenesis - how the shape of plants develops - at the cellular level.
Life Sciences - 17.11.2020

Research on environmental history: 330-year-old poplar tree tells of its life Similar to genetic mutations, epigenetic changes, i.e. gene modifications that do not occur on the primary DNA sequence, sometimes arise accidentally in plants and can be transmitted across generations. Using trees as a model, researchers have now shown for the first time that these so-called epimutations accumulate continuously throughout plant development, and that they can be employed as a molecular clock to estimate the age of a tree.
Life Sciences - Health - 11.11.2020
PM 98/2020 201111 How Molecular Chaperones Dissolve Protein Aggregates Linked To Parkinson’s Disease
In many neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, protein aggregates form in the brain and are assumed to contribute to neuronal cell death. Yet there exists a cellular defence mechanism that counteracts these aggregates, known as amyloid fibrils, and can even dissolve fibrils already formed. This defence mechanism is based on the activity of molecular chaperones, i.e. protein folding helpers, of the heat shock protein 70 family (Hsp70).
Life Sciences - 11.11.2020
How Organ Functions Were Shaped over the Course of Evolution
Heidelberg researchers gain groundbreaking new insights into the regulation and evolution of gene expression in mammalian organs A large-scale study conducted by molecular biologists from Heidelberg University has yielded groundbreaking new insights into the evolution and regulation of gene expression in mammalian organs.
Life Sciences - Environment - 09.11.2020

In order to escape predators, many fish - including insects, fish and birds - have developed strategies for rapidly transmitting information on threats to others of their species. This information is transmitted within a group of hundreds, or even thousands, of individuals in (escape) waves. This collective response is also, in the case of fish, known as shoal behaviour.
Environment - Life Sciences - 06.11.2020

Species-rich plant communities help to naturally reduce herbivore impacts Life Increasing plant diversity enhances the natural control of insect herbivory in grasslands. Species-rich plant communities support natural predators and simultaneously provide less valuable food for herbivores. This was found by a team of researchers led by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig (iDiv), who conducted two analogous experiments in Germany and the USA.
Life Sciences - Environment - 29.10.2020

New research group investigates the communication between plants and their consumers A new research area will be established at the Friedrich Schiller University. From November 2020, the biologist Dr Omer Nevo will head the new Junior Research Group "Evolutionary Ecology", that works at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) in Leipzig.
Life Sciences - 29.10.2020

Researchers at the University of Göttingen compare the development of beetle brains with that of flies In the human brain, hundreds of billions of nerve cells are interconnected in the most complicated way, and only when these interconnections are correctly made, can the brain function properly. This is no different for insects, even though their brains consist of -only- one hundred thousand to one million nerve cells.
Environment - Life Sciences - 27.10.2020

Biodiversity loss is continuing relentlessly worldwide. In order to counteract this more effectively, monitoring programmes are needed which precisely map the circumstances of animal and plant species and the extent to which they are under threat. But too often, these are still inadequate - the range of species examined is not extensive enough, and there is too little coordination.
Environment - Life Sciences - 27.10.2020

It still sounds unlikely today, but declines in insect numbers could well make it a frequent occurrence in the future: fields full of flowers, but not a bee in sight. A research group of the University of Jena and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) has discovered that insects have a decisive influence on the biodiversity and flowering phases of plants.
Environment - Life Sciences - 27.10.2020

EU project "FIThydro" studies environmental impact of hydroelectric power plants In the Europe-wide project "FIThydro" coordinated by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), researchers worked with industrial partners to study existing hydroelectric power plants. Based on their results, they have developed new assessment methods and technologies such as a fish population hazard index, fish migration simulations and an open-access decision support tool for power plant planning.
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