Science News

Taurine, found in bile acids, helps the intestines to fight bacterial infections. A team of scientists have found that taurine contained in bile acids helps to kill bacteria in the human body, according to the study revealed by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). In the course of the...Read Full StoryNihSepsisBacterial InfectionsResearch ScientistsNIHAntibioticsPathogensInfectionHuman BodySterile MiceDietRodentsBile AcidsFatsTaurine

Striking new videos show how RNA - the genetic molecule that tells cells how to build proteins - tangles up in insane knots as it forms, only to disentangle itself at the last second, and in a way that took scientists by surprise. The high-resolution videos depict a bouncing conga...Read Full StoryRna VirusesRna MoleculesFoldingSingle CellsExperimental DataMolecular BiologyBiological CellsRNA TanglesRNA FormationRNA VirusesSNP RNADark Purple KnotComplex KnotsBasic Cell BiologyInsane Knots

January19th (Tuesday), 6 p.m., via Zoom (online) - Open to Public. Presentation: “The rise and fall of latest Pleistocene pluvial lakes in the northern Great Basin”; Presented by Daniel Enrique Ibarra, Univ. of CA, Berkeley. G.K. Gilbert’s 1890 monograph on Lake Bonneville for the United States Geological Survey started over...Read Full StoryEarth ScienceGreat BasinWater ResourcesGreat LakesNorthern StatesCaliforniaStorm WaterJanuary19thZoomUnivFranklin , LahontanChewaucanLGMPluvial LakesQuaternary Lakes

A recurring argument in science fiction films is the catastrophes that could cause a huge meteorite to fall on Earth. We have seen it in movies like Armageddon or Deep Impact, or television series like Salvation: a huge meteor threatens the Earth and the heroes of history have to do something to stop the catastrophe.Read Full StoryTo The EarthMeteorVisible LightBreaking NewsAsteroidWorld NewsLatest NewsThe Solar SystemHeadlinesArmageddonVisit ChicxulubTelevision SeriesDinosaursAstronomical DistancesCatastrophic EventsBruce Willis

Biologists balk at any talk of ‘goals’ or ‘intentions’ — but a bold new research agenda has put agency back on the table. Animal immune systems depend on white blood cells called macrophages that devour and engulf invaders. The cells pursue with determination and gusto: under a microscope you can watch a blob-like macrophage chase a bacterium across the slide, switching course this way and that as its prey tries to escape through an obstacle course of red blood cells, before it finally catches the rogue microbe and gobbles it up.Read Full StoryBiological ResearchPsychologyMicroscopeMarianne SimmelBiological CellsBiological SystemsHuman CellsImmune CellsAnimal Immune SystemsSingle CellsWhite Blood CellsBiologistsAbstract Geometric ShapesMindsDetermination

There’s nothing like a good ol’ mystery beast to get Bangor Daily News readers revved up. Back in 2013, we introduced you to the Wayne Werewolf. More recently, we’ve shown you large catlike critters that kinda, almost, nearly looked like mountain lions, and helped reignite the age-old debate over big cats here in Maine. And one time, a reader called one of our mystery beasts a “chimichanga” instead of a “chupacabra,” which left many thinking that Mainers didn’t know the difference between a mythical monster and a fried burrito.Read Full StoryMysteryWild BeastsBaby PeopleCameraBangor Daily NewsMainersBDNCreepyPenobscot CountyHorrorWayne WerewolfMountain LionsNorman TremblayLowellJohn HolyokeStephen King

When paleontologists discover a new dinosaur species, they usually marvel at the ancient creature's size or speed. However, a new species of a chicken-sized dinosaur is making headlines for a feature rarely associated with the primitive reptiles that dominated the world for over 140 million years — dazzling looks!. The...Read Full StoryFeathered DinosaurDinosaursReptilesEarth ScientistsAncient HistoryNatural History MuseumCCSSCrato FormationCretaceous ResearchBrazilianNational GeographicCnet.comElaborate DancingPaleontologistsHidden Skeletal Elements

In our screening program for new biologically active compounds, a new polyene macrolide, lavencidin (1), along with known compound RKGS-A2215A (2), was isolated from the fermentation broth of Streptomyces lavendulae FRI-5 by changing the composition of liquid medium normally used for the strain. Their structures were elucidated by spectral methods (high-resolution fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry (HRFABMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)). Compound 1 includes a conjugated pentaene moiety together with six hydroxy groups and a carboxylic acid as a side chain. Lavencidin (1) showed moderate growth-inhibitory activity against yeast and was cytotoxic against human cancer cell lines with low-micromolar IC50 values.Read Full StoryMacrolidePolyeneAntibioticsScientific MethodsDrug ResearchCancer DrugsGene ExpressionRKGS-A2215ACASBaltz RHMearns-Spragg A , Zhang LNat Prod Rep.HB3:619Kitani S

“The rise and fall of latest Pleistocene pluvial lakes in the northern Great Basin”; Presented by Daniel Enrique Ibarra, Univ. of CA, Berkeley.Read Full StoryJackson HoleBerkeleyDaniel Enrique IbarraUniv.FallGreat BasinPleistocene

Many cases have been reported in which immunocompromised individuals infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have continued to shed the virus for far longer than the typical duration. A new preprint published on the medRxiv* server describes an immunosuppressed patient with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who continued to shed the virus for an astounding 154 days. During this period, the virus underwent numerous mutations.Read Full StorySarsGenetic DiversityRespiratory TractSteroidsPublic HealthGenetic MutationsChronic InfectionChronic DiseaseRespiratory InfectionChemotherapyBritishARDSD614GDetectable MutationsDiagnosis