News by Subject Biology

Evolution is a tinkerer, not an engineer. 'Evolution does not produce novelties from scratch. It works with what already exists,' wrote Nobel laureate François Jacob in 1977, and biologists continue to find this to be true.

Researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, working with Spanish, French, and German colleagues, have determined and analyzed the high-resolution structure of a protein from the recently discovered heliorhodopsin family. Microbial rhodopsins play a key role in optogenetics -- a technique that uses light to control nerve and muscle cells in living tissue.

Canadian biochemists identify distinguishing features that govern the potency of a class of anti-cancer compounds known as PARP inhibitors.

Live, single-cell imaging shows cellular 'memory' of growth factor availability throughout the cell cycle (and not just snapshot of growth factor availability) influences cells' decision to replicate.

Cold brew may be the hottest trend in coffee-making, but not much is known about how this process alters the chemical characteristics of the beverage. Now, scientists report that the content of potentially health-promoting antioxidants in coffee brewed without heat can differ significantly from a cup of joe prepared the traditional way, particularly for dark roasts.

In new research published in EPJ Plus, a team of mathematicians show that by modelling meat as a fluid-saturated matrix of elastic proteins, which are deformed as the fluid moves, cooking behaviours can be simulated more precisely.

The DNA sequencing of a healthy German shepherd offers scientists new insight into the evolution of the domestic dog while also enabling dogs to be screened for hip and other diseases much more accurately.