News by Subject Biology

Humans are exposed to various environmental or dietary molecules that can attenuate or even increase the effect of therapeutic drugs. Studies on the industrial chemical bisphenol A and the phytoestrogen genistein, for example, have shown drug-exposome interactions. However, interactions between exposures and therapeutic agents have not been systematically investigated to date, conclude chemists Benedikt Warth and Manuel Pristner at the University of Vienna in a review article published in 'Trends in Pharmacological Sciences'.

One of world's earliest examples of art, the enigmatic `Venus' figurines carved some 30,000 years ago, have intrigued and puzzled scientists for nearly two centuries. Now a researcher from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus believes he's gathered enough evidence to solve the mystery behind these curious totems.

Looking at a group of bacteria from soil, researchers at Northwestern University discovered that these organisms overcome limitation in their carbon processing machinery by rerouting their metabolic pathways to favor producing iron-scavenging compounds.

Men with muscles like a young Arnold Schwarzenegger look powerful but a handshake will give away whether they're a healthy specimen - or at risk of a chronic disease or premature ageing, experts say. Medical researchers in South Australia assessed more than 600 men aged over 40 to 88 years in the Men, Androgen, Inflammation, Lifestyle, Environment, and Stress (MAILES) study to measure the link between sleep apnea and muscle mass with grip strength.

Princeton researchers Shan He, Martin Jonikas, and colleagues have discovered how Rubisco holoenzymes assemble to form the fluid-like matrix of the algal pyrenoid, an organelle that mediates the incorporation of carbon dioxide into sugars. The study detailing the group's findings was published November 23, 2020 in the journal Nature Plants.

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have detected a connection between Brachyspira, a genus of bacteria in the intestines, and IBS -- especially the form that causes diarrhea. Although the discovery needs confirmation in larger studies, there is hope that it might lead to new remedies for many people with irritable bowel syndrome.