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Archive for the ‘evolution’ category: Page 47

Jul 9, 2022

Molecular machines of the future | Hendrik Dietz | TEDxTUMSalon

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, evolution, nanotechnology

Evolution has developed very efficient molecular machines, for example for producing energy through rotation. Hendrik Dietz would like to harness these concepts to build his own molecular motors. His group has successfully demonstrated that they can encode and synthesize complex shapes using DNA origami, and have recently discovered how to reduce the cost for mass use and production. With his research, Dietz gets closer to his goal of revolutionizing nanotechnology with the capabilities of molecular motors, just like industry was revolutionized by electric and diesel motors.

. Can you remember playing with legos? Now imagine doing that with molecules. Prof. Hendrik Dietz, professor for experimental biophysics at TUM, runs a lab which does just that. Inspired by the rich functionalities of natural macromolecular assemblies such as enzymes, molecular motors, and viruses, the Dietz lab investigates how to build increasingly complex molecular structures. The goal is to build molecular devices and machines that can execute user-defined tasks. DNA origami in particular enables building nanodevices that can already be employed for making new discoveries in biomolecular physics and protein science. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Jul 9, 2022

A star is orbiting the Milky Way’s black hole at 18 million miles an hour

Posted by in categories: cosmology, evolution

The discovery will help us understand more about the evolution of our galaxy and learn about fast-moving central stars.

Jul 9, 2022

Two heads are better than one: Gene expression reveals molecular mechanisms underlying evolution of cerebral cortex

Posted by in categories: evolution, genetics, neuroscience

Dramatic expansion of the human cerebral cortex, over the course of evolution, accommodated new areas for specialized cognitive function, including language. Understanding the genetic mechanisms underlying these changes, however, remains a challenge to neuroscientists.

A team of researchers in Japan has now elucidated the mechanisms of cortical evolution. They used molecular techniques to compare the in mouse and monkey brains.

Using the technique called in situ hybridization to visualize the distribution of mRNA transcripts, Okano, Shimogori and their colleagues examined the expression patterns of genes that are known to regulate development of the . They compared these patterns to those of the same genes in the brain of the common marmoset. They found that most of the genes had similar expression patterns in mice and marmosets, but that some had strikingly different patterns between the two species. Notably, some areas of the visual and prefrontal showed expression patterns that were unique to marmosets.

Jul 8, 2022

New gene profiling technology reveals melanoma biomarkers

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, evolution, health

A new UC Davis-led study sheds light on cell type-specific biomarkers, or signs, of melanoma. The research was recently published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Melanoma, the deadliest of the common skin cancers, is curable with and treatment. However, diagnosing clinically and under the microscope can be complicated by what are called melanocytic nevi—otherwise known as birth marks or moles that are non-cancerous. The development of melanoma is a multi-step process where “melanocytes,” or the cells in the skin that contain melanin, mutate and proliferate. Properly identifying melanoma at an early stage is critical for improved survival.

“The biomarkers of early melanoma evolution and their origin within the tumor and its microenvironment are a potential key to early diagnosis of melanoma,” said corresponding author of the study Maija Kiuru, associate professor of clinical dermatology and pathology at UC Davis Health. “To unravel the mystery, we used high-plex spatial RNA profiling to capture distinct gene expression patterns across cell types during melanoma development. This approach allows studying the expression of hundreds or thousands of genes without disrupting the native architecture of the tumor.”

Jul 8, 2022

New dating method shatters our understanding of human evolution

Posted by in category: evolution

Australopithecus fossils in South Africa are one million years older than initially thought. This could rewrite the story of human evolution.

Jul 6, 2022

Why does inside of solar system not spin faster? Old mystery has possible new solution

Posted by in categories: evolution, particle physics, space

The motion of a tiny number of charged particles may solve a longstanding mystery about thin gas disks rotating around young stars, according to a new study from Caltech.

These features, called , last tens of millions of years and are an early phase of solar system evolution. They contain a small fraction of the mass of the star around which they swirl; imagine a Saturn-like ring as big as the solar system. They are called accretion disks because the gas in these disks spirals slowly inward toward the star.

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Jul 6, 2022

Introducing the Comparative Genome Viewer (CGV) beta release

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, evolution

NLM’s NCBI is introducing the Comparative Genome Viewer (CGV), an easy-to-use visualization tool that helps you quickly compare eukaryotic genome assemblies and easily identify genomic changes that may be significant to biology and evolution. With the new CGV you can view and compare the alignment between two assemblies to see differences in genomic sequence and structure, including deletions, inversions, and translocations. Currently, you can compare assemblies from over 50 annotated animal and plant genomes.

Jul 5, 2022

Newly discovered viruses can offer clues about the rise of complex life on Earth

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, evolution

In a trio of studies published on June 27 in the journal Nature Microbiology 0, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered “fingerprints” of mysterious viruses hidden in an ancient group of microbes that may include the ancestors of all complex life on Earth: from fungi to plants to humans.

Ths discovery is significant; it explores the hypothesis that viruses were imperative to the evolution of humans and other complex life forms.

These microbes – known as Asgard archaea after the abode of the gods in Norse mythology – are usually found in the frigid sediments deep in the ocean and in boiling springs, and existed on Earth before the first eukaryotic cells, which carry their DNA inside a nucleus.

Jul 1, 2022

Looking Beyond 2050 — On Earth and in Space with Lord Martin Rees

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, business, education, evolution, food, health, media & arts, neuroscience

Cosmologist, noted author, Astronomer Royal and recipient of the 2015 Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest Lord Martin Rees delivers a thought-provoking and insightful perspective on the challenges humanity faces in the future beyond 2050. [3/2016] [Show ID: 30476]

Frontiers of Knowledge.
(https://www.uctv.tv/frontiers-of-knowledge)

Continue reading “Looking Beyond 2050 — On Earth and in Space with Lord Martin Rees” »

Jul 1, 2022

Borrowed gene helps maize adapt to high elevations, cold temperatures

Posted by in categories: chemistry, evolution, food

Researchers at North Carolina State University show that an important gene in maize called HPC1 modulates certain chemical processes that contribute to flowering time, and has its origins in “teosinte mexicana,” a precursor to modern-day corn that grows wild in the highlands of Mexico. The findings provide insight into plant evolution and trait selection, and could have implications for corn and other crops’ adaptation to low temperatures.

“We are broadly interested in understanding how natural variation of lipids are involved in the growth and development of plants, and how these compounds may help plants adapt to their immediate environments,” said Rubén Rellán-Álvarez, assistant professor of structural and molecular biochemistry at NC State and the corresponding author of a paper describing the research. “Specifically, we wanted to learn more about variation in lipids called phospholipids, which consist of phosphorus and fatty acids, and their role in adaptation to cold, low phosphorus, and the regulation of important processes for plant fitness and yield like flowering time.”

Maize grown at higher altitudes, like the highlands of Mexico, needs special accommodations in order to grow successfully. The colder temperatures in these mountainous regions put maize at a slight disadvantage when compared with maize grown at lower elevations and higher temperatures.

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