News

A new study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry suggests that the oral microbiome may contribute to a love or hate for Brassica veggies, including broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.

NMR spectrometers allow scientists to characterize the structure of molecules, such as proteins, but it can take highly skilled human experts a significant amount of time to analyze that data. This new machine learning method can analyze the data much more quickly and just as accurately.

Proteins in the brain called prions are well known for their involvement in causing disease, but a study has suggested they may help yeast cope with rapidly changing environmental conditions.

Researchers have shown how SARS-CoV-2 viral proteases attack the host cell, and how existing drugs can be used to stop virus replication in cell culture.

Plant diseases are an increasing threat to food production and several diseases are resistant to existing pesticides. A new study shows that ants excrete chemical compounds that effectively inhibit plant pathogens, even where current pesticides are giving up.

Cryo-electron microscopy can visualize proteins, pathogens and cell components, but preparing samples for visualization is a cumbersome process that relies on ethane, a flammable gas at room temperature prone to explosions. Now researchers have shown that liquid nitrogen can be used in place of ethane.

Scientists have proposed a new mechanism by which nuclear waste could spread in the environment. The new findings have implications for nuclear waste management and environmental chemistry.

Infection with SARS-CoV-2 leads to a unique response from the human immune system: a distinct pattern of immunological markers, unlike that of other viral respiratory diseases, is present in the blood of SARS-CoV-2 patients, a recent study has shown.

New research amongst the world’s biggest consumers of dairy foods has shown that those with higher intakes of dairy fat - measured by levels of fatty acids in the blood - had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those with low intakes. The types rather than amount of dairy fat may be what counts.

Transport proteins have an important role in microbial multi-drug resistance. Scientists have now described the three-dimensional structure of transport protein Pdr5, found also in a similar form in pathogenic fungi. The results could help develop mechanisms to combat dangerous pathogens.