Biology – Page 28
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PodcastHypoxia-inducible factors – HIFs
The oxygen sensors that help life react to changing conditions, key to the 2019 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine
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ResearchSecret of super-tough scales of giant Amazonian fish uncovered
Spiral-staircase structure prevents the scales being penetrated by piranhas
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BusinessThe rise of venture philanthropy
More and more charities are investing in companies, and looking for returns on that investment, as an alternative to traditional grants
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ResearchUnified synthesis shows how genetic alphabet could have been put together on early Earth
Cycles of wet and then dry conditions provide the right conditions to make all the nucleobases from basic chemicals
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ResearchCryogenic properties could promote silkworm fibres into space exploration
Combination of intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms allows silks to retain both toughness and ductility at extremely low temperatures
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OpinionRichard Henderson: ‘I rejected the phone call, and then noticed it was from Sweden…’
The 2017 laureate tells his story
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ResearchSynthetic flame retardant compounds turn up as marine natural products
Finding an alga that biosynthesises halogenated anilines increases likelihood of finding an organism that can degrade the toxic compounds too
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ResearchElusive protein and key to many tropical diseases found after decades of searching
Discovery offers powerful new target to treat trypanosome parasite illnesses that affect millions
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FeatureSewage sells: the hidden value of wastewater
An eye-opening visit to a waste water treatment works uncovers the surprising value in sewage. Hayley Bennett reports
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OpinionChemical computers question the logic of life
Circuits of chemicals could carry out calculations
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OpinionEmbracing structural disorder
Medicinal chemists need to overcome their fear of fuzzy proteins
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ResearchNew way to create huge protein polymer chains
Strategy constructs synthetic protein polymers that weigh 0.5MDa
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ResearchWhy photosynthetic organisms evolved to have dimeric reaction centres
Excitation energy transfer enhancements thought to compensate for decrease in charge transfer efficiency of going from monomers to dimers
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FeatureStem cell hype
Many clinics around the world offer unproven treatments, while genuine therapies are slowly making their way through trials. Anthony King reports
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ResearchMicrobes and renewable energy turn carbon dioxide into edible protein
Sustainable method for producing proteins for human consumption made possible by clever two-stage bioprocess
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ResearchBiomolecular analysis unpicks human story of Himalayan skeleton lake
Archaeological deposits subject to ancient DNA analysis, stable isotope dietary reconstruction, radiocarbon dating and osteological analysis
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PodcastBoric acid
Mike Freemantle revisits battlefield surgery to investigate boric acid, a key part of Dakin's antiseptic solution used extensively in the first world war
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ResearchBiodegradable batteries could be made from modified proteins
Coiled polypeptides modified with redox-active molecules make for eco-friendly single-use batteries