Producing in Biological News

Scientists a step closer to producing fuel from bacteria

Scientists at the University of Sheffield have shown how bacteria could be used as a future fuel. The research, published in the journal Bioinformatics, could have significant implications for the environment and the way we produce sustainable fuels in the future. Like all living creatures, b...

Unique soybean lines hold promise for producing allergy-free soybeans

Researchers have isolated two Chinese soybean lines that grow without the primary protein linked to soy allergies in children and adults. The two lines already are adapted to Illinois-like conditions and will be given away to breeders seeking to produce new varieties of allergy-free soybeans withou...

Wastewater produces electricity and desalinates water

...eering, Penn State The team modified a microbial fuel cell -- a device that uses naturally occurring bacteria to convert wastewater into clean water producing electricity -- so it could desalinate salty water. "Our main intent was to show that using bacteria we can produce sufficient current to do this," ...

Plankton Power and RTDC announce proposed algae-to-biofuels pilot facility on Cape Cod

...vailable at the Cape's two world-leading marine research institutions and facilitate a collaborative approach to address the challenges of efficiently producing commercial quantities of biofuel from algae. "The Cape Cod Algae Biorefinery provides an excellent opportunity to bring WHOI and MBL's combined...

New hope for fisheries

... term it benefits fish, fishermen, and our ocean ecosystems as a whole." Key among the group's recommendations is to fish at rates lower than those producing maximum sustainable yield (MSY), a long-standing and internationally accepted benchmark for total catch. They call for MSY to be reinterpreted as an a...

Structure of protective protein in the eye lens revealed

...fforts, up to now, none of them have managed to determine the molecular architecture of these proteins. However, TUM biochemists have now succeeded in producing αA-crystallins and αB-crystallins recombinantly in bacteria and in obtaining uniform, clearly-structured complexes. A detailed structural an...

Humans 'damaging the oceans'

...tial to minimize future human-induced climate change." The oceans can also play a role in the proposed solution of eliminating carbon emissions, by producing clean energy from wind, wave and tide potentially by triggering phytoplankton blooms with fertilisers to absorb more carbon from the atmosphere, or ...

Nottinghamshire Police First Law Enforcement Agency to Deploy ForensicSoft in United Kingdom

...involving digital evidence. Our unique insight into the practice of computer forensics, combined with our innovative research and development team, is producing tools to fill needs in the digital security and forensic markets. For more information, please visit us at http://www.forensicsoft.com or contac...

First genetically-engineered malaria vaccine to enter human trials

...ated parasites to be used in the trial are being manufactured at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, which has the only facility worldwide capable of producing genetically-altered malaria parasites that comply with the good manufacturing practice guidelines required for human clinical trials. ...

Fox Chase researchers uncover one force behind the MYC oncogene in many cancers

...s a "first hit" that makes the inversion on mouse chromosome 6, which contains the DLX5 gene, more likely. When the inversion happens, the cell begins producing the DLX5 protein, a multipurpose transcription factor that normally has a very limited role in adult cells. One of the targets of DLX5 is the MYC gene...

Stress signals link pre-existing sickness with susceptibility to bacterial infection

...P-activated protein kinase (AMPK), to promote the generation of more energy producing mitochondria. Infectious bacteria, like Legionella , target the mitochond...ns, Dictyostelium can be infected by Legionella and quickly responds by producing a host of metabolism-associated proteins. Another similarity between human...

Study reveals a reprogrammed role for the androgen receptor

...tient, but the tumor almost invariably gains the ability to grow without external androgen. One of the ways such cells re-start their growth is by producing their own androgen, scientists have discovered. Another way involves the androgen receptor itself the "keyhole" in the cell nucleus that androgen mol...

DOE-funded research projects win 46 R&D 100 Awards for 2009

...systems by employing a new technique that targets memory bandwidth. NanoCoral Dendritic Platinum Nanostructures - An innovative nanotechnology for producing platinum catalysts that offers unique control over the shape, size, porosity, composition, stability, and other functional properties of platinum nano...

Parasitic worms make sex worthwhile

...ence for the "Red Queen Hypothesis" of sex, which suggests sexual reproduction allows host species to avoid infection by their coevolving parasites by producing genetically variable offspring. "We have shown that parasites can play a role in the maintenance of sex -- and on an incredibly small scale," said ...

Biodiesel on the wing: A 'green' process for biodiesel from feather meal

... Scientists in Nevada are reporting development of a new and environmentally friendly process for producing biodiesel fuel from "chicken feather meal," made from the 11 billion pounds of poultry industry waste that accumulate annually in the United States al...

Stunting plants' skyward reach could lead to improved yields

...uld bear directly on crop productivity and other important issues, Montgomery said. Corn, for example, might be induced to spend more of its energy on producing cobs and kernels than on growing as the folk standard has it knee-high by the Fourth of July. ...

Warming climate threatens California fruit and nut production

...ter chill in the future to support the same tree varieties throughout their producing lifetime," Zhang said. To provide accurate projections of winter chill, ...s will be felt by growers of many crops, especially those who specialize in producing high-chill species and varieties," Luedeling said. "We expect almost all tr...

Life on Earth came from other planets

...st of the earth after his kind: and it was so." As summed up by Church Father St. Augustine: "The earth is said then ... to have received the power of producing life," which is also the belief of many modern-day scientists. Therefore, both the Church and most scientists believe that in the beginning the Earth ...

New research finds possible genetic link to cause of pregnancy loss and disorders

...y divided during meiosis, the cell division process that enables a stem cell to become an egg. This checkpoint hiccups when Bub1 is mutated, sometimes producing an egg with an extra chromosome or an egg with a missing chromosome. The team linked the issue to females by mating both a male with one bad copy o...

The right messenger for a healthy immune response

... assistant, the scientist Natalia Zietara, investigated what Beta-Interferon is doing in immune cells. She found a molecular factor that is pivotal in producing the pathogen's profile and which is regulated by Beta-Interferon. The factor belongs to a group of proteins that is usually produced in conditions of ...

Munich researchers discover new target for tailored antibiotics

...tabolites via the so-called mevalonate pathway. But most human pathogens, including Plasmodium falciparum , have developed an alternate mechanism for producing these important substances. Now, this special pathway may spell doom for those bacteria. The TUM researchers have unraveled the structural basis of th...

Facile synthesis of nanoparticles with multiple functions advanced in Singapore

...ic phase. This technique may be applied to transfer a wide range of transition metal ions from water. We can greatly facilitate and reduce the cost of producing a variety of metallic, alloy, semiconductor and semiconductor-metal hybrid nanoparticles through our simple and flexible approach to engineer advanced...

Researchers achieve major breakthrough with water desalination system

...rate 6,000 gallons of drinking water per day from the sea or 8,000 to 9,000 gallons per day from brackish groundwater. By Cohen's estimate, that means producing enough drinking water daily for up to 6,000 to 12,000 people. "The system measures in real-time water pH, temperature, turbidity and salinity," ...

New advance in revolutionary 'bullet fingerprinting' technique

...ter other techniques have failed, perhaps as a last resort." Dr John Bond said: "I am delighted that this research in the Chemistry Department is producing really interesting and useful results. This is an important area of forensic research and Northamptonshire Police is proud to be associated with the ...

New technique can fast-track better ionic liquids for biomass pre-treatments

...o a cost-effective process for biorefineries. Ideally, he and his colleagues would like to identify a single versatile ionic liquid that is capable of producing enriched polysaccharide and lignin output streams irrespective of fuel types. But there is much more basic research ahead. "Right now ionic liquids...

Spread your sperm the smart way

... Attractive males release fewer sperm per mating to maximise their chances of producing offspring across a range of females, according to a new paper on the evolution of ejaculation strategies. The findings by researchers at UCL (Universi...

Spontaneous assembly

... Self-assembling and self-organizing systems are the Holy Grails of nanotechnology, but nature has been producing such systems for millions of years. A team of scientists has taken a unique look at how thousands of bacterial membrane proteins are able to assemble ...

NTU professor discovers method to efficiently produce less toxic drugs using organic molecules

...hich will be less toxic and produced under more efficient processes. The other advantage is that this process is considered 'highly enantioselective' producing asymmetric synthesis that is desirable, for example, in synthesising certain drugs with chiral centers. Professor Zhong is also filing for another ...

New national genome center launched

...nsumers and put animal welfare at risk. Understanding the genomes of livestock such as sheep will help breeders raise animals resistant to disease. producing more nutritious fruit and vegetables. Certain fruit and vegetables contain beneficial compounds that have been associated with reduced incidence of so...

Novel handheld device detects anthrax with outstanding accuracy and reliability

...ce and Research (ESR). "We knew that our innovative Ceeker is capable of producing outstanding results in distinguishing between anthrax and look-alike hoax s...ses that can be difficult to handle in the field. The Ceeker is capable of producing test results from very small amounts of sample and does not consume or dest...

Proteins in gel

...uction technique is that it can be applied in industry, and the gel layers can be manufactured cheaply on a large scale. Usually there are two ways of producing such networks. In the first, complete polymers are chemically bound to the surface. In the second, the polymer molecules are constructed unit by unit ...

Waste water treatment plant mud used as 'green' fuel

...into this method at a cement plant in Vallcarca (Catalonia), which has been producing cement for more than 100 years, and they confirm in the latest issue of the...ental Health Laboratory at the URV, tells SINC. This would enable plants producing cement, one of the most contaminating industries in terms of CO 2 as well ...

GEN reports on alternative feedstocks for ethanol production

...that technologies be used to significantly lower this number." Edenspace Systems is working on Energy Corn, a feedstock designed to cut the cost of producing cellulosic biofuels from corn stover. The company's technology platform, based on identifying promising cellulose genes, transforming crop plants with...

Study highlights massive imbalances in global fertilizer use

...he Gulf of Mexico, where the large influx of nutrients has triggered huge algal blooms. The decaying algae use up vast quantities of dissolved oxygen, producing a seasonal low-oxygen dead zone in the Gulf that in some years is bigger than the state of Connecticut. Since 1995, the imbalance of nutrient...

Size did matter

...evolutionarily successful reproduction strategy, even though it comes at an exceedingly high price for both genders, as a lot of energy is invested in producing and carrying such enormous sperm.' The international team analysed Harbinia micropapillosa specimens from the Cretaceous Period that had remains of...

Nonstick and laser-safe gold aids laser trapping of biomolecules

... Until now, creating the platform for such experiments has generally involved nonspecifically absorbing fragile molecules onto a sticky glass surface, producing random spacing and sometimes destroying biological activity. Its like dropping a car onto a road from 100 feet up and hoping it will land tires down. ...

American Chemical Society weekly presspac -- June 10, 2009

...urce than conventional lighting, such as incandescent and fluorescent lights, which they may replace in the future. But scientists have had difficulty producing white LEDs that are suitable for practical use. Existing technologies produce tinted shades of white light, require complex components, and become uns...

Protein linked to change in tissue that surround and support breast tumors

...hat is a known risk factor for breast cancer. "We found that AIB1delta3 alters the stroma, or environment that surrounds and supports cancer cells, producing excessive fibrosis," says the study's lead author, Priscilla Furth, MD, Professor of Oncology and Medicine. "This is significant, because disordered i...

Promising device snags young inventors coveted spot at IShow

...cially for underserved populations." "It represents the intersection of engineering technology, health care and business and fits with UH's role in producing entrepreneurs, especially in the melding of UH's expertise in science, engineering and business with our Methodist partner's expertise in medicine," M...

Zebra mussels hang on while quagga mussels take over

... Peyer's research focused on the ability of the mussels to attach to underlying material. Both species attach to rocks, sand, silt or each other by producing tiny but strong "byssal" threads, string-like strands of protein. These threads act as an adhesive that enable the mussels to attach to surfaces, rega...