Tiny in Biological News

UBC researchers find first-ever 'wanderlust gene' in tiny bony fish

A gene previously associated with physical traits is also dictating behaviour in a tiny fish widely regarded as a living model of Darwin's natural selection theory, according to a University of British Columbia study. Measuring three to 10 centimetres, stickleback fish originated in the ocean b...

Chasing tiny vehicles

Nanoparticles are just billionths of a millimeter in size. Exhibiting novel and often surprising properties, they are finding their way into an endless stream of equally innovative products. In medical therapies, for example, tiny nanovehicles could one day ferry drugs or even genes into cells. So...

The tiny difference in the genes of bacteria

It is based on detecting short, repetitive DNA segments in the genome of bacteria. Every single bacterial strain has such characteristic repeats. "With this method we are able to identify bacterial strains as well as clarify their genetic relationships. Furthermore, we can show how new pathogenic ...

The tiny difference in the genes of bacteria

It is based on detecting short, repetitive DNA segments in the genome of bacteria. Every single bacterial strain has such characteristic repeats. "With this method we are able to identify bacterial strains as well as clarify their genetic relationships. Furthermore, we can show how new pathogenic ...

A tiny frozen microbe may hold clues to extraterrestrial life

A novel bacterium that has been trapped more than three kilometres under glacial ice in Greenland for over 120 000 years, may hold clues as to what life forms might exist on other planets. Dr Jennifer Loveland-Curtze and a team of scientists from Pennsylvania State University report finding th...

Genes from tiny marine algae suggest unsuspected avenues for new research

MOSS LANDING, CA By sequencing the DNA of two tiny marine algae, a team of scientists has opened up a myriad of possibilities for new research in algal physiology, plant biology, and marine ecology. The project was led by Alexandra Worden at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) an...

Genes from tiny algae shed light on big role managing carbon in world's oceans

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. Scientists from two-dozen research organizations led by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have decoded genomes of two algal strains, highlighting the genes enabling them to capture carbon a...

Lake Michigan fish populations threatened by decline of tiny creature

The quick decline of a tiny shrimp-like species, known scientifically as Diporeia , is related to the aggressive population growth of non-native quagga mussels in the Great Lakes, say NOAA scientists. As invasive mussel numbers increase, food sources for Diporeia and many aquatic species have s...

MIT creates tiny backpacks for cells

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- MIT engineers have outfitted cells with tiny "backpacks" that could allow them to deliver chemotherapy agents, diagnose tumors or become building blocks for tissue engineering. Michael Rubner, director of MIT's Center for Materials Science and Engineering and senior author o...

Detecting tiny twists with a nanomachine

(Boston) - Researchers at Boston University working with collaborators in Germany, France and Korea have developed a nanoscale torsion resonator that measures miniscule amounts of twisting or torque in a metallic nanowire. This device, the size of a speck of dust, might enable measurements of the ...

As Andean glacier retreats, tiny life forms swiftly move in, CU-Boulder study shows

A University of Colorado at Boulder team working at 16,400 feet in the Peruvian Andes has discovered how barren soils uncovered by retreating glacier ice can swiftly establish a thriving community of microbes, setting the table for lichens, mosses and alpine plants. The discovery is the first t...

Thumbs up -- a tiny ancestral remnant lends developmental edge to humans

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. Subtle genetic changes that confer an evolutionary advantage upon a species, such as the dexterity characteristic of the human hand, while difficult to detect and even harder to reproduce in a model system, have nevertheless generated keen interest amongst evolutionary biologi...

Guilt on their hands: tiny 'tags' could help to solve and deter gun crime

Criminals who use firearms may find it much harder to evade justice in future, thanks to an ingenious new bullet tagging technology developed in the UK. The tiny tags just 30 microns* in diameter and invisible to the naked eye are designed to be coated onto gun cartridges. They then attach th...

UCR-led research team uses tiny wasp to wipe out major agricultural pest in Tahiti

RIVERSIDE, Calif. A research team led by Mark Hoddle , a biological control specialist at UC Riverside, has nearly eradicated the glassy-winged sharpshooter , a major agricultural pest, from the island of Tahiti and several other French Polynesian islands in the South Pacific Ocean. To achieve ...

Scientists find missing evolutionary link using tiny fungus crystal

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The crystal structure of a molecule from a primitive fungus has served as a time machine to show researchers more about the evolution of life from the simple to the complex. By studying the three-dimensional version of the fungus protein bound to an RNA molecule, scientis...

Liquid crystal phases of tiny DNA molecules point up new scenario for first life on Earth

A team led by the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Milan has discovered some unexpected forms of liquid crystals of ultrashort DNA molecules immersed in water, providing a new scenario for a key step in the emergence of life on Earth. CU-Boulder physics Professor Noel Cl...

Researchers view swimming tactics of tiny aquatic predators

By applying state-of-the-art holographic microscopy to a major marine biology challenge, researchers from two Baltimore institutions have identified the swimming and attack patterns of two tiny but deadly microbes linked to fish kills in the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways. The study, report...

Nanoengineers mine tiny diamonds for drug delivery

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Northwestern University researchers have shown that nanodiamonds -- much like the carbon structure as that of a sparkling 14 karat diamond but on a much smaller scale -- are very effective at delivering chemotherapy drugs to cells without the negative effects associated with cur...

A tiny pinch from a 'z-ring' helps bacteria cells divide

In process that is shrouded in mystery, rod-shaped bacteria reproduce by splitting themselves in two. By applying advanced mathematics to laboratory data, a team led by Johns Hopkins researchers has solved a small but important part of this reproductive puzzle. The findings apply to highly comm...

Common cancer gene sends death order to tiny killer

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have discovered one way the p53 gene does what it's known for—stopping the colon cancer cells. Their report will be published in the June 8 issue of Molecular Cell. The research team identified a tiny bit of genetic code, a microRNA called miR-34a that participates i...

Despite their heft, many dinosaurs had surprisingly tiny genomes

They might be giants, but many dinosaurs apparently had genomes no larger than that of a modern hummingbird. So say scientists who've linked bone cell and genome size among living species and then used that new understanding to gauge the genome sizes of 31 species of extinct dinosaurs and birds, ...

Ferns provide model for tiny motors powered by evaporation

Scientists looked to ferns to create a novel energy scavenging device that uses the power of evaporation to move itself---materials that could provide a method for powering micro and nano devices with just water or heat. "We've shown that this idea works," said Michel Maharbiz, assistant professo...

On the track of tiny larvae, a new model elucidates connections in marine ecology

A computer model newly developed by researchers combines ocean current simulations and genetic forecasting to help scientists predict animal dispersion patterns and details of the ecology of coral reefs across the Caribbean Sea. The work is reported by Heather M. Galindo and Stephen R. Palumbi of S...

MIT researchers build tiny batteries with viruses

MIT scientists have harnessed the construction talents of tiny viruses to build ultra-small "nanowire" structures for use in very thin lithium-ion batteries. By manipulating a few genes inside these viruses, the team was able to coax the organisms to grow and self-assemble into a functional elect...

Scientists discover interplay between genes and viruses in tiny ocean plankton

New evidence from open-sea experiments shows there's a constant shuffling of genetic material going on among the ocean's tiny plankton. It happens via ocean-dwelling viruses, scientists report this week in the journal Science. Conducted by biological oceanographers Sallie Chisholm and her colleag...

Nanoparticles, nanoshells, nanotubes: How tiny specks may provide powerful tools against cancer

They're but a tiny speck, existing in a variety of forms: particles, tubes, shells, even a soccerball-like shape. They also share a common prefix: "nano," connoting their size, a billionth of a meter or roughly 25-millionth of an inch. Today, cancer researchers are exploring the potential of suc...

Virus uses tiny RNA to evade the immune system

In the latest version of the hide-and-seek game between pathogens and the hosts they infect, researchers have found that a virus appears to cloak itself with a recently discovered gene silencing device to evade detection and destruction by immune cells. The report by Howard Hughes Medical Instit...

Once given 'no respect,' cells' tiny RNAS take driver's seat

Ribonucleic acid, or RNA, has long been thought to be important only to translate a gene's DNA into the proteins that are cells' workhorses. But new evidence shows that tiny bits of RNA not used to make proteins actually play central roles in normal biology and in the development of cancers. "Sci...

Researchers feed tiny pills of RNA to planarians to identify genes essential for regeneration

University of Utah researchers-feeding microscopic pills of RNA to quarter-inch long worms called planarians-have identified many genes essential to understanding a biological mystery that has captivated scientists for hundreds of years: regeneration. In pinpointing the genes, the U School of Me...

To control germs, scientists deploy tiny agents provocateurs

Aiming to thwart persistent bacterial infections and better control group behaviors of certain microorganisms, scientists are creating artificial chemicals that infiltrate and sabotage bacterial "mobs." Reporting the work here today (March 13) at the 229th national meeting of the American Chemic...

Carbon nanoparticles toxic to adult fruit flies but benign to young

...oductive effects from consuming carbon nanoparticles in their food. Yet adult Drosophila experienced a different fate. Tests showed adults immersed in tiny pits containing two varieties of carbon nanoparticles died within hours. Analyses of the dead flies revealed the carbon nanoparticles stuck to their b...

Understanding how weeds are resistant to herbicides

...ucleotide is incorporated into a growing DNA strand. "The reason it's so fast is that it's done in parallel," said Tranel. "The plate has thousands of tiny wells, and a sequencing reaction going on in every one of them simultaneously. There's a camera that monitors the light for each of these wells simult...

Beautiful plumage: Feather color and sex start the species revolution

... Naturalist -- selected and reviewed by Faculty of 1000 member Rebecca Kilner (University of Cambridge) along with Associate Rose Thorogood -- this tiny genetic difference can potentially lead to the evolution of new species. Two Monarcha castaneiventris sub-species have the same body shape, but d...

Pinhead-size worms + robot = new antibiotics

...gans (a type of worm) infected with E. faecalis (a type of bacteria). That bacterium causes life-threatening infections in humans. C. elegans are tiny nematode worms that are widely used in scientific research. The tests identified 28 potential new drugs never before reported to have germ-fighting ef...

Scary ancient spiders revealed in 3-D models, thanks to new imaging technique

...pushing it into their backward-facing mouths. The computer models also revealed that Cryptomartus hindi 's mouth appendages, called pedipalps, had tiny 'tarsal' claws attached at the end to help the creature to manipulate its prey. These claws are seen in rare modern-day arachnids such as the Ricinule...

DNA computation gets logical at the Weizmann Institute of Science

...ein which keeps the light covered. A specialized enzyme, attracted to the site of the correct answer, removed the 'cover' and let the light shine. The tiny water drops containing the biomolecular data-bases were able to answer very intricate queries, and they lit up in a combination of colors representing...

Scientists open doors to diagnosis of emphysema

...of MMP12, an enzyme known to be involved in the development of emphysema. Emphysema is characterised by the damage and destruction of the alveoli, the tiny air-sacs of the lungs that are crucial for respiration and uptake of oxygen from the air. Cigarette smoke and other irritants activate immune cells...

'Microfluidic palette' may paint clearer picture of biological processes

... element of the palette is the microchamber, a small disk-shaped area only 1.5 millimeters (0.06 inch) across etched into the center of a glass wafer. tiny holes at its circumferencethree in the prototype, but it could be moreallow various mixtures to flow into the chamber. Beneath the chamber, each acces...

Wildfires set to increase 50 percent by 2050

...n each ecosystem in the western US. Significantly, the research also predicts a 40% increase in the western United States in the concentration of tiny soot particles in the air, known to scientists as organic carbon aerosol. This will have important consequences on western US air quality and visibil...

All-in-1 nanoparticle: A Swiss Army knife for nanomedicine

...hers at the University of Washington have combined two nanoparticles in one tiny package. The result is the first structure that creates a multipurpose n...ngth of visible light (a nanometer is 1-millionth of a centimeter). At this tiny scale, quantum dots' unique optical properties cause them to emit light of ...