Molecular Biology News
September 20, 2025
Top Headlines
Sep. 16, 2025 Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have cracked open the secrets of plant stem cells, mapping key genetic regulators in maize and Arabidopsis. By using single-cell RNA sequencing, they created a gene expression atlas that identifies rare ...
Sep. 15, 2025 Volcanic eruptions on the remote island of Nishinoshima repeatedly wipe the land clean, giving scientists a rare chance to study life’s earliest stages. Researchers traced the genetic origins of an ...
Sep. 12, 2025 Hidden within Arctic ice, diatoms are proving to be anything but dormant. New Stanford research shows these glass-walled algae glide through frozen channels at record-breaking subzero temperatures, powered by mucus-like ropes and molecular motors. ...
Sep. 9, 2025 Orangutans, humans’ close evolutionary relatives, have developed remarkable strategies to survive in the unpredictable rainforests of Borneo. A Rutgers-led study reveals that these apes balance protein intake and adjust their activity to match ...
Aug. 30, 2025 Scientists have uncovered a surprising new healing mechanism in injured cells called cathartocytosis, in which cells "vomit" out their internal machinery to revert more quickly to a stem cell-like ...
Aug. 24, 2025 Researchers discovered that bees use flight movements to sharpen brain signals, enabling them to recognize patterns with remarkable accuracy. A digital model of their brain shows that this movement-based perception could revolutionize AI and ...
Aug. 17, 2025 Roughly two-thirds of all atmospheric methane, a potent greenhouse gas, comes from methanogens. Tracking down which methanogens in which environment produce methane with a specific isotope signature is difficult, however. UC Berkeley researchers ...
Aug. 17, 2025 Scientists have engineered a groundbreaking cancer treatment that uses bacteria to smuggle viruses directly into tumors, bypassing the immune system and delivering a powerful one-two punch against cancer cells. The bacteria act like Trojan horses, ...
Aug. 8, 2025 Researchers at Scripps have created T7-ORACLE, a powerful new tool that speeds up evolution, allowing scientists to design and improve proteins thousands of times faster than nature. Using engineered bacteria and a modified viral replication system, ...
July 21, 2025 What scientists once dismissed as junk DNA may actually be some of the most powerful code in our genome. A new international study reveals that ancient viral DNA buried in our genes plays an active role in controlling how other genes are turned on ...
July 16, 2025 Scientists have discovered that a protein once thought to be just a cellular "courier" actually helps plants survive drought. This motor protein, myosin XI, plays a critical role in helping leaves close their pores to conserve water. When it's ...
July 16, 2025 Scientists have uncovered a surprisingly simple “tissue code”: five rules that choreograph when, where, and how cells divide, move, and die, allowing organs like the colon to remain flawlessly organized even as they renew every few days. ...
Latest Headlines
updated 1:55pm EDT
Sep. 18, 2025 A team from the University of Illinois has uncovered surprising evolutionary links between the genetic code and tiny protein fragments called dipeptides. By analyzing billions of dipeptide sequences ...
Sep. 15, 2025 A groundbreaking project is piecing together Leonardo da Vinci’s genetic profile by tracing his lineage across 21 generations and comparing DNA from living descendants with remains in a Da Vinci ...
Sep. 13, 2025 Scientists in Tokyo have uncovered “Inocles,” massive strands of extrachromosomal DNA hidden inside bacteria in human mouths. These giants, overlooked by traditional sequencing, could explain how ...
Sep. 12, 2025 Mars’ Jezero Crater holds signs of ancient water and strange mineral reactions, some linked with organic compounds. With Perseverance’s samples ...
Sep. 4, 2025 A small tissue fold in fly embryos, once thought purposeless, plays a vital role in stabilizing tissues. Researchers show that it absorbs stress during early development, and its position and timing ...
Sep. 1, 2025 Saturn’s moon Titan may be more alive with possibilities than we thought. New NASA research suggests that in Titan’s freezing methane and ethane lakes, simple molecules could naturally arrange ...
Aug. 28, 2025 Researchers demonstrated how amino acids could spontaneously attach to RNA under early Earth-like conditions using thioesters, providing a long-sought clue to the origins of protein synthesis. This ...
Aug. 20, 2025 Two independent research teams have unveiled near-complete reference genomes of the central bearded dragon, a reptile with the rare ability to change sex depending on both chromosomes and nest ...
Aug. 17, 2025 By flipping a single genetic switch, researchers made one fruit fly species adopt the gift-giving courtship of another, showing how tiny brain rewiring can drive evolutionary ...
Aug. 16, 2025 Once on the brink during the last ice age, great white sharks made a remarkable recovery globally, but their DNA reveals a baffling story. Classic migration explanations fail, leaving scientists with ...
Earlier Headlines
Aug. 15, 2025 Scientists at UC San Diego have discovered a small but powerful section of DNA, called HAR123, that could help explain what makes the human brain so unique. Instead of being a gene, HAR123 acts like ...
Aug. 6, 2025 Australian skinks have developed a remarkable genetic defense against venomous snake bites by mutating a key muscle receptor, making them resistant to neurotoxins. These tiny but powerful molecular ...
Aug. 5, 2025 A group of Chinese scientists has created powerful new tools that allow them to edit large chunks of DNA with incredible accuracy—and without leaving any trace. Using a mix of advanced protein ...
Aug. 2, 2025 Long before evolution equipped them with the right teeth, early humans began eating tough grasses and starchy underground plants—foods rich in energy but hard to chew. A new study reveals that this ...
Aug. 7, 2025 Scientists discovered that jewel wasp larvae that undergo a developmental "pause" live longer and age more slowly at the molecular level by nearly 30%. This slowdown is tied to conserved ...
July 30, 2025 Scientists have used artificial intelligence to upgrade plant immune systems, potentially revolutionizing how crops like tomatoes and potatoes can defend against harmful bacteria. By reengineering ...
July 23, 2025 What made ribose the sugar of choice for life's code? Scientists at Scripps Research may have cracked a major part of this mystery. Their experiments show that ribose binds more readily and ...
July 8, 2025 Scientists at MIT have turbocharged one of nature’s most sluggish but essential enzymes—rubisco—by applying a cutting-edge evolution technique in living cells. Normally prone to wasteful ...
July 7, 2025 Scientists have decoded the sea spider’s genome for the first time, revealing how its strangely shaped body—with organs in its legs and barely any abdomen—may be tied to a missing gene. The ...
July 4, 2025 Scientists have discovered that starving and then refeeding worms can reveal surprising secrets about aging. When a specific gene (called TFEB) is missing, these worms don’t bounce back from ...
June 25, 2025 Leafcutter ants live in highly organized colonies where every ant has a job, and now researchers can flip those jobs like a switch. By manipulating just two neuropeptides, scientists can turn ...
June 23, 2025 In a remarkable twist of science, researchers have transformed a fungus long associated with death into a potential weapon against cancer. Found in tombs like that of King Tut, Aspergillus flavus was ...
June 20, 2025 Even after 20 million years of evolutionary separation, two tiny worm species show astonishingly similar patterns in how they turn genes on and off. Scientists mapped every cell s activity during ...
June 19, 2025 During Earth's ancient Snowball periods, when the entire planet was wrapped in ice, life may have endured in tiny meltwater ponds on the surface of equatorial glaciers. MIT researchers ...
June 16, 2025 Sea anemones may hold the key to the ancient origins of body symmetry. A study from the University of Vienna shows they use a molecular mechanism known as BMP shuttling, once thought unique to ...
June 17, 2025 Nematodes tiny yet mighty form wriggling towers to survive and travel as a team. Long thought to exist only in labs, scientists have now spotted these towers naturally forming in rotting orchard ...
June 3, 2025 The biosynthesis of the great variety of natural plant products has not yet been elucidated for many medically interesting substances. In a new study, an international team of researchers was able to ...
June 2, 2025 Scientists in Australia have developed a smart, bacteria-repelling coating based on resilin the ultra-elastic protein that gives fleas their legendary jumping power. When applied to surfaces like ...
May 30, 2025 Laboratory could improve crop resilience In a discovery three decades in the making, scientists have acquired detailed knowledge about the internal structures and mode of regulation for a specialized ...
May 29, 2025 A new study reveals that the aerobic nitrogen cycle in the ocean may have occurred about 100 million years before oxygen began to significantly accumulate in the atmosphere, based on nitrogen isotope ...
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Friday, May 30, 2025
Thursday, May 29, 2025
- Rock Record Illuminates Oxygen History
- Cannabis Pangenome Reveals Potential for Medicinal and Industrial Use
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
- Kinetic Coupling -- Breakthrough in Understanding Biochemical Networks
- Newly Identified Group of Nerve Cells in the Brain Regulates Bodyweight
- Yeast Can Now Produce Human DNase1
- Chemists Recreate How RNA Might Have Reproduced for First Time
- A High-Fat Diet Sets Off Metabolic Dysfunction in Cells, Leading to Weight Gain
- New AI Tool Reveals Single-Cell Structure of Chromosomes -- In 3D
- Intestinal Bacteria Influence Aging of Blood Vessels
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
- Zika Virus Uses Cells' 'self-Care' System to Turn Against Host
- Discovery Offers New Insights Into Skin Healing in Salmon
Monday, May 26, 2025
Friday, May 23, 2025
Thursday, May 22, 2025
- An Artificial Protein That Moves Like Something Found in Nature
- 'Selfish' Genes Called Introners Proven to Be a Major Source of Genetic Complexity
- Study Discovers DNA Switch That Controls TB Growth, and Could Help Unlock Its Antibiotic Resistance Secrets
- How Cholera Bacteria Outsmart Viruses
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
- The Dietary Bug in a Cancer Therapy
- Researchers Identify a Dual Origin of Cells Controlling Puberty and Reproduction
- Unlocking the Secrets of Bat Immunity
- Songbirds' Great Risk Results in Great Genetic Reward
- This Gene Variant Contributed to the Dietary and Physiological Evolution of Modern Humans
- A New Technology for Extending the Shelf Life of Produce
- Scientists Reveal How Energy Is Delivered Into the Cells Major 'shipping Port'
- Hand2: Positional Code That Allows Axolotls to Regrow Limbs Found
- Live View: Stress-Induced Changes in Generations of Cancer Cells
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
- A New Complexity in Protein Chemistry
- Common Diabetes Drug Helps Chickens Lay More Eggs
- How Membranes May Have Brought About the Chemistry of Life on Earth
- Advanced Genomics Study Improves Detection of Hard-to-Find Diarrheal Infections
- Eating Craved Foods With Meals Lessens Cravings, Boosts Weight Loss
Monday, May 19, 2025
- Bees Facing New Threats, Putting Our Survival and Theirs at Risk
- 'Cutting to Survive': How Cells Remove DNA Bridges at the Last Moment
- Survival Trick: Pathogen Taps Iron Source in Immune Cells
- How Did Plants Evolve the Ability to Transport Massive Amounts of Protein Into Seed Vacuoles?
- How to Swim Without a Brain
- Gut Bacteria and Acetate, a Great Combination for Weight Loss
- Mice Use Chemical Cues Such as Odors to Sense Social Hierarchy
Friday, May 16, 2025
- Researchers Find CRISPR Is Capable of Even More Than We Thought
- How Antibiotic Resistance to Fusidic Acid Works
- GPS for Proteins: Tracking the Motions of Cell Receptors
- Hazardous Reactions Made Safer Through Flow Technology
- In Healthy Aging, Carb Quality Counts
- Overlooked Cell Type Orchestrates Brain Rewiring
Thursday, May 15, 2025
- Protein Switch Turns Anti-Viral Immune Response on and Off
- Scientists Track Down Mutation That Makes Orange Cats Orange
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
- Rediscovering the First Known Cellular Receptor
- Marsupial Research Reveals How Mammalian Embryos Form
- Making Connections: A Three-Dimensional Visualization of Musculoskeletal Development
- An Ink That Boosts Coral Reef Settlement by 20 Times
- Genome of Near-Extinct Northern White Rhino Offers Hope for Reviving the Species
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
- With AI, Researchers Predict the Location of Virtually Any Protein Within a Human Cell
- Researchers Develop Living Material from Fungi
- 'Loop'hole: HIV-1 Hijacks Human Immune Cells Using Circular RNAs
Monday, May 12, 2025
Friday, May 9, 2025
- A More Realistic Look at DNA in Action
- Bacterium Produces 'organic Dishwashing Liquid' To Degrade Oil
- Can Frisky Flies Save Human Lives?
Thursday, May 8, 2025
- Bacteria: Recording Gene Activity More Efficiently
- Novel Point of Attack to Combat Dangerous Tropical Diseases
- AI-Designed DNA Controls Genes in Healthy Mammalian Cells for First Time
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
- A 'roadmap' Of the Fruit Fly Brain
- Klotho: A Protein That Promotes Healthy Aging and Improves Longevity
- Comb Jellies Reveal Ancient Origins of Animal Genome Regulation
Monday, May 5, 2025
- Biological 'clocks' Key to Muscle Health and Accelerated Aging in Shift Workers
- New Molecular Label Could Lead to Simpler, Faster Tuberculosis Tests
- Genomic Survey Uncovers Evolutionary Origins of Secretoglobins
Thursday, May 1, 2025
- Electricity-Generating Bacteria May Power Future Innovations
- Designer Microbe Shows Promise for Reducing Mercury Absorption from Seafood
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
- New Technology Facilitates Delivery of Advanced Medicines
- Protein Sources Change the Gut Microbiome -- Some Drastically
- New Study Unlocks How Root Cells Sense and Adapt to Soil
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Monday, April 28, 2025
Thursday, April 24, 2025
- Blocking a Surprising Master Regulator of Immunity Eradicates Liver Tumors in Mice
- No More Copy-Pasting: DNA Base Editing for Better Lactobacillus Strains