Category Biology/Biotechnology

This drawing shows part of the atomic-level structure of coxsackievirus B3 polymerase, which is responsible for making copies of the virus genome. The researchers replaced the orange phenylalanine 364 that is found in two different positions, with the turquoise tryptophan that is larger and covers both positions without needing to move. This causes fewer mutations to be made and reduces the ability of the virus to replicate and cause disease. Credit: Olve Peersen/Colorado State University

A genetic modification to a type of coxsackievirus that strips its ability to replicate, mutate and cause illness. They hope their work could lead to a vaccine for this and other viruses like it...

Highlights • The study of fish shallow-frying is undertaken for the first time by 1H NMR. • Migration of main and minor lipidic compounds between oils and fish occurs. • Thermo-oxidation and hydrolysis reactions in oils and fish lipids are studied. • Pan-frying provokes higher thermo-oxidation than microwave-frying. • As for aldehyde formation, extra-virgin olive oil is safer than sunflower oil.

Researchers have studied the changes that take place in fish lipids and in the oil during frying processes. The frying techniques, the nature of the oil used and the fish species have been shown to exert a great influence on the changes that take place during the process...

Controlling Spatial Heat and Light Distribution by Using Photothermal Enhancing Auto-Regulated Liposomes (PEARLs).

Dr. Gang Zheng and a team of biomedical researchers have discovered a “smart” organic, biodegradable nanoparticle that uses heat and light in a controlled manner to potentially target and ablate tumours with greater precision. The proof-of-concept findings provide a viable approach to boosting the clinical utility of photo-thermal therapy in treating cancer, says Dr. Zheng, Senior Scientist at the Princess Margaret and Professor of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto.He talks about and demonstrates the research at https://youtu.be/EEN6Mz5iWBI.

In the lab, using phantom models, the “smart” nanoparticle the team has dubbed PEARLs – photo-thermal enhancing auto-regula...

Synthetic biowire are making an electrical connection between two electrodes. Researchers led by microbiologist Derek Lovely at UMass Amherst say the wires, which rival the thinnest wires known to man, are produced from renewable, inexpensive feedstocks and avoid the harsh chemical processes typically used to produce nanoelectronic materials. Credit: UMass Amherst

A genetically designed strain of bacteria spins out very thin and highly conductive wires made up of solely of non-toxic, natural amino acids. Researchers led by microbiologist Derek Lovely say the wires, which rival the thinnest wires known to man, are produced from renewable, inexpensive feedstocks and avoid the harsh chemical processes typically used to produce nanoelectronic materials...