Category Biology/Biotechnology

Dentin’s biological structure: tubules and mineral nanoparticles are embedded in a network of collagen fibers. Credit: Jean-Baptiste Forien, © Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Why it is superior to any synthetic filling material at making teeth last. Dentin is one of the most durable biological materials in the human body. Researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin were able to show the reason for this can be traced to its nanostructures and specifically to the interactions between the organic and inorganic components...

A new “bionic leaf” system uses solar energy to produce liquid fuel. Credit: Courtesy of Jessica Polka/Silver Lab

New system surpasses efficiency of photosynthesis. Prof Nocera, and Prof Silver of Harvard University, have co-created a system that uses solar energy to split water molecules and hydrogen-eating bacteria to produce liquid fuels. “This is a true artificial photosynthesis system,” Nocera said. “Before, people were using artificial photosynthesis for water-splitting, but this is a true A-to-Z system, and we’ve gone well over the efficiency of photosynthesis in nature.”

While the study shows the system can be used to generate usable fuels, its potential doesn’t end there...

Nuclear and cytoplasmic PTEN signaling. PTEN localizes to both the cytoplasm and the nucleus and shuttles between each by a variety of mechanisms. PTEN function is, at least in part, determined by its subcellular localization.

Pten (short for phosphatase and tensin homolog) is a tumor suppressor that is defective in about 20-25% of all patients with cancers. Mayo Clinic researchers now have discovered that Pten safeguards against tumor formation by keeping chromosome numbers intact when a cell splits into 2 daughter cells. In this study, the last 3 amino acids of the Pten protein, which are often missing in human cancers, were found to be critical for forming an intact mitotic spindle, a structure required for accurate chromosome segregation.

Pten is the most prominent human tumor suppress...

Jennifer Lemon, Research Associate, Department of Biology, McMaster University. Credit: McMaster University

A dietary supplement containing a blend of 30 vitamins and minerals – all natural ingredients widely available in health food stores – has shown remarkable anti-aging properties that can prevent and even reverse massive brain cell loss, according to new research from McMaster University. It’s a mixture scientists believe could someday slow the progress of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, ALS and Parkinson’s.

The formula, which contains common ingredients such as vitamins B, C and D, folic acid, green tea extract, cod liver oil and other nutraceuticals, was first designed by scientists in McMaster’s Department of Biology in 2000...