A new method developed at the University of Córdoba has tested how substances secreted by the roots of olive trees impact infection by the Verticillium dahliae fungus, and studied its effects on different varieties of olive trees

A cascade of various events is required for the transmission of signals within cells. These include several modifications of proteins to switch their function on or off. In order to ensure rapid signal transmission, signaling proteins transiently accumulate at specific sites in the cell, where they can form biomolecular condensates.

Experts have warned that the recent detection of bird flu in mammals including foxes, otters, minks, seals and even grizzly bears is concerning but emphasized that the virus would have to significantly mutate to spread between humans.

Ceropegia is a genus of plants in the Apocynaceae family, native to Africa, southern Asia, and Australia. According to a recent phylogenetic study, Ceropegia contains more than 700 species in 63 sections. Ceropegia sect. Chionopegia is mainly distributed in the Himalaya region, Pakistan and India eastwards to China. About 18 Ceropegia species belong to sect. Chionopegia in China.

Brown bear management and conservation are the core of heated debates in Romania. As the country harboring the largest population of brown bears in Europe, coexistence between bears and people has always been at the forefront of brown bear management and conservation. Livestock predation is the main source of conflict in rural communities in the Romanian Carpathians, as domestic animals are the foundation, and often the main source of income for local economies.

In all living organisms, DNA replication is essential to ensure the genetic fidelity of the next generation. However, bacteria can also transfer genetic information horizontally to other bacteria. Many species of pathogenic bacteria have transmissible antibiotic resistance plasmids, which are often reproduced through a rolling circle replication machinery. Plasmid pMV158, which is present in the genus Streptococcus, belongs to this group. This plasmid determines resistance to tetracycline and its replication is initiated by the RepB protein.

Synthetic mRNAs are explored rigorously for their potential as an effective genetic vector for basic research and clinical applications. Natural mRNAs have a structure on their leading (5') ends—called the 5' cap—that regulates their stability and translational activity. As such, there is a tremendous effort to devise new methods to chemically modify and generate functional 5' cap structures.

As the dominant vegetation type in the permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), alpine grassland provides important ecosystem service functions, such as permafrost conservation. Over the last few decades, about 90% of alpine grassland has already suffered obvious degradation due to climate warming and overgrazing, which led to extensive permafrost degradation.

Embryogenesis is one of the most fundamental and remarkable processes in both animals and plants. It's amazing that after fertilization, a single maternal egg cell can develop into an organism with a multilayered body plan only in just a few weeks. Cell fate transition is largely determined by the expression of the associated genes and the epigenetic state, which can influence gene expression. There are conserved and distinct features in the cellular process for embryogenesis in animals and plants. Although many studies have been published on animal embryogenesis, gene expression and epigenetic changes during plant embryogenesis are still elusive.

Extreme drought events can affect the physiological function and growth of plant. Understanding the physiological mechanisms of how plants respond to extreme drought is crucial for predicting plant performance under future climate change. In 2019, a valley savanna in Yuanjiang, China experienced an extreme drought. It provided a unique opportunity to test how woody plants of different functional groups respond physiologically to natural extreme drought.

To the untrained eye, a cryo-electron tomogram looks more like traces in sand than the detailed snapshot of a cell it is.

Alberta has been ground zero for dinosaur discoveries in Canada since the 1880s, when several Geological Survey of Canada expeditions collected dinosaur bones from the southern part of the province.

A new study published in PeerJ has provided crucial insights into the factors that affect the fertility of the critically endangered kākāpō, a flightless parrot species native to New Zealand.

From stir-frys to stroganoffs, the tasty fungus central to health-conscious cuisine may be cultivated in greener ways.

University of Oregon scientists have uncovered new clues to the genetic basis for scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine.

A new study published in PeerJ has provided insights into how western honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) in urban areas may represent a new threat to wild bee communities. On the Island of Montréal, Canada there has been a particularly large increase in beekeeping across the city.