Biological Science

식물의 가시는 어떻게 생겨나게 된 걸까. 진화생물학자들의 오랜 논쟁이 풀렸다.

울산과학기술원(UNIST)은 암 치료 효과를 높인 약물 전달체를 개발했다고 12일 밝혔다. UNIST에 따르면 화학과 유자형 교수팀은 금속-유기 골격체(MOF) 나노입자와 항체를 결합한 전달체를 만들었다. 이 전달체는 원하는 암세포를 정확하게 표적으로 삼을 수 있다. MOF 나노입자는 금속 클러스터와 유기물 구조로 구성되는 다공성 고분자다. 특히 약물 전달 등 생물학적 응용에 유망한 물질로 주목받고 있다. 그러나 생물학적 환경에서는 나노입자가 단백질

국내 연구진이 침·점액·소변 등 체액을 기반으로 한 비침습 암 조기 진단 소재 기술을 개발했다. 한국재료연구원(KIMS, 이하 재료연)은 바이오·헬스재료연구본부 정호상 박사 연구팀이 체액 내 암 대사체(세포가 소비한 물질대사의 산물)의 광신호를 증폭하고, 이를 인공지능으로 분석해 암을 진단하는 센서 소재를 개발했다고 12일 밝혔다. 이 기술은 기존의 혈액 채취나 조직검사와 같은 침습적 방식이 아닌, 체액으로부터 암 환자의 대사산물 및

기초과학연구원(IBS) 유전체 항상성 연구단 강석현 연구위원 연구팀은 암 억제 단백질 ‘ATAD5’가 DNA가 손상돼도 복제가 중단되지 않도록 유전체 항상성을 유지하는 역할을 한다는 사실을 규명했다고 13일 밝혔다. ATAD5 단백질은 DNA와 결합해 염색체 복제를 돕는 단백질인 ‘증식세포항원'(PCNA)을 조절한다. 염색체 복제 임무를 끝낸 PCNA를 DNA로부터 떼어내는 역할을 한다. PCNA가 DNA에서 정상적으로 제거되지 않으면 염색체에 돌연변이를 일으키고 암이 유발될 수

한국화학연구원은 김현탁 박사와 울산과학기술원(UNIST) 권태혁ㆍ강석주ㆍ이근식 교수 공동 연구팀이 해수전지의 효율 저하 문제를 해결할 이산화탄소 전기분해 촉매 기술을 개발했다고 12일 밝혔다. 해수전지는 바닷물 속 나트륨 이온을 활용해 전기를 저장하는 장치다. 친환경적이고 화재나 폭발 위험이 없는 이차전지로 주목받고 있지만, 에너지 저장 용량이 적고 바닷물 속 이산화탄소와 나트륨의 결합에 의해 생성된 석회 침전물이 전극에 붙어 충·방전 효율이 떨어지는

세계적으로 기록상 가장 더웠고 유럽에서는 두 번째로 더운 해로 기록된 지난해 유럽에서 발생한 고온 관련 사망자는 모두 4만7천여명에 이르며 10여년 새 두 번째로 많았던 것으로 나타났다. 연구진은 이 수치는 2000년대 들어 시행된 기온 상승에 대한 적응 조치 덕분에 사망자가 80% 이상 줄어든 것이라며 향후 더 심해질 여름 고온 시 사망자를 줄이려면 더 효과적인 전략 마련이

New research from Smithsonian's Bird Friendly Coffee program highlights a type of biodiversity that often gets overlooked: soil bacteria and fungal communities. For over twenty years, Smithsonian research has shown that coffee farms with shade trees protect more biodiversity than intensified, monoculture coffee farms.

Researchers with the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management are keeping a watchful eye on American alligator nests to shed light on the potential impacts of feral hog predation and to understand how these reptiles use habitat across an ever-changing Texas landscape.

The genetic homogeneity of the endangered elongated tortoise aids the species' protection, as demonstrated in a study by Senckenberg researchers and an international team, published in the journal Salamandra.

A genetic study led by researchers from RIKEN's Center for Integrative Medical Sciences has uncovered evidence that people in Japan descend from three ancestral groups.

Studying cell migration is vital because it plays a crucial role in many biological processes, including immune response, wound healing, and cancer metastasis. Understanding how cells move and behave can lead to breakthroughs in treating diseases, developing new drugs, and creating innovative therapies.

Researchers are setting out to challenge our misconceptions about the Dodo, one of the most well-known but poorly understood species of bird.

Many people have never heard of a red colobus, yet they are Africa's most imperiled group of monkeys.

Researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands have identified a new way in which the toxic protein aggregates associated with Huntington's disease may damage nerve cells and cause them to die.

When a global pandemic forced previous graduate student Devon Boland, Ph.D., out of the lab and onto the computer, he found a world of difference hidden in the long-studied species of Botryoccocus braunii—and discovered that it isn't one species at all, but three.

Genetic diversity, a key pillar of biodiversity, is crucial for conservation. But can snapshot estimates of genetic diversity reliably indicate population extinction risk? New research shows that genome-wide genetic diversity is a strong predictor of extinction risk, but only when confounding factors are accounted for.

Viruses of the family Flaviviridae, including Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV), West Nile virus (WNV), and tick-borne encephalitis virus, are significant arthropod-borne pathogens. These viruses are known to cause severe diseases, including fatal neurological conditions such as Guillain–Barré syndrome, microcephaly, and dengue fever.

The bananas in your supermarket and that you eat for breakfast are facing functional extinction due to the disease Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB), caused by a fungal pathogen called Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (Foc) tropical race 4 (TR4).

A rarely seen deep sea fish resembling a serpent was found floating dead on the ocean surface off the San Diego coast and was brought ashore for study, marine experts said.

Barely audible to human ears, healthy soils produce a cacophony of sounds in many forms—a bit like an underground rave concert of bubble pops and clicks.

HiDEF-seq, a groundbreaking technique from NYU Langone Health, identifies early DNA changes that precede mutations, enhancing understanding of genetic disorders and aging. Mutations are alterations in the molecular “letters” that compose the DNA code, which serves as the blueprint for all living cells. While some of these changes have minimal impact, others can result in [...]

Rock art in the Colombian Amazon offers a window into ancient life, showing a blend of diet, mythology, and environmental interaction from over 12,500 years ago. Archaeologists studying rock art in the Colombian Amazon have discovered extensive ochre paintings depicting a variety of animals and mythological transformations at Cerro Azul, with some sites dating back [...]

Cornell University research demonstrates that sleep resets the hippocampus, enabling continuous learning and offering new strategies for treating memory-related disorders. While everyone knows that a good night’s sleep restores energy, a new Cornell University study finds it resets another vital function: memory. Learning or experiencing new things activates neurons in the hippocampus, a region of [...]

Researchers have uncovered new phenomena in the study of fractional quantum Hall effects. Their experiments, conducted under extreme conditions, have revealed unexpected states of matter, challenging existing theories and setting the stage for advancements in quantum computing and materials science. Exploring the Enigmatic World of Quantum Physics Imagine a two-dimensional flatland, instead of our three-dimensional [...]

Large language models like ChatGPT are unable to learn or develop new abilities on their own, so they do not pose an existential threat to humanity. According to recent research from the University of Bath and the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany, ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) are unable to learn autonomously [...]

Items other than cheese and soft drinks also contribute to overconsumption. A newly compiled list of foods and beverages commonly consumed in the United States may explain why many adults inadvertently exceed recommended levels of saturated fat and added sugar in their daily diet, according to a recent study. Beyond the biggest sources of each [...]

New research suggests that while remote and hybrid working arrangements can enhance employees’ work-life balance, they may also be hindering innovation. While remote and hybrid working arrangements can enhance employees’ work-life balance, new research suggests they might be hindering innovation. The study, led by University of Essex and University of Chicago economists, found that staff [...]

Researchers have uncovered a new mechanism by which Huntington’s disease causes neuronal death. They found that toxic protein aggregates from a mutated huntingtin protein can damage the nuclear envelope, leading to DNA damage and gene misregulation in neurons. This breakthrough could link similar mechanisms to other neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting a common pathway for neuronal damage [...]

A University of Chicago-led analysis measuring the universe expansion rate, finds there may not be a ‘Hubble tension’. The “crisis in cosmology,” sparked by differing measurements of the universe’s expansion, may be nearing a resolution thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope. New data analyzed by scientists suggests that the Hubble tension might not be [...]

A common type of plastic has been linked to autism in boys. Researchers at the Florey Institute have discovered higher levels of the plastic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in pregnant mothers who gave birth to sons with autism. The study, published in Nature Communications and led by Florey scientists Dr. Wah Chin Boon and Professor [...]