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By manipulating oxygen, scientists coax bacteria into a wave

Bacteria know that they are too small to make an impact individually. So they wait, they multiply, and then they engage in behaviors that are only successful when all cells participate in unison. There are hundreds of behaviors that bacteria carry out in such communities. Now researchers at Rocke...

Handle with care: Telomeres resemble DNA fragile sites

Telomeres, the repetitive sequences of DNA at the ends of linear chromosomes, have an important function: They protect vulnerable chromosome ends from molecular attack. Researchers at Rockefeller University now show that telomeres have their own weakness. They resemble unstable parts of the genom...

Research suggests core nuclear pore elements shared by all eukaryotes

For perhaps 1.8 billion years after life first emerged on Earth, a sort of evolutionary writer’s block stalled the development of organisms more complicated than single cells. Then, a burst of experimental creativity about 1.7 billion years ago brought the cell nucleus onto the scene, stashing th...

Cells use import machinery to export their goods as well

In the bustling economy of the cell, little bubbles called vesicles serve as container ships, ferrying cargo to and from the port — the cell membrane. Some of these vesicles, called post-Golgi vesicles, export cargo made by the cell’s protein factory. Scientists have long believed that other, si...

Genome-wide map shows precisely where microRNAs do their work

MicroRNAs are the newest kid on the genetic block. By regulating the unzipping of genetic information, these tiny molecules have set the scientific world alight with such wide-ranging applications as onions that can’t make you cry and therapeutic potential for new treatments for viral infections,...

Research identifies 3D structure of key nuclear pore building block

The genome of complex organisms is stashed away inside each cell’s nucleus, a little like a sovereign shielded from the threatening world outside. The genome cannot govern from its protective chamber, however, without knowing what’s going on in the realm beyond and having the ability to project ...

Research identifies early childhood conditions that lead to adult health disparities

The origins of many adult diseases can be traced to early negative experiences associated with social class and other markers of disadvantage. Confronting the causes of adversity before and shortly after birth may be a promising way to improve adult health and reduce premature deaths, researchers...

Misreading of histone code linked to human cancer

The development of blood from stem cell to fully formed blood cell follows a genetically determined program. When it works properly, blood formation stops when it reaches maturity. But when it doesn’t, genetic mutations can prevent the stop signal and cause the developing cells to turn cancerous....

Genetic profiling reveals genes active in the earliest brain circuit construction

Long before the brain’s neurons can facilitate life’s big decisions, they have to find their own destiny in the rapidly developing embryo. In the lingo of neurobiologists, they are “fated” very early on to become certain types of cells, over time traveling to and organizing the various struc...

To spread, skin cancer attacks immune dendritic cells

Dendritic cells are the sentinels of the immune system. When they’re alert and on guard, they will marshal the body’s immunosoldiers, T cells, to battle at the sight of harmful pathogens. But some diseases, such as cancer, are able to escape their watchful eye. By knocking out or beguiling dendr...