https://phys.org/biology-news/biotechnology en-us The latest science news on biotechnology Warming waters due to climate change, pollution, overfishing and fraud in the seafood supply chain means that knowing where your seafood comes from, and that it has been sourced sustainably and without forced labor, is as important as ever. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-foreshore-sustainable-fishing-tool-tackle.html Biotechnology Agriculture Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:04:04 EDT news617022241 Researchers from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a combinatorial optimization approach to construct and spatially control a cytochrome P450-cytochrome P450 reductase (CYP-CPR) network in an engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain to boost quillaic acid production. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-optimizing-cytochrome-p450-network-high-level.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 09:18:43 EDT news617012321 Rice University scientists used a commercially available mixed-reality headset with custom-designed software to measure and analyze forest floor vegetation, demonstrating a correlation between animal diversity and the mapped habitat of a Tanzanian national park. According to the paper published in the journal Ecology, the greater the microhabitat surface area, the richer the biodiversity of its mammals. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scans-tropical-forest-mixed-reality-device.html Ecology Biotechnology Thu, 19 Oct 2023 16:02:03 EDT news616950121 Researchers from the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (MIoIR) at AMBS have just published an article titled "Innovation Intermediaries at the Convergence of Digital Technologies, Sustainability, and Governance: A Case Study of AI-Enabled Engineering Biology." This paper, featured in Technovation, offers valuable insights into the crucial role played by innovation intermediaries in shaping innovative ecosystems. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-exploring-role-intermediaries-future-ai-enabled.html Biotechnology Thu, 19 Oct 2023 14:11:02 EDT news616943461 Scientists from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), together with collaborators from Shihezi University (Xinjiang, China) and University of Toronto (Toronto, Canada), have proposed a cotton mapping strategy and provided high-resolution cotton maps throughout Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientists-meter-resolution-cotton-xinjiang-china.html Biotechnology Agriculture Thu, 19 Oct 2023 13:04:16 EDT news616939454 G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest and most diverse group of cell surface proteins in humans. These receptors, which can be seen as "traffic directors," transmit signals from the outside to the inside of cells and are involved in many physiological processes. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-function-human-cell-surface-protein.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Thu, 19 Oct 2023 10:38:04 EDT news616930681 Research testing new technology to more effectively locate polar bear dens across the Arctic is showing promising results. Researchers from Simon Fraser University and Brigham Young University (BYU), collaborating with Polar Bears International, hope that improving detection tools to locate dens—which are nearly invisible and buried under snow—will help efforts to protect mother polar bears and their cubs. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-polar-aim-radar-technology.html Ecology Biotechnology Wed, 18 Oct 2023 14:20:04 EDT news616857602 A microscopic discovery will not only enable scientists to understand the microbial world around us but could also provide a new way to control CRISPR-Cas biotechnologies. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientists-uncover-viruses-bacteria.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Wed, 18 Oct 2023 11:00:02 EDT news616844968 A research group from the University of Turku and Turku Bioscience Center together with Misvik Biology Ltd in Finland have developed a new method for studying how cancer cells function in softer and stiffer tissue environments. This insight challenges the existing paradigm, opening up new possibilities for research in cancer biology and tissue engineering. The results of the study have been published in PNAS. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-secrets-cell-behavior-soft-substrates.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Wed, 18 Oct 2023 10:31:03 EDT news616843861 As cornfields suffer crop damage caused by weather, corn producers can use geospatial and remote sensing technologies to get a more accurate measurement of the damage and estimate potential economic loss, according to a recent study published in Frontiers in Agronomy. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-geospatial-technology-corn-potential-fields.html Biotechnology Agriculture Tue, 17 Oct 2023 16:00:03 EDT news616777202 The resource utilization of waste is important in the construction of an ecological civilization. Agricultural waste contains rich renewable resources and has high potential value in fertilization and energy conversion. Anaerobic digestion technology is promising for treating agricultural waste. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientifically-efficiently-cost-effectively-wastewater-generated.html Biotechnology Agriculture Tue, 17 Oct 2023 14:28:30 EDT news616771705 At least 1,000 birds were killed in one day in early October, when they collided with a single Chicago building, McCormick Place—the largest convention center in North America. A paradigm of architectural modernism, McCormick Place was built in stages from 1960 to 2017, and is a steel, concrete and glass behemoth. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-billion-birds-collide-glass-year.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Tue, 17 Oct 2023 14:27:25 EDT news616771642 RUDN University agronomists have shown that the hormone melatonin and the mineral zeolite mitigate the dangerous effects of heavy metals on plants. The first protects cells from destruction by cadmium, and the second increases nutrient availability and prevents the absorption of hazardous metals into the plant. The results were published in Scientia Horticulturae. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-agronomists-heavy-metals-hormone-therapy.html Biotechnology Agriculture Tue, 17 Oct 2023 13:47:03 EDT news616769222 Increasingly limited land and water resources have inspired the development of precision agriculture, which is the use of remote sensing technology to monitor air and soil environmental data in real time to help optimize crop output. Maximizing the sustainability of such technology is critical to proper environmental stewardship and cost reduction. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-sustainable-smart-agriculture-biodegradable-soil.html Biotechnology Agriculture Tue, 17 Oct 2023 13:38:03 EDT news616768682 An innovative paint that contains oxygen-producing bacteria capable of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) has been created by scientists from the University of Surrey. Researchers suggest this paint, known as a "biocoating," could be used in extreme environments, such as space stations. This study was published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-bacteria-pave-oxygen-capturing-carbon.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Tue, 17 Oct 2023 09:02:13 EDT news616752131 Blue light kills both dried cells and biofilms of the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes, a frequent contaminant of food processing facilities. Demise of L. monocytogenes occurred quickest when cells or biofilms were placed on polystyrene, a widely used, transparent form of plastic. The research is published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology,. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-pathogen-plagues-food-eradicated-blue.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Tue, 17 Oct 2023 09:00:02 EDT news616750901 One double-helix strand of DNA could extend six feet, but it is so tightly coiled that it packs an entire sequence of nucleotides into the tiny nucleus of a cell. If that same DNA was instead split into two strands and divided into many, many short pieces, it would become trillions of uniquely folded 3D molecular structures, capable of bonding to and possibly manipulating specifically shaped molecules—if they're the perfect fit. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-hydrogel-aptamers-chemical-antibodies-days.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 17 Oct 2023 06:26:21 EDT news616742774 A novel glycoengineering platform, created by the laboratory of Assistant Professor Chris Lok-To Sham from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), is poised to revolutionize future production of vaccines and therapeutics to fight infectious diseases. Glycoengineering aims to manipulate sugars to produce useful carbohydrates. This innovative platform simplifies the customizing and production of sugar carbohydrates known as glycans that plays a crucial role in various therapeutic applications. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-potential-genetic-glycoengineering-advance-vaccines.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Mon, 16 Oct 2023 12:07:38 EDT news616676856 One of the building blocks of ocean life can adapt to cope with the effects of climate change, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA). https://phys.org/news/2023-10-climate-coping-mechanism-algae.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Mon, 16 Oct 2023 11:00:01 EDT news616665726 Penn State College of Medicine researchers are using advanced imaging techniques to study how life functions at the atomic, cellular, tissue and organism levels. These research projects are driven by diseases observed in clinic, and the discoveries scientists are making in the lab could someday lead to new treatments for patients with skin diseases, cancers, neurological conditions and other disorders. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-advanced-imaging-front-row-view.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Mon, 16 Oct 2023 09:49:13 EDT news616668550 Two new enzymes can break down one of the most common single-use plastics, according to the study "Modulating biofilm can potentiate activity of novel plastic-degrading enzymes" by Brunel University London published in the journal npj Biofilms and Microbiomes. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-plastic-eating-enzymes-pollution-problem.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Mon, 16 Oct 2023 09:20:34 EDT news616666789 Solid-phase reversible immobilization (SPRI) beads are widely used for high-throughput sequencing library construction to purify and recover nucleic acids. A new study published in Zoonoses has investigated the effects of SPRI bead ratio, incubation time, and elution time on nucleic acid recovery during full-length 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing library construction. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-solid-phase-reversible-immobilization-beads-rdna.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 13 Oct 2023 13:50:02 EDT news616423802 Over the past decade, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing has revolutionized science. It has been lauded as a breakthrough in biogenetics and medicine, with the potential to treat or eliminate many chronic or genetic diseases. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-discusses-crispr-cas3-dna-shredder-gene.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 12 Oct 2023 16:19:04 EDT news616346341 If you have ever gotten a vaccine or received an intravenous drug and did not come down with a potentially life-threatening fever, you can thank a horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus). https://phys.org/news/2023-10-synthetic-horseshoe-crab-blood-alternatives.html Biotechnology Thu, 12 Oct 2023 13:13:04 EDT news616335181 The overuse of fossil fuels has led to pollution that has become a globally recognized environmental problem. Therefore, adjusting the energy structure and gradually reducing the use of traditional fossil fuels such as oil and coal while developing green, low-carbon, and sustainable energy sources has become a hot topic in recent years. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-cow-manure-synthetic-gas-optimize.html Biotechnology Agriculture Thu, 12 Oct 2023 12:40:04 EDT news616333202 One of the primary goals of bioprocess engineering is to increase the yield of the desired material while maintaining high production rates and low raw material utilization. This optimization is usually accomplished by controlling the behavior of microorganisms used in the process and ensuring that their biological capabilities are fully utilized. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-proof-of-concept-method-advances-bioprocess-smoother.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Thu, 12 Oct 2023 11:02:39 EDT news616327354 In a recent study published in iScience, researchers have optimized the Tet-On system to improve the efficiency of generating skeletal muscle cells and other differentiated cell types from iPSCs for various basic and clinical research purposes. The team was led by Associate Professor Hidetoshi Sakurai (Department of Clinical Application) and Associate Professor Knut Woltjen (Department of Life Science Frontiers). https://phys.org/news/2023-10-optimizing-tet-on-homogeneous-ipsc-myogenic.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Thu, 12 Oct 2023 10:21:03 EDT news616324861 Highly processed building waste, which usually ends up in landfill, can be used to grow tomatoes, a study from the University of Portsmouth has found. The paper is published in Construction and Building Materials. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-tomatoes.html Biotechnology Agriculture Wed, 11 Oct 2023 17:00:02 EDT news616262401 A research team from the Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology (SIBET) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed an acoustic trapping chip that can provide three-dimensional (3D) trapping of cells in a continuously flowing medium with a circular resonance structure. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientists-acoustic-3d-microparticles-liquid.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Wed, 11 Oct 2023 14:32:03 EDT news616253522 Since the late 1980s, precision agriculture has become increasingly prevalent on farms across the United States, particularly in America's heartland, where adoption of these practices and technologies is more widespread. Past research has proven these practices and technologies help increase farming efficiency and crop production, enhancing economic viability and reducing environmental problems. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-precision-agriculture-profitability-perspective-farmers.html Biotechnology Agriculture Wed, 11 Oct 2023 14:15:04 EDT news616252501