Browse our Science Digests

Page 88 of 279
  1. Persistent resistance

    Antibiotic resistance evolved decades ago in bacteria infecting European livestock and persists when the bacteria jump to humans.
  2. Growing microtubules, losing brain folds

    Mutations in tubulin proteins that stabilize structures called microtubules alter how brain cells move, leading to severe malformations that affect the development of ridges and folds in the brain.
  3. Building the nervous system

    The gene cd59 allows nerve cells and their supporting cells to develop normally by balancing the level of inflammation in zebrafish embryos.
  4. Lose some, win some

    During infection, bacteria that have reduced ability to detect fellow cells outcompete their rivals because they can better use nutrients.
  5. Tiny protein clusters drive big decisions

    Inside human cells, pairs of IRE1 proteins form larger groups to send alarm signals to the nucleus when the endoplasmic reticulum is under stress.
  6. Survival of the thickest

    Tuberculosis bacteria growing in biofilms evolve by changing genetic regulators to produce thicker biofilms.
  7. Making a grab for resistance

    X-ray crystallography studies reveal how the pathogenic bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes can grab defence molecules and neutralise them.
  8. Monitoring transmission

    The spread of new SARS-CoV-2 variants is affected by the number and timing of secondary infections, and how easily it can transmit between people.