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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 12-May-2026 14:16 ET (12-May-2026 18:16 GMT/UTC)
Decoding plant gene expression: a deep dive into promoters and terminators for advanced bioengineering
Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of ScienceIn high-precision bioengineering and synthetic biology, the fine-tuning of gene expression at transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels is essential.
- Journal
- BioDesign Research
Unlocking the secrets of synthetic biology: host physiology over phylogeny in genetic circuit performance
Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of ScienceBroad host range (BHR) synthetic biology aims to capitalize on a wide range of microbial phenotypes to expand biodesign applications not confined to traditional model organisms.
- Journal
- BioDesign Research
Architectural marvels of honey bees and social wasps
University of KonstanzHoney bees and social wasps developed a similar solution for nest building although evolution separated them 179 million years ago. This is a new finding by researcher Michael L Smith from the Cluster of Excellence Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour at the University of Konstanz and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior published in PLOS BIOLOGY.
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- PLOS Biology
The ocean’s first large swimming apex predators had exceptionally rapid growth
Science China PressIn a recent paper published in National Science Review, an international team of scientists reveal how the first apex predators grew. Amplectobelua symbrachiata, an ocean-dwelling relative of modern arthropods (such as spiders, lobsters and horseshoe crabs), was among the largest animals in the ocean over 500 million years ago. Using a combination of analytical methods and collecting data from hundreds of fossil specimens from the famous Chengjiang deposits of China, the team demonstrated that the fearsome feeding appendages grew isometrically – the largest ones have the same proportions as the smallest. In addition, by looking at the size-frequency distributions of the appendages, the authors were able to demonstrate that Amplectobelua symbrachiata was an extremely active marine predator that grew more rapidly than its modern relatives.
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- National Science Review
- Funder
- National Natural Science Foundation of China, 111 Project, Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Natural Science Basic Research Plan of Shaanxi Province, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Herchel Smith Postdoctoral Fellowship of University of Cambridge
Oncology: Fighting leukemia with therapeutic RNA
Goethe University FrankfurtEach year, around 13,000 people in Germany are diagnosed with leukemia, of which up to half die from the disease despite intensive chemotherapy. Beyond that, therapies have severe side effects: In particular, they inhibit the formation of normal blood cells. In a preclinical study, a team from the Department of Pediatrics at Goethe University Frankfurt has tested a novel therapy based on a therapeutic RNA. Through the treatment, the laboratory animals survived significantly longer than their untreated counterparts. The hope now is that this leukemia-specific therapy will be able to support existing chemotherapies in the future.
- Journal
- Leukemia
C/EBPβ cooperates with MYB to maintain the oncogenic program of AML cells
Impact Journals LLCOn March 11, 2023, a new editorial perspective was published in Oncotarget, entitled, “C/EBPβ cooperates with MYB to maintain the oncogenic program of AML cells.”
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- Oncotarget
Propelling biomaterial innovations for advanced cell therapy
The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityTranslational regenerative medicine is a dynamic and rapidly advancing field that requires multi-disciplinary research approaches to develop innovative clinical solutions, therapies, and devices to improve human health and well-being. Dr Xin ZHAO, Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Associate Professor in Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), is at the forefront of this field.
- Journal
- Biomaterials
Advances in soft robotics usher in a new era of scientific analysis
Ohio State UniversityCould robots, whose forms can be adapted to achieve almost any real-world task, soon be able to lend a hand in understanding the paleoecology tracing of extinct organisms?
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- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences