Researchers at Concordia have developed a new system using tiny nanosensors called carbon dots to detect the presence of the widely used chemical glyphosate. The researchers employed a ratiometric self-referencing assay to determine glyphosate levels in a solution. The red fluorescence emitted by the carbon dots when exposed to varying concentrations of the chemical and different pH levels is compared with a control in which no glyphosate is present. In all the tests, the blue fluorescence remained unchanged, giving the researchers a common reference point across the different tests. They observed that higher levels of glyphosate quenched the red fluorescence, which they accredited to the interaction of the pesticide with the carbon dots’ surface.

By monitoring the calls of spider monkeys, researchers have shown what level of human activity they will tolerate, helping guide conservation.

Excavations by a University of Kansas paleontologist working in a treasure trove of fossils called the “Spence Shale Lagerstätte” have revealed an ancient sea worm unknown to science until now.

Researchers from A*STAR’s Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) and National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) have discovered how the loss of a gene, PBRM1, can lead to the development of kidney cancer. When the gene PBRM1 is inactive, it results in the formation of abnormal protein complexes that activate a cancer-causing pathway called NF-κB. These complexes redistribute proteins throughout the genome, leading to heightened NF-κB activity and the expression of genes that promote cancer cell growth.

Genetic engineers use synthetic biology to provide novel functions in microbes by introducing new genes. A new method called Serine recombinase-Assisted Genome Engineering (SAGE) borrows components from bacterial viruses to aid the stable insertion of genes into bacterial chromosomes. This new tool has the potential to work well in many species of bacteria, including newly discovered bacteria that must grow outside controlled laboratory conditions. These features will help accelerate synthetic biology research for bioenergy.

A team of researchers led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Jonathan S. Dordick, Ph.D., Institute Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, has illuminated a new possibility for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 in research published in Communications Biology.

If the human cell is a nightclub, then the nucleus is a VIP lounge fiercely maintained by the nuclear pore complex. By modeling a dynamic simulation of the NPC, physicists have theorized as to why some proteins enter the nucleus more readily than others.

PNNL’s wide-ranging report maps the current nanobiotechnology landscape, flags potential concerns, and details the need for an organizing body to coordinate currently disparate disciplines.