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  Originally published by The University of Hong Kong      Fabrication process of the anisotropic tendon-mimetic hydrogel. Credit: The University of Hong Kong Repairing or replacing injured tendons or similar load-bearing tissues represents one of the major challenges in clinical medicine. Natural tendons are water-rich tissues exhibiting outstanding mechanical strength and durability. Their mechanical properties originate from sophisticated microscale structures involving stiff collagen fibrils aligned in parallel and interlaced with soft water-retaining biopolymers.  Read more

  Originally published by Kamal Naha   A single-cell parasite relies on two genes that boost each other's activity to switch into "defense mode" when attacked by the immune system.   A new study could help scientists find a cure to lifelong infections caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii.   (Image credit: KATERYNA KON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images)   The parasite Toxoplasma gondii hides in up to half of humans (opens in new tab) , although it rarely causes symptoms. But when it infects mice, the single-cell organism can exert a kind of "mind control" to change the rodents' behavior and help itself spread.  Now, researchers report being one step closer to curing T. gondii infections in humans, which can be lifelong due to the parasite's ability to morph into a dormant, defensive state. Two transcription factors — proteins that switch genes "on" and "off" — lie at the root of this metamorphosis, and the discovery...

  Published by Monash University on March 8, 2023   Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain.                                                             Australian scientists have discovered an enzyme that converts air into energy . The finding, published today in the journal Nature , reveals that this enzyme uses the low amounts of the hydrogen in the atmosphere to create an electrical current . This finding opens the way to create devices that literally make energy from thin air . The research team, led by Dr. Rhys Grinter , Ph.D. student Ashleigh Kropp , and Professor Chris Greening from the Monash University Biomedicine Discovery Institute in Melbourne , Australia, produced and analyzed a hydro...

Originally published by Jennifer Nalewicki on January 25, 2023 Ants use their antennae to sniff out cancer Since they don't have noses, ants use their antennae to sniff out cancer. (Image credit: Rob Ault via Getty)   Ants can be trained to detect cancer in urine, a new study finds. Although ant sniffing is a long way from being used as a diagnostic tool in humans, the results are encouraging, the researchers said. Because ants lack noses, they use olfactory receptors on their antennae to help them find food or sniff out potential mates. For the study, published Jan. 25 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences , scientists trained nearly three dozen silky ants (Formica fusca) to use these acute olfactory receptors for a different task: finding tumors. Original article

 Published by by Chinese Academy of Sciences on February 22,2023 Yeast micro/nanorobots utilize twin-engine to self-propel in gastrointestinal intraluminal and extraluminal environments. Credit: SIAT Micro/nanorobots with self-propelling and self-navigating capabilities have attracted extensive attention in from researchers in drug delivery and therapy due to their controllable locomotion in hard-to-reach body tissues. However, developing self-adaptive micro/nanorobots that can adjust their driving mechanisms across multiple biological barriers to reach distant lesions is still a challenge.  Original article

Originally published on 3 April 2023 by Mike McRae The fruiting body of Chondrostereum purpureum growing from a dead tree. (Strobilomyces/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA-3.0) Silver leaf disease is a curse for a variety of botanicals , from pears to roses to rhododendron. Infecting their leaves and branches, the fungus Chondrostereum purpureum can be fatal for the plant if not quickly treated. Aside from the risk of losing the occasional rose bush, the fungal disease has never been considered a problem for humans. Until now. Original article    

Originally published by Ian Haydon, University of Washington , February 22,2023   An artist's imaginative conception of the idea of light-emitting enzymes. Credit: Ian Haydon / Institute for Protein Design For the first time, scientists have used machine learning to create brand-new enzymes , which are proteins that accelerate chemical reactions. This is an important step in the field of protein design , as new enzymes could have many uses across medicine and industrial manufacturing . "Living organisms are remarkable chemists. Rather than relying on toxic compounds or extreme heat, they use enzymes to break down or build up whatever they need under gentle conditions. New enzymes could put renewable chemicals and biofuels within reach," said senior author David Baker, professor of biochemistry at the University of Washington School of Medicine and recipient of the 2021 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. Original article