https://phys.org/biology-news/biotechnology en-us The latest science news on biotechnology Scientists have discovered the gene that enables marine algae to make a unique type of chlorophyll. They successfully implanted this gene in a land plant, paving the way for better crop yields on less land. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-marine-algae-implants-boost-crop.html Biotechnology Agriculture Wed, 06 Mar 2024 11:17:18 EST news628946232 Natural history museums have entered a new stage of scientific discovery and accessibility with the completion of openVertebrate (oVert), a five-year collaborative project among 18 institutions to create 3D reconstructions of vertebrate specimens and make them freely available online. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-scientists-ct-scanned-thousands-natural.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Wed, 06 Mar 2024 10:27:04 EST news628943215 E. coli bacteria and an electronic device might seem to have little in common, but in a recent experiment, University of Maryland researchers linked them into the first closed-loop system able to communicate across the technological–biological divide. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-cells-electronics.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Tue, 05 Mar 2024 10:08:03 EST news628855681 At a Biotechnology Council event a few years ago, Nicole Valenzuela's ears perked up when she heard what a group of researchers in Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine had in the works: a method for creating a lab-grown, simplified mimic of dog intestines. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-lab-grown-liver-organoid-turtle.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Mon, 04 Mar 2024 12:50:19 EST news628779016 For hundreds of years, the optical microscope was the only tool available to scientists wanting to study the movement of cells, bacteria and yeast. But the diffraction of light made it impossible to observe objects at resolutions of less than 100 nm because the resulting images were too blurry to be of any use. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-scientists-unveil-diy-illumination-microscope.html Biotechnology Mon, 04 Mar 2024 10:39:08 EST news628771144 Researchers from the Department of Technical Physics and the Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland have used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate how the pathogen Phytophthora cactorum affects the growth and development of strawberry plants. This pathogen causes crown rot in strawberries and can lead to significant losses on horticultural crops. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-mri-crown-infection-strawberries.html Biotechnology Agriculture Mon, 04 Mar 2024 10:37:03 EST news628771021 Fat tissue holds the key to 3D printing layered living skin and potentially hair follicles, according to researchers who recently harnessed fat cells and supporting structures from clinically procured human tissue to precisely correct injuries in rats. The advancement could have implications for reconstructive facial surgery and even hair growth treatments for humans. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-3d-skin-wounds-hair-follicle.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Mon, 04 Mar 2024 06:54:07 EST news628757596 Individually tailored RNA or DNA-based molecules are able to reliably fight off viral infections in plants, according to a new study by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-rna-dna-based-substances-viruses.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Thu, 29 Feb 2024 13:08:03 EST news628434482 Spring frosts can have devastating effects on apple production, and a warming climate may be causing trees to blossom early, making them more susceptible to the damaging effects of extreme cold events. Growers' attempts to prevent the flowers from freezing by attempting to heat the canopies of their orchards largely have been inefficient. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-cyber-physical-apple-blossoms-orchards.html Biotechnology Agriculture Thu, 29 Feb 2024 12:57:44 EST news628433860 Researchers from the University of Tsukuba have developed an innovative methodology for measuring the electrical conductivity of microbial communities. This methodology holds promise for the development of batteries and electrochemical sensors using microorganisms and may serve as a pivotal tool in elucidating the role of electricity within microbial ecosystems. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-method-successfully-electrical-microorganisms.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Thu, 29 Feb 2024 10:18:02 EST news628424281 Durable repression of a gene that has a role in controlling cholesterol levels, achieved without permanent genome editing, has been demonstrated in a mouse study published in Nature this week. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-silencing-gene-cholesterol.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 29 Feb 2024 09:57:39 EST news628423057 Jellyfish can't do much besides swim, sting, eat, and breed. They don't even have brains. Yet, these simple creatures can easily journey to the depths of the oceans in a way that humans, despite all our sophistication, cannot. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-bionic-jellyfish-ocean-exploration.html Biotechnology Wed, 28 Feb 2024 17:12:04 EST news628362722 Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have not only succeeded in using blue-green algae as a surrogate mother for a new protein—they have even coaxed the microalgae to produce "meat fiber-like" protein strands. The achievement may be the key to sustainable foods that have both the "right" texture and require minimal processing. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-scientists-blue-green-algae-surrogate.html Biotechnology Agriculture Tue, 27 Feb 2024 11:30:59 EST news628255856 Delicate cellular structures and dynamic processes within cells that were hitherto unseen could be revealed by the next generation of a green fluorescent protein developed by chemists at RIKEN. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-fluorescent-protein-outshines-competition-imaging.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 27 Feb 2024 10:12:37 EST news628251154 A group led by researchers at Nagoya University and Meijo University in Japan has developed a disinfection technology that uses low-temperature plasma generated by electricity to cultivate environmentally friendly hydroponically grown crops. This innovative technology sterilizes the crops, promoting plant growth without the use of chemical fertilizers. Their findings appear in Environmental Technology & Innovations. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-disinfection-tech-temperature-plasma-coli.html Biotechnology Agriculture Tue, 27 Feb 2024 09:20:52 EST news628248049 Drug development is currently an extremely long, expensive and inefficient process. Findings generated in a lab are often very hard to replicate once translated into animal models or in humans. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-technological-platform-drug.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 26 Feb 2024 14:39:03 EST news628180742 An SFU-led collaboration has designed the first synthetic protein-based motor that harnesses biological reactions to fuel and propel itself. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-team-edge-protein-lawnmower.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 26 Feb 2024 12:57:03 EST news628174621 National University of Singapore (NUS) physicists have developed a method of converting fish scale waste into a versatile material with dual functionalities—encryption of sensitive information and acting as a bio-adsorbent to effectively remove Rhodamine B pollutant. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-fish-scale-sustainable-solution-pollution.html Biotechnology Mon, 26 Feb 2024 11:38:58 EST news628169935 A team of bio-scientists affiliated with a host of institutions across the U.S. has developed a gene editing technique to produce newborn pigs immune to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, also known as blue-ear pig disease. The paper is published in The CRISPR Journal. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-crispr-gene-pigs-blue-ear.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Mon, 26 Feb 2024 09:11:27 EST news628161081 Gene editing technology could revolutionize the treatment of genetic diseases, including those that affect the mitochondria—cell structures that generate the energy required for the proper functioning of living cells in all individuals. Abnormalities in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) could lead to mitochondrial genetic diseases. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-explores-precise-mitochondrial-gene-method.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Thu, 22 Feb 2024 11:58:03 EST news627825481 Researchers have paired a deep learning model with experimental data to "decode" mouse neural activity. Using the method, they can accurately determine where a mouse is located within an open environment and which direction it is facing just by looking at its neural firing patterns. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-scientists-mouse-based-neural.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 22 Feb 2024 11:00:01 EST news627813798 In a study recently published in Nature Genetics, researchers from Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University explore chromatin accessibility, i.e., endogenous access pathways to the genomic DNA, and its use as a tool for gene editing. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-chromatin-accessibility-avenue-gene.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 22 Feb 2024 09:51:24 EST news627817881 Cell therapies for cancer can be potentially enhanced using a CRISPR RNA-editing platform, according to a new study published Feb. 21 in Cell. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-rna-tool-cancer-treatment.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Wed, 21 Feb 2024 16:44:04 EST news627756241 A new study published in Nature Communications from researchers at Karolinska Institutet solves a long-standing problem by establishing a system that allows site-specific protein degradation within mitochondria, the cellular hubs for energy production and metabolism. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-technique-protein-degradation.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Wed, 21 Feb 2024 11:05:03 EST news627735902 The recent approval of a CRISPR-Cas9 therapy for sickle cell disease demonstrates that gene editing tools can do a superb job of knocking out genes to cure hereditary disease. But it's still not possible to insert whole genes into the human genome to substitute for defective or deleterious genes. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-junk-dna-birds-key-safe.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 20 Feb 2024 05:00:01 EST news627557629 Despite the pronounced seasonality in their habitat, the bacterial community in Arctic sediments is taxonomically and functionally very stable. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-bacteria-arctic-seabed-year.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Fri, 16 Feb 2024 12:39:59 EST news627309592 Belgian researchers from VIB-KULeuven Center for Microbiology and VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology have developed a new toolbox of 16 different short DNA sequences that allow triggering controlled and specific recombination events in any genome. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-toolbox-genomes-crispr.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 16 Feb 2024 10:12:04 EST news627300721 Researchers can engineer cells to express new genes and produce specific proteins, giving the cells new parts to work with. But, it's much harder to provide cells with instructions on how to organize and use those new parts. Now, new tools from University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers offer an innovative way around this problem. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-cells-molecules-door-treatments.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Thu, 15 Feb 2024 16:38:04 EST news627237481 Crop maps help scientists and policymakers track global food supplies and estimate how they might shift with climate change and growing populations. But getting accurate maps of the types of crops that are grown from farm to farm often requires on-the-ground surveys that only a handful of countries have the resources to maintain. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-remotely-crops-field.html Biotechnology Agriculture Thu, 15 Feb 2024 09:56:55 EST news627213411 A team of engineers at Monash University in Australia has found that exposing human sperm to ultrasound can cause them to swim faster. In their study, published in the journal Science Advances, the group exposed human semen samples to ultrasonic waves and measured changes in sperm motility. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-application-ultrasound-greatly-motility-human.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Thu, 15 Feb 2024 09:55:57 EST news627213347