Biomechanics/Biophysics

Three billion years ago, light first zipped through chlorophyll within tiny reaction centers, the first step plants and photosynthetic bacteria take to convert light into food. Heliobacteria, a type of bacteria that uses photosynthesis…

Credit: Institute of Research,TMDU Tokyo, Japan - Oxygen is crucial to many forms of life. Its delivery to the organs and tissues of the body through the process of respiration is vital for most biological processes. Now, researchers…

Left-hand RNA and self-recognitionCredit: Alan Herbert In a paper published in the May 13th, 2021 issue of PLOS Genetics, a Z-RNA nanoswitch that regulates interferon immune responses is described. The switch, less than 5…

New model reveals that a network of cellulose is key to this unique combinationCredit: Cosgrove Lab, Penn State UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A plant cell wall's unique ability to expand without weakening or breaking--a quality required for…

A unique feature of the SARS-CoV-2 genome controls protein synthesis and presents an Achilles heel of the virusCredit: Said Sannuga, Cellscape.co.uk / ETH Zurich, The Ban Lab Viruses require the resources of an infected cell…

Credit: Department of Neuroanatomy and Cellular Neurobiology,TMDU Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), collaborating with scientists from the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and RIKEN, develop a novel…

Researchers intend to capture the complexity of brain signaling during face-to-face interactionsCredit: Clayton Metz/Virginia Tech As you read, your brain's cells are generating electrical currents that emit infinitesimally small…

A recently discovered letter written by Albert Einstein discusses a link between physics and biology, seven decades before evidence emerges.Credit: Dyer et al. 2021, J Comp Physiol A / The Hebrew University of Jerusalem The 1949…

Researchers at the University of Missouri have created a low-cost, portable device that can apply non-invasive bioluminescent imaging technology to many uses in animals, humans. A biochemical reaction between an enzyme called luciferase…

Researchers introduce new factor to explain stress while drivingCredit: University of Houston Admit it: Daily commutes - those stops, the starts, all that stress - gets on your last nerve. Or is that just me? It might be,…

URBANA, Ill. - Sweet corn growers and processors could be bringing in more profits by exploiting natural density tolerance traits in certain hybrids. That's according to 2019 research from USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and…

Credit: POSTECH Cerebral aneurysms are malformations caused by abnormalities on the walls of blood vessels in the brain. When these blood vessels rupture, about 30% of the sufferers die on the spot, giving these the rightful label of…

Credit: POSTECH The skin, which covers the surface of the human body, is its largest organ. It is the first organ to show changes stemming from organ or physiological activity. It is especially common for diabetic patients to suffer…

The way cells adhere to surfaces is an important element in allowing them to form cohesive tissues. A new study looks at how cells stick to a surface and spread across it Observing how cells stick to surfaces and their motility is vitally…

Researchers at the University of Tsukuba compare a new English Premier League soccer ball with previous versions in wind-tunnel experiments, and find increased drag and stability, which may lead to a better understanding of aerodynamics in…

The UC3M's 4D-BIOMAP projectCredit: 4D-BIOMAP "The overarching idea of this research project is to influence different biological processes at the cellular level (i.e., wound healing, brain synapses or nervous system responses) by…

Credit: Osaka University Researchers at Chinese Academy of Science and Osaka University show that, unlike the crystalline close packing of spheres, random close packing or jamming of spheres in a container can take place in a…

A research team led by Göttingen University find novel switch in proteins with wide-ranging implications for medical treatmentsCredit: K Tittmann Proteins perform a vast array of functions in the cell of every living…

Common bioprinting methods fail to direct cell orientation at the individual cell level, but a technique can with implications for engineering skeletal muscles, tendons, and ligamentsCredit: Mohamadmahdi Samandari, Fatemeh Alipanah, Keivan…

Mitochondria either split in half to multiply within the cell, or cut off their ends to get rid of damaged material. That's the take-away message from EPFL biophysicists in their latest research investigating mitochondrial fission. It's a…