Root systems offer insight into better soils

“Trilongins” Offer Insight into Mold Toxicity

Mold contamination inside buildings is a widespread occurrence that can cause a range of adverse health effects in certain people. But with tens of thousands of mold species and many mechanisms through which they may cause harm, much remains unknown about this realm of environmental exposures. Investigators now report that one mold, Trichoderma longibrachiatum, does some of its damage through a...

Behaviors of cavefish offer insight into developmental evolution

Many developmental processes have evolved through natural selection, yet in only a few cases do we understand if and how a change of developmental process produces a benefit. For example, many studies in evolutionary biology have investigated the developmental mechanisms that lead to novel structures in an animal, but only a few have addressed if these structures actually benefit the animal at ...

Does changing the pulling direction give better insight into biomolecules?

Single-molecule manipulation techniques reveal that the mechanical resistance of a protein depends on the direction of the applied force. Using a lattice model of polymers, we show that changing the pulling direction leads to different phase diagrams. The simple model proposed here indicates that in one case the system undergoes a transition akin to the unzipping of a beta sheet, while in the o...

Mitophagy: New Insight into the Cardiovascular Aging  

Rhythmic displays of female gibbons offer insight into the origin of dance

Dance is a universal art form practiced by all human societies and has many functions including sexual attraction, social cohesion, and the therapeutic release of energy. Dance also has been reported in a small number of non-human primate species, in particular apes. However, its function has not been systematically evaluated. We observed 357 intentional, rhythmic, and nonverbal dance displays ...