Bioart emerges where biological science, technology, and aesthetics collide. For one terminally ill artist, it offered a chance at immortality.
Category: biological – Page 12
Scientists Create Biodegradable Plastic Alternative That’s Literally Alive
Swiss scientists have created a new plastic-like material that’s flexible, biodegradable, and even edible. The secret? It’s still alive.
The material, which was created by a team from Empa in Switzerland, manages to balance biodegradability with toughness and versatility – a feat that is far from easy in materials science.
The researchers processed fibers from the mycelium (the root-like part) of the split-gill mushroom (Schizophyllum commune) into a liquid mixture, without actually killing them off or destroying their natural biological functions.
How the fight-or-flight response resets on a molecular level
Being cut off in traffic, giving a presentation or missing a meal can all trigger a suite of physiological changes that allow the body to react swiftly to stress or starvation. Critical to this “fight-or-flight” or stress response is a molecular cycle that results in the activation of protein kinase A (PKA), a protein involved in everything from metabolism to memory formation. Now, a study by researchers at Penn State has revealed how this cycle resets between stressful events, so the body is prepared to take on new challenges.
The details of this reset mechanism, uncovered through a combination of imaging, structural and biochemical techniques, are published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
“Some of the early changes in the fight-or-flight response include the release of hormones, like adrenaline from stress or glucagon from starvation,” said Ganesh Anand, associate professor of chemistry and of biochemistry and molecular biology in the Penn State Eberly College of Science and lead author of the paper.
Recovery is still possible for critically endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper with urgent intervention
A new study, led by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, and additional researchers, offers a unique lens for understanding the unprecedented extinction crisis of native Hawaiian forest birds.
Just 17 out of approximately 60 species of the iconic honeycreeper remain, most of which are facing rapid decline due to avian malaria. The findings, published in Current Biology, include new evidence that there is still time to save the critically endangered honeycreeper ‘akeke’e—but the window is rapidly closing.
“In a race against time to save the remaining honeycreepers, necessary insights about their survival are found in their genetic makeup,” said Christopher Kyriazis, Ph.D., lead author and postdoctoral researcher from San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “Our findings provide a new understanding of the last remaining individuals as recovery efforts forge on in their native forests and in human care.”
Scientists Warn Against Creating “Mirror Life”
Scientists call for halt on ‘mirror life’. A new study suggests that creating a new tree of life could put the earth at unprecedented risk. paper: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ads9158 #science #breakthrough #biology #mirrorlife #shorts 🚀 JOIN US for members-only content: https://www.patreon.com/DrBenMiles 🤘👨🔬 ROCKSTAR SCIENTIST Merch: https://www.rockstarscientist.org/ 📸 INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/drbenmiles A few people have asked so I’ve added the info below. Some of these are affiliate links. If you make a purchase it doesn’t cost you anything extra, but a percentage of the sale will help support this channel and my work to bringing entrepreneurship into science. Camera : Sony A7III https://amzn.to/3OWrmGd Lens: Sigma 402,965 16 mm F1.4 https://amzn.to/49BNJdq Mics: Shure SM7B https://youtu.be/lVTS_J7Xmxs Zoom H4n Pro https://amzn.to/3OXsklB Sennheiser AVX https://amzn.to/4geWnBi …