Biochemistry News

Top: flowers and seeds of the Chinese violet cress (Orychophragmus violaceus). Bottom: the structures of mono and diunsaturated Nebraskanic (1) and Wuhanic (2) fatty acids; segments of the methyl wuhanate (2a) with fully assigned 13C and 1H resonances are denoted by red boxes and numbered carbons. Image credit: Li et al, doi: 10.1038/s41477-018-0225-7.

Two New ‘Unusual’ Fatty Acids Discovered

Aug 28, 2018 by News Staff

A research team led by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Huazhong Agricultural University has identified two new fatty acids — named Nebraskanic...

A colorized scanning electron micrograph of human hair. Image credit: Scanning Electron Microscopy Laboratory, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Scientists Develop Forensic Method to Identify Humans Using Hair Proteins

Sep 12, 2016 by News Staff

A Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory-led interdisciplinary research team has developed the first-ever biological identification method that exploits...

An illustrative bromine sample. Image credit: Alchemist-hp, Pse-mendelejew.de / CC-BY-SA-3.0.

Bromine Found to be Essential to Human Life

Jun 10, 2014 by News Staff

Bromine – an element with atomic number 35 and the chemical symbol Br – is the 28th chemical element essential for tissue development in humans...

A cacao tree with fruit pods in various stages of ripening at a botanical garden, Hawaii.

Novel Technique to Check Authenticity of Premium Cacao Beans

Jan 17, 2014 by News Staff

Scientists have developed a unique method to authenticate the purity and origin of cacao beans, the source of chocolate’s main ingredient, cocoa. A...

The black Périgord truffle, Tuber melanosporum.

Researchers Reveal Secret of Black Périgord Truffle

Dec 6, 2013 by News Staff

A team of scientists reporting in the Journal of Proteome Research has cracked the secret of the black Périgord truffle’s unique, pungent aroma. The...

Two mutations altered the energetic landscape of protein-ligand binding. A, left: thermodynamic landscapes of the ensemble of interaction networks of the synthetic estrogen NPT and residues 41, 75, and 82 are shown for AncSR2 - the ancestor of the nonaromatized steroid receptors clade - containing the ancestral states glu41 and leu75; or, B, the derived states GLN41 and MET75 (adapted from Michael J. Harms et al., 2013)

Scientists Resurrect Ancient Proteins, Identify Two 500-Million-Year-Old Mutations

Jun 25, 2013 by Enrico de Lazaro

U.S. researchers have discovered two large-effect mutations that sparked a hormonal revolution about 500 million years ago. Two mutations altered the energetic...

Study Links Low Levels of Vitamin D to Longevity

Nov 6, 2012 by Sergio Prostak

According to a new study led by Dr Diana van Heemst of the Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands, low levels of vitamin D may be associated...

Study Reveals Secret of Zebrafish

Jun 1, 2012 by Natali Anderson

Scientists at Monash University in Australia have found how the zebrafish heals its spinal cord after injury. A zebrafish, Danio rerio, in an aquarium...

New Study Shows Some Curry Dishes Boost Immune System

May 25, 2012 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international team of researchers has identified why some curry dishes, made with spices humans have used for thousands of years, might be good for...

Flavonoid-Rich Berries Keep Brain Sharp

Apr 26, 2012 by Sergio Prostak

An international team of researchers has found that a high intake of flavonoid-rich berries, such as strawberries and blueberries, over time, can delay...

Researcher Claims Advanced Dinosaurs Could Rule Other Planets

Apr 13, 2012 by News Staff

A researcher from the Columbia University in New York has claimed the possibility that advanced versions of Tyrannosaurus rex and other dinosaurs –...

Chew Gum to Lose Weight

Nov 22, 2011 by Natali Anderson

A team of scientists led by chemist Robert Doyle demonstrated, for the first time, that a critical hormone that helps people feel full after eating can...

In the study, male cats showed a left-side bias for natural behaviors, females a right-side bias. Image credit: Jan Mallander.

Toxoplasma: Rats for Outdoor Cats

Aug 26, 2011 by Natali Anderson

When a male rat senses the presence of a fetching female rat, a certain region of his brain lights up with neural activity, in anticipation of romance....