Fungal flora on board the Mir-Space Station, identification by morphological features and ribosomal DNA sequences - PubMed
"This report is on the morphological and molecular biological identification, using 18S- and ITS1-rDNA sequences, of the "space fungi" isolated on board the Russian Mir-Space Station as the major constituents of the fungal flora. The six fungal strains were isolated from air by using an air sampler or from condensation. Strains were identified as Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus versicolor, or Penicillium sp. by both methods. The species of space fungi were common saprophytic fungi in our living environment, potential pathogens, and allergens. This study concluded that the environment on board the space station Mir allows the growth of potentially pathogenic fungi as true in residential areas on the earth. Therefore, to prevent infection or other health disorders caused by these fungi…"
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel says AI will help scientists understand "most diseases" in three to five years.
@Semafor quotes the executive: “The reason we still have people dying of cancer, people suffering from Alzheimer's, is we do not understand the fundamental biology of those diseases.”
"Life cycle diagrams are ubiquitous in science textbooks, and they may be due for some updates. A new study finds simple design changes in these diagrams can have a dramatic impact on the ability of undergraduate students to understand key biology concepts."
Orange-headed Thrush, native to
subtropical and tropical forests across parts of Asia, including India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and China. They take insects, earthworms, snails, and fruits like berries. #Birds#Nature#Biology#Ecology#Wildlife#photo
Do honey #bees adjust their metabolic rate depending on the air temperature? Some thought not but others thought they did. Now Jordan Glass & Jon Harrison show that the bees do adjust their metabolic rates to ensure that their #muscles always run smoothly
An international team of scientists - including a research team from UC Santa Cruz - have discovered first known nitrogen-fixing organelle within a eukaryotic cell!
The organelle is the fourth example in history of primary endosymbiosis — the process by which a prokaryotic cell is engulfed by a eukaryotic cell and evolves beyond symbiosis into an organelle.
As the first of its kind, this discovery is one for the textbooks.
Mitochondria and two types of chloroplasts are formerly independent organisms that have adapted or been coopted to live inside cells as organelles. Now a fourth such endosymbiont has been discovered: a nitrogen-fixing organelle in a marine cyanobacterium.
“The team found that a school of #fish moving together in just the right way was stunningly effective at #noise reduction: A school of seven fish sounded like a single fish.