[Summary] A single-celled algae hasundergone genome surgery to remove non-essential parts. This can lead to a most efficient cellular factory for producing sustainable biofuels from sunlight and carbon dioxide.Researchers have stripped hundred-kilobase genomefroma type of oil-producingmicroalgae, knocking out genes non-essential for it to function. By doing so, they have created a "genome scalp...

Poor oral hygiene produces gum-disease bacteria and accelerates oral microbiome aging faster than previously thought.A new study shows that within 24-72 hours of the interruption of oral hygiene, there was a steep decrease in the presence of 'good oral bacteria' and the beneficial anti-inflammatory chemicals they are associated with. An increase of 'bad bacteria' typically present in the mouths...

Metagenomics - the study of genetic material from an environmental sample - is growing as species evolve or are discovered across the globe. To correlate the newly developed microbiomes with existing data sets, a team of researchers based in China has developed the Microbiome Search Engine 2 (MSE 2). Itwas published onJan. 19 in mSystems, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.Fig. ...

A new algorithm may reduce the need for expensive, time-consuming whole-genome sequencing computations to understand howamicrobiome functions. A team led byJINGGongchao of the Qingdao Institute of BioEnergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)and SU Xiaoquan of Qingdao University, published their approach, called Meta-Apo, on Jan. 6 in BMC Genomics.Fig. 1 Meta-A...

Cancer cells are smart when it comes to anti-cancer drugs, evolving and becoming resistant to even the strongest chemotherapies over time. To combat this evasive behavior, researchers have developed a methodnamed D2O-probed CANcer Susceptibility Test Ramanometry (D2O-CANST-R; Fig. 1) to see, at single-cell/organelle level, how pharmaceuticals induce cancer cell death and how cancer cells adapt....

Industrial oil-producing microalgae can use light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into oils on a large scale. Therefore, it is a potential solution for the sustainable supply of food, nutrition and fuel for human society.To promote resource sharing and research cooperation for the synthetic biology and molecular breeding of industrial oil-producing microalgae, an international team l...

Enzymes are molecules that catalyze metabolisms. Discovery and mining of enzymes, such as those producing oils or fixing carbon dioxide, have been a key mission of the biotechnology industry. However,...

A new function-based sequencing technique using optical tweezers and taking advantage of the properties of gravity is letting researchers analyze bacteria cells one by one. The study, conducted by res...

Cells are a little easier to understand, thanks to improved technology developed by a team of researchers based in China. Using a method called Raman-Activated Cell Ejection and Sequencing (RACE-Seq),...

Big data makes big promises when it comes to providing insights into human behavior and health. The problem is how to harness the information it provides in an efficient manner. An international team ...