In biology, enzymes have evolved over millions of years to drive chemical reactions. Scientists have now derived universal rules to enable the de novo design of optimal enzymes. As an example, they considered the enzymatic reaction of breaking a dimer into two monomer molecules. Considering the geometry of such an...
Major Study Shows How Finland Should Build its Energy Infrastructure
According to researchers, hydrogen should not be transported more than a few hundred kilometres.
Different phases of evolution during ice age
Cold-adapted animals started to evolve 2.6 million years ago when the permanent ice at the poles became more prevalent. There followed a time when the continental ice sheets expanded and contracted and around 700,000 years ago the cold periods doubled in length. This is when many of the current cold-adapted...
Mystery of ‘very odd’ elasmosaur finally solved: fiercely predatory marine reptile is new species
A group of fossils of elasmosaurs -- some of the most famous in North America -- have just been formally identified as belonging to a 'very odd' new genus of the sea monster, unlike any previously known. This primitive 85-million-year-old, 12 meter-long, fiercely predatory marine reptile is unlike any elasmosaur...
Ancient DNA used to map evolution of fever-causing bacteria
Researchers have analyzed ancient DNA from Borrelia recurrentis, a type of bacteria that causes relapsing fever, pinpointing when it evolved to spread through lice rather than ticks, and how it gained and lost genes in the process.
New study reveals how competition between algae is transforming the Gulf of Maine
New research shows how rapidly proliferating turf algae are waging 'chemical warfare' to inhibit the recovery of kelp forests along Maine's warming coast.
The scent of death? Worms experience altered fertility and lifespan when exposed to dead counterparts
Research reveals that for C. elegans worms, the presence of dead members of their species has profound behavioral and physiological effects, leading them to more quickly reproduce and shortening their lifespans.
Native Plants Attract More Pollinators Than Cultivars in OSU Study
Planting native plants is a popular way to help support pollinators like bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects.
Study: Climate Change May Make it Harder to Reduce Smog in Some Regions
Global warming will likely hinder our future ability to control ground-level ozone, a harmful air pollutant that is a primary component of smog, according to a new MIT study.
Cold, Quiet, and Carbon-Rich: Investigating Winter Wetlands
Coastal wetlands play a vital role in absorbing carbon from the atmosphere and reducing the impacts of storm surge.