Tag Archives: Biology
Not Just COVID: Viruses Spread by Aerosols
SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind today’s global coronavirus pandemic, spreads primarily by inhalation of virus-laden aerosols at both short and long ranges, and a comprehensive new assessment of respiratory viruses finds that many others probably do as well. SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, influenza, measles, and the rhinoviruses that cause the common cold can all spread via aerosols that… Read More
Cells Expressing Tendon Markers Fuse into Muscles
Researchers at the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology have made a breakthrough discovery that muscle fibers are of hybrid origins, and their tips have a "fibroblastic, tendon-like property" that arises from fibroblasts' fusion. The researchers’ findings highlight a mechanism that enables a smooth transition from muscle fiber characteristics… Read More
Laser “Tweezers”
A study conducted in the Technion Faculty of Biology sheds light on the structure and dynamics of chromatosomes. Published in the journal Molecular Cell, the study was conducted by Dr. Sergei Rudnizky under the supervision of Professors Ariel Kaplan and Philippa Melamed. Each one of the cells in our body contains DNA, which provides the… Read More
En Route to Personalized Medicine
In what can be regarded as a significant breakthrough, researchers at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, together with their overseas partners, present novel technologies aimed at decoding the protein profile of single cells. A perspective paper, detailing the international group's latest methods developments in the area, was recently published in the prestigious journal… Read More
How does a Protein Recognize its Specific Binding Site on DNA?
DNA can be seen as a cookbook, containing all the recipes needed by the human body. But how is a particular “recipe” picked out? How is it bookmarked? What decides how many portions are cooked? How do some recipes have variants, like a ravioli recipe might have alternative fillings? How are comments written on the… Read More
Toadlet peptide transforms into a deadly weapon against bacteria
Researchers at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Hamburg, Germany, in collaboration with scientists in Israel and Spain, have discovered remarkable molecular properties of an antimicrobial peptide from the skin of the Australian toadlet. The discovery could inspire the development of novel synthetic drugs to combat bacterial… Read More
The Juice Keepers
Technion students have harnessed viruses found in the environment of fruit trees to prevent spoilage of fruit juices – a phenomenon that causes tens of millions of dollars’ worth of damage each year. The development earned the students from the Technion’s Faculties of Biotechnology & Food Engineering, and Biology, first prize in a competition held… Read More