The death of King Albert I of Belgium in 1934 -- officially a climbing accident -- still fuels speculation. Forensic geneticist Maarten Larmuseau and his colleagues at KU Leuven (University of Leuven, Belgium), have now compared DNA from blood found on the scene in 1934 to that of two distant relatives. Their analysis confirms that the blood really is that of Albert I. This conclusion is at odds with several conspiracy theories about the king's death.
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Bionanotechnology research is targeted on functional structures synergistically combining macromolecules, cells, or multicellular assemblies with a wide range of nanomaterials. Providing micrometer-sized cells with tiny nanodevices expands the uses of the cultured microorganisms and requires nanoassembly on individual live cells.
With increasing water temperatures comes an increasing likelihood of potentially pathogenic bacteria appearing in the North and Baltic Seas. AWI scientists have now proven that a group of such bacteria known as vibrios can survive on microplastic particles. In the future, they want to investigate in greater detail the role of these particles on the accumulation and possible distribution of these bacteria.
NDIANAPOLIS -- Concerns that law enforcement fusion centers are violating individuals' privacy rights as they gather intelligence on terrorism, criminals and other threats to public safety are the exception and certainly not the rule, according to a study published in the Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology.
From recycling to reusing hotel towels, consumers who participate in a company's "green" program are more satisfied with its service, finds a new study co-led by a Michigan State University researcher.
Doing good makes customers feel good, and that "warm glow" shapes opinion, said Tomas Hult, Byington Endowed Chair and professor of marketing in the Eli Broad College of Business. But it gets more complicated when companies throw incentives into the mix.
A new study provides more evidence that identical sections of DNA can match up with each other without the help of other molecules.
DNA molecules in our bodies carry genetic information encoded in segments called genes. Each gene encodes a certain attribute, feature or function in living organisms. However, genes are regularly damaged and need to be repaired.
Most people don't think of fungal infections as deadly -- they are generally viewed as annoyances -- athlete's foot, for instance.
But for many weakened patients in the hospital, fungal infections can be life threatening. Some experts estimate that tens of thousands of patients die every year from these infections. Recent research has also found that wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have sometimes died after fungus from soil is driven deep into their wounds, causing untreatable infections.
The significant role of beta cell 'hubs' in the pancreas has been demonstrated for the first time, suggesting that diabetes may due to the failure of a privileged few cells, rather than the behaviour of all cells.
Researchers used optogenetic and photopharmacological targeting to precisely map the role of the cells required for the secretion of insulin.
The team believe that the findings, published in Cell Metabolism, could pave the way for therapies that target the 'hubs'.
DALLAS, July 21, 2016 -- Bleeding inside the lining of the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage) is significantly more common among smokers, especially female smokers, than among people who do not smoke, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke.
Dating back nearly 150 years, a classic example of symbiosis has been the lichen: a mutually helpful relationship between an alga and a fungus.
Now, that well-known dualistic relationship is being challenged. Researchers at the University of Montana, working together with colleagues from Austria, Sweden and Purdue University, have found that some of the world's most common lichen species actually are composed of three partners -- not the widely recognized two.
By following honeyguides, a species of bird, people in Africa are able to locate bees' nests to harvest honey. Research now reveals that humans use special calls to solicit the help of honeyguides and that honeyguides actively recruit appropriate human partners. This relationship is a rare example of cooperation between humans and free-living animals.
When honey-hunters in Mozambique call out to birds in the hopes that their feathered companions will lead them to honey, the birds, in fact, recognize and respond to these specialized calls, a new study confirms. The results reveal how birds are able to attach a specific meaning to the human's call for cooperation, representing a rare case of mutualism between humans and a wild animal. Indicator indicator is a species of bird that's known to act as a honeyguide for humans, flitting from tree to tree to indicate where beehives are hidden above.
The classical view of lichens - formed by a symbiosis between an algae and a single fungus - is too simple, suggests a new study. The study's results reveal that a third species also contributes to this symbiotic relationship, one of the oldest- and best-known symbioses on Earth. For more than 140 years, scientists have thought that lichens arise from algae or cyanobacteria living among the filaments of a fungus. Recently, it has been suggested that another species may play a role in forming complete, functioning thalli, the leafy or shrubby features of lichens.
Gut bacteria in modern humans and apes are not simply acquired from the environment, a new study suggests, but instead coevolved for millions of years with hominids to help shape our immune systems. The results pave the way for studies informing the evolutionary processes underlying the unique symbiotic relationships between us and our microbes. How the bacteria that inhabit our gut came to be there remains unknown. In particular, scientists have been unclear about the role symbiosis played in shaping gut microbiome composition.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - For nearly 150 years, lichens have been the model organisms of symbiosis. Now researchers have uncovered an unexpected third partner embedded in the lichen cortex or "skin" - yeast.