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The complement C3 protein binds to pathogens, singling them out for execution by the immune system. Structural studies show how the chemical group responsible for this binding is exposed on activation.
Insulin-degrading enzyme is implicated in diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, but few molecular tools exist that can probe its function. A study now reveals its unusual structure and may lead to an expanded toolbox.
Pike move between two basins of a British lake to maximize their evolutionary fitness. This adaptive behaviour suggests that habitat selection is more significant in population dynamics than was thought.
Mitochondria are central to the process of programmed cell death that kills damaged or superfluous cells. Surprisingly, components of the death machinery turn out to be essential for keeping these organelles in shape.
Intramembrane proteases have attracted much attention because of their biological and medical value. The first crystal structure of one of these enzymes begins to solve the mystery of how they work.
Standard theories tell us that, at some point in the Universe's evolution, free quarks and gluons must have become bound together into the hadronic matter we see today. But was this transition abrupt or smooth?
An effective but counter-intuitive trick to obtain highly ordered protein crystals is to 'seed' particles on disordered, porous surfaces. Computer simulations provide an explanation for the success of this strategy.
The finest scale of blood flow through the brain occurs in capillaries. Suspicions that capillary flow is regulated by cells that put the squeeze on these vessels are now borne out by detailed experiments.
The latest models suggest that atmospheric oxygen could have fluctuated between high and low concentrations once photosynthesis had evolved. But does the geological evidence really support this?
A remarkable bacterium can survive extraordinary doses of ionizing radiation that shatter its genome into thousands of pieces. How does it accurately reassemble these DNA fragments into an intact genome?
Lithium isotopes provide a fingerprint of recycled material in Earth's upper mantle. But this fingerprint is different from what had been expected. So do we need to reassess our ideas about how the upper mantle evolves?
To help their growth and spread, bacteria rely on virulence factors, many of which are toxic. One such factor is highly potent, as it attacks a key protein that 'chaperones' other proteins through their synthesis.
Quantum-information networks use matter for long-term storage and light for long-distance transmission. Teleporting a quantum state from light onto matter has now been achieved.
Cell division is fundamental to life, and so might be expected to have changed little during evolution. Data from four species show that the genes involved can vary, but the regulation of complexes is a common theme.
The compound eyes of ancestral flies picked up only one picture point in each facet. The evolution of a means to split up the light-sensitive cells increased this number to seven, boosting the eye's resolution greatly.
The Kyoto Protocol aims to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases such as methane. But it seems that the fall in human-induced methane emissions in the 1990s was only transitory, and atmospheric methane might rise again.
