biochemistry

The normal functions of peptides that aggregate in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s have been largely overlooked by scientists, but some argue that they are critical for understanding the development of disease.

A peptide found in bull ant venom closely resembles a hormone of its primary predator, triggering hypersensitivity and making subsequent bites even more painful than the ones that came before.

A study finds that CRISPR-Nickase, which changes just one allele of a given gene, improves gene editing efficiency compared with CRISPR-Cas9.

A previously overlooked protein is important to this type of itch, an insight that could aid the development of new treatments.

Fogel mined information from isotopes to explore modern and ancient ecosystems, climatic changes, and evolution.

Known as SLiMs, these stretches of up to 10 amino acids play notable roles in cell biology, including responses to viral invasion.

Only recently appreciated as critical components of cellular functions, unstructured stretches of amino acids called SLiMs are key to viral-host interactions.

Researchers engineered strands of RNA that can link amino acids together, suggesting a way that RNA and proteins may have emerged together to create the earliest forms of life.

Researchers have long suspected that an ingredient in sunscreen called oxybenzone was harming corals, but no one knew how. A new study shows how corals turn oxybenzone into a sunlight-activated toxin.

The discovery could add weight to the hypothesis that the building blocks of life on Earth originally came from space, but some scientists note the possibility of contamination.

The biophysicist shared the 1989 Prize in Chemistry for discovering RNA’s catalytic properties.

The unique odor profiles of tumors can be used to develop diagnostic sensing tools.

Researchers who study the phenomenon in humans should incorporate subjective experiences into data on love.

In Chapter 1, “Survival,” author Anna Machin describes the health benefits of strong human bonds.