Behind the Paper
The real stories behind the latest research papers, from conception to publication, the highs and the lows
Mercury - the invisible contaminant that could be driving population declines among migratory shorebirds along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway
Over one-third of the sampled shorebirds along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway are facing Hg risk. Tringa genus in South China was at the highest risk. Feather Hg was best explained by feathers' moulting region, while habitat preference, diet, and forage stratum were less important.
Homotrimeric architecture of viral G protein-coupled receptor UL78
UL78, a human cytomegalovirus encoded GPCR, interrupts normal signaling or presents oligomers to modulate functions of other viral GPCRs and host GPCRs. In this study, we report the cryo-EM structure of UL78 and unveil a novel form of GPCR oligomerization unseen before − a homotrimeric architecture.
Walking through fastidious acidophilic nitrous oxide-reducing microorganisms
Löffler Lab at University of Tennessee, Knoxville reports a fastidious, strict anaerobic microorganism thriving to reduce N2O (laughing gas) at acidic pH, which has been a nerdy topic over decades.
