December 07, 2023
The molecular mechanisms responsible for photoprotective memory in algae have implications for crop productivity Fluctuating sunlight poses a challenge for plants and green algae, which must quickly adjust their photosynthetic systems to remain efficient in changing conditions. Aiding in that response is a kind of rudimentary memory that allows these organisms to respond more rapidly…
December 07, 2023
Formaldehyde, a toxin and carcinogen found in construction materials, carpets, car exhaust, cigarette smoke and even permanent press clothing, turns out to play an important role in the body — one that may explain why the chemical causes cancer. In a study published this month in the journal Science, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and the…
September 25, 2023
Viruses are often associated with disease, but many viruses are benign and even helpful, like bacteriophages that eat harmful, antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Now, Berkeley researchers have reported that engineered viruses also can generate electricity when exposed to heat, a finding that may pave the way for next-generation biosensors and diagnostic tools. As reported in the journal Advanced Materials, researchers…
September 20, 2023
Iain Clark, assistant professor of bioengineering, was named an Innovation Investigator by the Arc Institute, a scientific research organization pioneering new models for scientific discovery and translation. As a member of the inaugural Innovation Investigators program, Clark will receive $1 million over five years to pursue “curiosity-driven, ambitious research.” Clark was among nine researchers selected from…
August 03, 2023
Plastic waste is a problem. Most plastics can’t be recycled, and many use finite, polluting petrochemicals as the basic ingredients. But that’s changing. In a study published today in Nature Sustainability, researchers successfully engineered microbes to make biological alternatives for the starting ingredients in an infinitely recyclable plastic known as poly(diketoenamine), or PDK. The finding comes…
June 13, 2023
Synthetic biologists have become increasingly creative in engineering yeast or bacteria to churn out useful chemicals — from fuels to fabrics and drugs — beyond the normal repertoire of microbes. But a multi-university group of chemists has a more ambitious goal: to retool the cell’s polypeptide manufacturing plants — the ribosomes that spin amino acids…
May 26, 2023
Drinking water treatment technologies are typically evaluated for contaminant removal efficiency, capital costs and health impacts, but these narrow metrics do not fully capture why more than 2 billion people worldwide lack safe drinking water. To tackle this problem, researchers at UC Berkeley argue for an assessment of the “hidden” costs of these technologies, including…
May 18, 2023
For more than a century, biologists have wondered what the earliest animals were like when they first arose in the ancient oceans over half a billion years ago. Searching among today’s most primitive-looking animals for the earliest branch of the animal tree of life, scientists gradually narrowed the possibilities down to two groups: sponges, which…