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Artist’s rendition of the molecular structure of a ribosome (blue and purple) as it produces a polypeptide chain (red) from an mRNA template (orange and gray), with tRNA molecules (dark purple) shuttling amino acids.
Specialized Sperm Ribosomes Are Key to Male Fertility in Mice
A previously unknown kind of ribosome is responsible for folding sperm proteins, which decay before fertilization if prepared by other ribosomes.
Specialized Sperm Ribosomes Are Key to Male Fertility in Mice
Specialized Sperm Ribosomes Are Key to Male Fertility in Mice

A previously unknown kind of ribosome is responsible for folding sperm proteins, which decay before fertilization if prepared by other ribosomes.

A previously unknown kind of ribosome is responsible for folding sperm proteins, which decay before fertilization if prepared by other ribosomes.

ribosomes

Cross section of an organic cell with intracellular organelles
How Intracellular Bacteria Hijack Your Cells
Catherine Offord | Dec 1, 2022 | 10+ min read
Scientists studying pathogens such as Chlamydia, Legionella, and Listeria get a master class in how to control the internal workings of mammalian cells.
Illustration showing how some intracellular bacteria, such as <em >Legionella pneumophila</em>, manipulate the cell&#39;s membranes for their own good
Infographic: Intracellular Bacteria’s Tricks for Host Manipulation 
Catherine Offord | Dec 1, 2022 | 2 min read
Various microbes, including several human pathogens, hijack the cell’s skeleton, membranes, and protein-making machinery to make themselves at home.
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Probing Antibody Binding to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein
The Scientist Creative Services Team in collaboration with Refeyn | 2 min read
Victor Yin will discuss two single-particle mass analysis methods that shed light on heterogenous, multimeric proteins and their interactions.
A colored microscopy image showing cells that are dying in yellow and healthy cells in blue&nbsp;
Sweet Taste Receptors Regulate Proteins in Developing Fruit Flies
Tess Joosse | Nov 14, 2022 | 2 min read
An unexpected find shows that sweet-sensing receptors also help epithelial cells in Drosophila larvae stay alive amid proteotoxic stress.
A photograph of Christine Guthrie and Hiten Madhani
RNA Pioneer Christine Guthrie Dies at 77
Amanda Heidt | Sep 1, 2022 | 5 min read
Guthrie established foundational concepts in the field of pre-mRNA splicing during her career at the University of California, San Francisco.
Illustration of two weaving proteinsĀ 
Fusion with Spider Silk Increases Anticancer Protein’s Stability
Dan Robitzski | Jul 5, 2022 | 2 min read
Scientists found that combining the notoriously flimsy anticancer protein p53 with a domain from a spider silk protein resulted in a more stable hybrid that’s more potent and easier for cells to synthesize.
Illustration of pink strands of RNA on a blue background
Synthetic RNA Can Build Peptides, Hinting at Life’s Beginnings
Jef Akst | May 12, 2022 | 2 min read
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.
Steam rises from a blue-gray hot spring, visible beyond a patch of reddish, rocky soil.
Soil Microbes Sacrifice Ribosomes in Response to Warming
Sophie Fessl, PhD | Mar 29, 2022 | 4 min read
When soil heats up, microbes scale back protein synthesis machinery by making use of higher reaction rates that occur at higher temperatures, a study finds.
illustration of a large purple molecular complex with a strand of orange RNA running through it and red strand emerging from it
Study Reveals Outsize Role of mRNA Region in Tuning Expression
Sophie Fessl, PhD | Jan 27, 2022 | 3 min read
A new method helps researchers uncover the rules of ribosome recruitment in yeast.
professor photo
Walter Gratzer, Biophysical Chemist and Science Writer, Dies at 89
Chloe Tenn | Nov 23, 2021 | 2 min read
His career bridged impactful research in molecular biology and biochemistry with prolific science writing for academic and nonacademic audiences alike.
Fruit flies in a vial
Accurate Protein Production Promotes Longevity
Ruth Williams | Sep 15, 2021 | 3 min read
Worms, flies, and yeast live longer if the fidelity of their protein-making machinery is improved, a study shows.
SARS-CoV-2 Disables Key Components of Human Cells’ Defense System
Catherine Offord | Oct 22, 2020 | 4 min read
Researchers detail how viral proteins interact with host RNA to disrupt the cell’s ability to fight back against infection.
ribosomes epithelial to mesenchymal transition cancer progression cell migration
Image of the Day: More Ribosomes
Chia-Yi Hou | May 10, 2019 | 1 min read
An increased production of ribosomes may underlie cell migration and relate to cancer metastasis, according to a new study.
translation gene genetics ribosome enhancers knowable magazine
What Does It Look Like to “Turn On” a Gene?
Alla Katsnelson, Casey Rentz, and Knowable Magazine | May 3, 2019 | 8 min read
Only recently have scientists directly witnessed this most pivotal of events in biology, thanks to new technology that allows them to observe the process in living cells. It’s teaching them a lot.
Ribosomal DNA Can Predict an Animal’s Age
Abby Olena, PhD | Feb 14, 2019 | 3 min read
A clock constructed of rDNA methylation sites can estimate both chronological and biological age across species.
Those We Lost in 2018
Ashley Yeager | Dec 26, 2018 | 10+ min read
The scientific community said goodbye to a number of leading researchers this year.
A Nobel Pursuit
The Scientist | Dec 10, 2018 | 1 min read
Watch as Nobel laureate Venki Ramakrishnan, who wrote the December Reading Frames essay, discusses Brexit and the importance of sharing scientific insights with the public.
Racing for the Ribosome
Venki Ramakrishnan | Dec 1, 2018 | 3 min read
Nobel laureate Venki Ramakrishnan’s new book recounts the tale of researchers striving to understand an ancient molecular machine that is essential for all life.
Thomas Steitz, Biologist and X-Ray Crystallographer, Dies
Ashley P. Taylor | Oct 11, 2018 | 2 min read
Steitz determined the atomic structure of the ribosome, work for which he won the 2009 Nobel Prize in chemistry.
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