reaction

A Mysterious Desert Bacterium Has Evolved Its Own, Unique Ability to Photosynthesize

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Photosynthesis quite literally changed our world. Plants ‘eating’ sunlight and ‘breathing out’ oxygen transformed Earth’s entire atmosphere into the one we now breathe, and fuel our ecosystems with energy.   Now researchers have caught a cunning species of bacteria with stolen photosynthesizing technology. And their molecular, light-eating device is unlike any we’ve ever seen. “The … Read more

A Building Block of Life May Have Formed in Cosmic Dust Clouds Before Reaching Earth

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There are few bigger questions than how life first got started on Earth, but trying to put in the detective work almost 4 billion years after the event is understandably hard going for scientists. Now it looks as though we might have found another clue.   New research focuses specifically on peptides, smaller versions of … Read more

Covid-19 brain fog: neurological symptoms likely due to immune reaction, should be reversible

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Growing evidence suggests neurological symptoms of long covid, such as brain fog, are caused by an immune reaction – and should be reversible Health 20 January 2022 By Jessica Hamzelou The SARS-Cov-2 virus may cause immune reactions that lead to neurological symptoms SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Over the past couple of years, we have learned that … Read more

Prehistoric Volcanoes Heated Earth in a Global Chain Reaction

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Climate experts have warned for decades of “tipping points” at which modern global warming might cause a cascade of accelerating, irreversible effects. Now geologists are beginning to identify similar junctures in the fossil record. For example, around 56 million years ago—when our small primate ancestors still hopped through the trees—volcanic eruptions may have sparked hothouse … Read more

There’s a Cancer Treatment That Gives People ‘Night Vision’. Here’s How

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Among all the different types of cancer treatment, photodynamic therapy – where light is used to destroy malignant cells – might have one of the strangest side effects: Patients are often better able to see in the dark.   Last year, researchers finally figured out why this happens: Rhodopsin, a light-sensitive protein in the retinas in our eyes, interacts with … Read more