ASCLS eNewsBytes

• Bacteria can remove plastic pollution from lakes August 1, 2022
  A study of 29 European lakes has found that some naturally-occurring lake bacteria grow faster and more efficiently on the remains of plastic bags than on natural matter like leaves and twigs. The bacteria break down the carbon compounds in plastic to use as food for their growth. The scientists say that enriching waters with […]
• Data-sharing initiative aims to help fight against antibiotic resistance August 1, 2022
  For all that is known about the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), much remains unknown. But there's hope that a new data-sharing effort launched in June could help unlock information that may mitigate the worst aspects of the "silent pandemic" of drug-resistant infections.
• The shape of things to come: DeepMind's AlphaFold illuminates 3D structure of almost every protein known to science August 1, 2022
  A year after demonstrating its AlphaFold program could tackle the decades-old problem of predicting the final working shapes of proteins from just their building blocks—and making it open to the public — DeepMind is now expanding to nearly every protein known to science. The new details will help researchers visualize the nearly 200 million proteins […]
• UK researchers using genetic sequencing to study convergent evolution determine molecular data superior to morphology in determining evolutionary relationships August 1, 2022
  Can a type of shrew be more related to an elephant than to other shrews? According to researchers at Milner Center for Evolution at the University of Bath in the U.K., it's possible, and their genetic study into convergent evolution may lead to improved use of genetic sequencing for the development of precision medicine treatments […]
• Smartphone app, blood test may predict clotting risk August 1, 2022
  A team of researchers led by Dr. Kelly Michaelsen of the University of Washington is developing a test that could quickly and inexpensively determine prothrombin time/international normalized ratio and clotting risk using a smartphone. The test uses a smartphone's built-in vibration motor and camera to track movement of a copper particle in a drop of […]