October 1, 2022 | Issue 22-10 | |
Scientists Traced a New COVID Lineage to One Office! | |
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have been tracking a very mutated variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through wastewater for a majority of the pandemic. Recently, they managed to track the variant they're tracking to one particular area in Wisconsin.
The research team used samples from wastewater and other sources (including asking dog owners to donate their pup's excrement at one point) to narrow the source down to one business with fewer than 30 employees.
Their work could help researchers understand how variants emerge, and potentially to help predict the future of the COVID-19 variants. Virology is a quickly evolving field that might be for you if you're into if you're interested in preserving public health.
Read more about their research here.
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Are Chromosomes Fluid? Yes, suggests new research. | |
Scientists from CNRS, the Curie Institute, and Sorbonne University, in collaboration with scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, attached magnetic nanoparticles to a small portion of a chromosome in a living cell. Then, they stretched the chromosome, exerting different degrees of force, thanks to a micro-magnet outside the cell.
This experimentation enabled researchers to see the range of forces exerted naturally in the nucleus - for example by enzymes replicating DNA - is enough to alter the shape of a chromosome. The major discovery, made by a top notch team of physicists and biologists, changes human knowledge of how chromosomes work!
So long, yarn-loop gel! Hello not-quite liquid, definitely not solid fluid! Now how will scientists create a model of chromosomes, given our new understandings? Maybe you'll be the one to do it!
Read more about the research and findings at SciTechDaily here.
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