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biochemistry and cell biology posts

From insects to bacteria: new ‘bugs’ make red colouring News

by David Shaw, 14 April 2021 | 0 comments

a close-up of a cactus with many white, dusty looking insects on it

Do you like eating red lollies or drinking strawberry milk? If so, there’s a good chance you’ve been eating insects! But soon there might be a new way to make these treats red.

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This DNA has lumps News

by David Shaw, 26 April 2018 | 0 comments

Image through a microscope, magnifying spiral strands and shapes on a blue background

Inside most cells in your body, there’s a copy of your entire genetic code. It contains instructions that help build and maintain your body. If you imagine DNA in its double helix form, it’s a beautiful, perfect package. Except, maybe DNA doesn’t always look so perfect after all.

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Pop goes the bearcat News

by David Shaw, 23 October 2017 | 0 comments

bearcat lying down

Written by Mike McRae An animal that smells of popcorn sounds more like a creature from a fairy tale than from reality. But the bearcat, found in Southeast Asia, is a real-life fantastic beast known for its unusual popcorn scent. The source of its smell, though, is hardly appetising.

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Microscope: Sleepy sunshine News

by David Shaw, 12 April 2017 | 16 comments

Double Helix magazine is looking for your science questions! Our Microscope column answers the thorniest science queries you can throw at us. Email us at Helix.Editor@csiro.au or via our contact details below and you could have your question published. Here’s a sample question to get you thinking. Aisha Goshti asks: Why does the Sun makes…

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Measuring malaria on your breath News

by David Shaw, 27 February 2017 | 1 comments

A scientist standing near a computer, analysing malaria.

It’s really annoying to get bitten by a mosquito. Your skin often swells, and the bite can itch for days. But in many places in the world, that small bite isn’t just annoying. It can cause a life-threatening disease: malaria.

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Jet lagged sunflowers News

by David Shaw, 22 November 2016 | 0 comments

A sunflower, in a field of sunflowers.

If you’ve ever flown overseas, you might have experienced jetlag. For example, daytime in London is night in Sydney, so your body can get very confused on a journey between the two. But jetlag isn’t just a human phenomenon, or even just an animal phenomenon. Turns out sunflowers can get jet lag too!

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Hard work creates simple life News

by David Shaw, 5 June 2016 | 0 comments

a collection of small round shapes, clumped together.

It takes a lot of information to make a human. It’s kept in our cells as DNA, which contains at least 20 000 genes. Some other forms of life can get by with much less DNA and fewer genes. Now one team of scientists think they’re close to making the simplest living thing possible.

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Burp! Excuse us News

by Jasmine Fellows, 24 March 2016 | 0 comments

A cow eating hay.

In a recent blog post we reported on farts, a type of methane emission. When talking about these emissions, we made an omission. That is, we should have mentioned burps as well as farts.

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Discovering DNA’s repair crew News

by David Shaw, 16 October 2015 | 0 comments

a DNA spiral. Tw ocoloued blobs surround it.

Hidden within our cells, DNA is the hard drive of the human body. Each copy of DNA contains instructions for all the proteins needed to make a person. But this creative compendium is always under attack. This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry went to three people who found out what’s repairing our genetic treasure.

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The secret life of soil News

by Jasmine Fellows, 16 January 2015 | 0 comments

Several brown cylinder bacteria on a rough surface.

Written by Beth Askham Bacteria living in soil could save our lives – if only we knew they existed. A new way of looking at soil bacteria is helping researchers discover new antibiotics.

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