In the 'first wave' of synthetic biology, researchers developed basic elements and modules that allowed transcriptional, translational and post-translational control of cellular processes. The 'second ...

Thomasville Scholars Academy ninth graders in Jamie Gammel’s class went beyond merely labeling the parts of a cell, and elevated their thinking by connecting cell parts and functions with real-life, ...

Sara Hawkins teaches a project-based biology class at Manor New Tech High School in Manor, Texas. She can be reached at <a href="mailto:sarahawkins@manornewtech.org ...

Polo-like kinases (Plks) are conserved from yeasts to humans but are absent from plants. The Plk family is characterized by the presence of an amino-terminal kinase domain and a carboxy-terminal ...

In the beginning -- of the ribosome, the cell's protein-building workbench -- there were ribonucleic acids, the molecules we call RNA that today perform a host of vital functions in cells. And ...

Biologists have created a synthetic cell with only the bare minimum number of genes it needs to live and reproduce in a lab. The feat is analogous to stripping a car down to its frame and only putting ...

Tiny tweaks in DNA folding can have big effects. A study from Umeå University shows that even the most subtle changes in DNA's shape have an important influence on gene activity and energy production.