Does DNA in the nucleus of a cell hang motionless, while RNA molecules that transcribe genes spin around it? It turns out that it is the other way around! It is DNA that is in motion. This is the only way to prevent tangles in the nucleus of a cell, scientists from a Polish-British team argue.
Cuckoos can change the structure of their voice and song due to various factors. New experiments show that the modified version of the cuckoo call draws less attention from other cuckoos than the classic 'cuckoo'. This may mean that males with impaired song are at a disadvantage when competing for females and territory.
Photosensitive cells in the eye - cones and rods - change their sizes for a moment when light flashes on them. Polish researchers have just explained why. This tiny, fast pulsation of retinal cells can be seen live thanks to the Polish method of eye imaging.
Scientists, including researchers from Poland, have explained the formation and functioning of an important structure, the so-called cap, which is part of the mRNA of trypanosomes. Their research may help create new strategies to fight these dangerous parasites of humans and cattle.
Cats are domestic animals and should not live in the wild or be let out of the house freely, experts say. They warn that in Poland, over 0.6 billion mammals and almost 150 million birds fall prey to feral and outdoor cats every year; many of them are protected species.
Identification of intestinal bacteria that metabolise testosterone, and thus can cause its deficiency, and microbes that can reverse this unfavourable process are the main research areas of the project led by Tomasz Janeczko, PhD, from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences.
Astrocytes, cells called the guardians of neuronal functions, appear to have a more significant role in brain evolution than previously thought. The team led by Professor Aleksandra Pękowska from the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology in Warsaw conducts astrocyte research.
Rising summer temperatures cause beech trees to produce seeds more often, while growing more slowly, according to a study by scientists from Poland, the UK and New Zealand. The publication on this topic appeared in PNAS.
European lynx populations live in a fragmented, transformed and human-dominated environment. Most lynx die at a relatively young age, most often due to poaching, hunting, natural factors and road accidents, the authors of the study report.
More and more new chemical substances are entering the sewage system - from medicines, cosmetics, plastics. According to Monika Żubrowska-Sudoł, PhD, from the Warsaw University of Technology, their separation and safe disposal from wastewater treatment plants is a huge problem.