European Molecular Biology Laboratory Archives - Astrobiology

Slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum protein complex Q55DI5 (AF-0000000066503175), annotated as a transcription elongation factor. The single chain looked disordered, but modelling the homodimer revealed that two chains intertwine, each contributing half a domain to form a stable fold. An illustration of why predicting protein complexes can reveal biology that single-protein models miss. Credit AlphaFold Database, background by Karen Arnott/ EMBL-EBI

Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release

Millions Of Protein Complexes Added To AlphaFold Database Shed Light On How Proteins Interact

by Keith CowingMarch 18, 2026March 18, 2026

A new collaboration between EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Google DeepMind, NVIDIA, and Seoul National University has made millions of AI-predicted protein complex structures openly available through the AlphaFold Database. […]

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Microbiomes Interconnect On A Planetary-scale, New Study Finds

by Keith CowingFebruary 13, 2026February 13, 2026

In a new study published in Cell, scientists in the Bork Group at EMBL Heidelberg reveal that microbes living in similar habitats are more alike than those simply inhabiting the […]

Pentameric architecture of CryoRs and unusual central channel. (A) Overall view of the CryoR1 pentamer in detergent micelles and nanodiscs. (B) View at the CryoR1 pentamer from the cytoplasmic side. (C) Side view of the central channel in CryoR1. (D) Overall view of the CryoR2 pentamer in crystals. (E) View at the CryoR1 pentamer from the cytoplasmic side. (F) Side view of the central channel in CryoR1. C terminus is colored dark red. -- Science Advances

Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Sample Return

Ice World Microbiology: Cryorhodopsins

by Keith CowingJuly 6, 2025July 6, 2025

Imagine the magnificent glaciers of Greenland, the eternal snow of the Tibetan high mountains, and the permanently ice-cold groundwater in Finland. As cold and beautiful these are, for the structural […]