General

In a discovery that could have broad applications from the development of targeted antibiotics to the production of biofuels in industry, University of Alberta biologists discovered evidence of bacteria causing apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in algae. “It sounds odd, but programmed cell death is important to all large organisms. […]

More than 16,000 women die from ovarian cancer each year in the United States. Ovarian cancer is often called the “silent killer” because the symptoms are so vague that women are often not diagnosed with ovarian cancer until the disease has progressed to advanced stages. Currently, no blood test exists […]

Can music therapy slow the progression of degenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia while promoting well-being? A grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will fund a new lab at Rice University that will explore this possible new inroad in the fight against such disorders. […]

A team of engineers at the UC Berkeley and the Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) of The Claremont Colleges combined CRISPR with electronic transistors made from graphene to create a new hand-held device that can detect specific genetic mutations in a matter of minutes. The device, dubbed CRISPR-Chip, could be used […]

University of Tokyo researchers and their collaborators have demonstrated that a special structure that forms when DNA is damaged helps to restore it. Human cells have a mechanism for recognizing this structure, consisting of DNA and RNA, which promotes accurate repair of damaged DNA. The study’s findings point to a […]

A machine-learning model from MIT researchers computationally breaks down how segments of amino acid chains determine a protein’s function, which could help researchers design and test new proteins for drug development or biological research. Proteins are linear chains of amino acids, connected by peptide bonds, that fold into exceedingly complex […]

Scientists have long known that tumors have many pockets of high acidity, usually found deep within the tumor where little oxygen is available. However, a new study from MIT researchers has found that tumor surfaces are also highly acidic, and that this acidity helps tumors to become more invasive and […]

New research, which appeared in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, sheds light on how the damage in the brain caused by a stroke can lead to permanent vision impairment for approximately 265,000 Americans each year. The findings could provide researchers with a blueprint to better identify which areas […]

A new way of making scaffolding for biological cultures could make it possible to grow cells that are highly uniform in shape and size, and potentially with certain functions. The new approach uses an extremely fine-scale form of 3-D printing, using an electric field to draw fibers one-tenth the width […]

Women who shared their mother’s womb with a male twin are less likely to graduate from high school or college, have earned less by their early 30s and have lower fertility and marriage rates when compared with twins who are both female, according to new Northwestern University research. In the […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Mayzent (siponimod) tablets to treat adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), to include clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting disease, and active secondary progressive disease. Billy Dunn, M.D., director of the Division of Neurology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation […]

Life can depend upon the interaction of two proteins that come together along a metabolic pathway. There, they enable growth by creating fatty acids essential for ensuring that cell membranes form in a protective, fluid environment. While scientists have understood the basic enzymes involved in this fatty-acid biosynthesis, they have […]

Protein Kinase C (PKC) enzymes are crucial for a number of cellular activities, including cell survival, proliferation and migration — functions that must be carefully controlled lest cells get out of control and form a tumor. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that another enzyme, […]

A discovery about how exercise improves brain function could be harnessed for research into ageing, and boosting learning and memory. An international team from The University of Queensland and the Dresden University of Technology has identified what triggers the boost to brain function through exercise. Dr Tara Walker from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institutesaid the improvements […]

In a paper recently published in the journal Nature Medicine, a group of researchers from Spain detail their study of the brains of deceased people, indicating that our “neck-tops” are perfectly capable of growing brand new cells well into advanced age. This finding comes as somewhat of a surprise in […]

NASCAR has nothing on cancer cells when it comes to exploiting the power of drafting, letting someone else do the hard work of moving forward while you coast behind. Building on the relatively new discovery that metastatic cancer cells leave tumors and travel in clusters, not singles, a Vanderbilt University […]

Cells of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) form unique patterns that can be used to track changes in this important layer of tissue in the back of the eye, researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have found. Using a combination of adaptive optics imaging and a fluorescent dye, the […]

A combination of two topical creams already shown to clear precancerous skin lesions from sun-damaged skin also lowers the risk that patients will later develop squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. The study, from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, appears […]

When it comes to March Madness, Cathy Goldstein, M.D., M.S., might have an edge over her fellow bracketologists. The neurologist at Michigan Medicine’s Sleep Disorders Centers combines her basketball fandom and sleep science expertise as she makes her selections. Below, she explains how circadian rhythm plays into her picks. What are circadian rhythms? Goldstein: Circadian […]

A protein that protects people with inflammatory bowel disease has quite a different effect in graft-vs.-host disease, a common and challenging side effect of bone marrow transplants. In a surprising finding, researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center showed the protein NLRP6 aggravated the difficult symptoms of gastrointestinal graft-vs.-host disease […]

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about half of all Americans will have periodontal disease at some point in their lives. Characterized by inflamed gums and bone loss around teeth, the condition can cause bad breath, toothache, tender gums and, in severe cases, tooth loss. Now, […]

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that leads to progressive brain cell death and extensive loss of motor function. Despite much research being conducted on this disease, there are no definitive diagnostic tests currently available. Now, researchers report the identification of compounds that make up the signature odor of the […]

The terms “colon cancer” and “colorectal cancer” tend to be used interchangeably. But there are important differences between colon and rectal cancers. Less common and potentially more dangerous, rectal cancer calls for special expertise to properly diagnose and treat it. Karin Hardiman, M.D., Ph.D., surgical director of the Rogel Cancer Center’s Multidisciplinary […]

Eating a calcium-rich diet or taking calcium supplements does not appear to increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to the findings of a study by scientists at the National Eye Institute (NEI). AMD is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness among people age 65 and […]

In research that casts cells as curators of their own history, Harvard Medical School researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have discovered that adult tissues retain a memory, inscribed on their DNA, of the embryonic cells from which they arose. The discovery led to one even more intriguing find—that the memory […]

Sperm is an incredibly good swimmer for its size. It needs quite a bit of strength to break through the cervical mucus barrier. But where does that strength come from? Scientists from the universities of York and Oxford say that the secret is the outer-layer which coats the tails of […]

One in three childhood cancer survivors is at risk of becoming infertile due to chemotherapy or radiation, and since their sperm or eggs have not matured, assisted reproduction using those sperm or eggs is not an option when they become adults. Now in a major first, researchers at the University of […]

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have found that type IgG antibodies play an unexpected role in atherosclerosis. A study on mice shows that the antibodies stabilise the plaque that accumulates on the artery walls, which reduces the risk of it rupturing and causing a blood clot. It is hoped that the results, […]

Enlarged perivascular spaces, which are commonly seen on brain MRIs in older adults, have important associations with worse cognitive performance, particularly information processing speed and executive function, according to a new study that challenges historical consideration that perivascular spaces are a harmless imaging marker. Enlarged perivascular spaces are fluid-filled spaces […]

A single allergic reaction during pregnancy prompts sexual-development changes in the brains of offspring that last a lifetime, new research suggests. Female rats born to mothers exposed to an allergen during pregnancy acted more characteristically “male” – mounting other female rodents, for instance – and had brains and nervous systems […]