Related Science News

May 16, 2021

Evidence Against the Membrane Pacemaker Hypothesis of Aging in Bird Species

The membrane pacemaker hypothesis suggests that the lipid composition of membranes, and particularly mitochondrial membranes, is an important determinant of species longevity in at least some clades, such as mammals and birds. Membrane composition determines the degree of resistance to lipid oxidation and consequent loss of function for component parts […]
May 16, 2021

Diagramming the brain with colorful connections

There are billions of neurons in the human brain, and scientists want to know how they are connected. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Alle Davis and Maxine Harrison Professor of Neurosciences Anthony Zador, and colleagues Xiaoyin Chen and Yu-Chi Sun, published a new technique in Nature Neuroscience for figuring out connections using genetic tags. […]
May 16, 2021

WashU, Pitt awarded $10.7 million for Alzheimer’s disease research

Despite decades of research and investment, the genetic underpinnings of Alzheimer’s disease are still largely unknown, stymieing efforts at drug development and early diagnosis. To change that, a new grant will support the first comprehensive study to use whole-genome sequencing to address critical gaps in knowledge about the disease. The […]
May 16, 2021

Gout Treatment Success Doubled by Combining Two Drugs, Study Finds

By combining two medications, researchers at Michigan Medicine optimized therapy for people with gout, a condition that causes severe damage and disability if left untreated. The study revealed how a second drug taken orally more than doubled the effectiveness of Pegloticase, an intravenous gout treatment used to dissolve crystallized uric […]
May 15, 2021

The Human Gut Microbiome is Beneficially Altered by Intermittent Fasting

Researchers here show that intermittent fasting alters the gut microbiome in ways that likely increase the production of butyrate. This metabolite is known to produce beneficial downstream effects, such as upregulation of BDNF and neurogenesis. As research into the gut microbiome in health and aging continues, an increased knowledge of […]
May 15, 2021

Novel Structure Found in Tumor Cells May Open Door to New Kinds of Cancer Therapies

In 2015, researchers at UC San Francisco found a structure inside of tumor cells that biologists had never seen before. Even more surprising, a closer examination of the structure revealed that it contained signaling proteins known as receptor tyrosine kinases, or RTKs, which were thought to reside exclusively on the cell’s […]
May 14, 2021

Sex cells in parasites are doing their own thing

Researchers at the University of Bristol have discovered how microbes responsible for human African sleeping sickness produce sex cells. In these single-celled parasites, known as trypanosomes, each reproductive cell splits off in turn from the parental germline cell, which is responsible for passing on genes. Conventional germline cells divide twice […]
May 14, 2021

Treatment for Alzheimer’s disease found effective in preventing inflammation in orthopedic implants

Dental and orthopedic implants are widely used around the world. Common causes for implant failure are the immune response against oral bacteria and titanium particles shed by the implant. These and other phenomena can generate an inflammatory response, activating the osteoclasts (bone resorbing cells), and ultimately leading to osteolysis (destruction […]
May 14, 2021

Cancer has ripple effect on distant tissues

A new study with zebrafish shows that a deadly form of skin cancer — melanoma — alters the metabolism of healthy tissues elsewhere in the body. The research from Washington University in St. Louis suggests that these other tissues could potentially be targeted to help treat cancer. “Tumors rely on […]
May 14, 2021

Breakthrough could lead to early detection of pregnancy complications

The quest to create safer, more successful pregnancies is one of the top goals of modern science. While pregnancy is better understood today than ever before, with improvements in technology helping to lower the risk of negative outcomes, there is much researchers still don’t know about a vital part of […]
May 14, 2021

Building robots to expand access to cell therapies

Over the last two years, Multiply Labs has helped pharmaceutical companies produce biologic drugs with its robotic manufacturing platform. The robots can work around the clock, precisely formulating small batches of drugs to help companies run clinical trials more quickly. Now Multiply Labs, which was founded by Fred Parietti PhD […]
May 13, 2021

New findings linking brain immune system to psychosis

New research at Karolinska Institutet suggests a link between psychosis and a genetic change that affects the brain's immune system. The study published in Molecular Psychiatry may impact the development of modern medicines for bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Psychosis affects approximately 2-3 per cent of the population and is characterized […]
May 13, 2021

Boosting body heat production: a new approach for treating obesity

Targeting a heat production ‘brake’ on fat tissues may be a safer way to treat obesity than current medication. A receptor that helps conserve energy when food is scarce may be the key to a safer approach to treating diet-induced obesity, research led by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research […]
May 13, 2021

How trauma shapes our brain cells

Neglect, calamitous events or even abuse: traumatic childhood experiences increase the risk of mental and physical illness and can lead to psychiatric disorders later in life. But how do stressful events early in life persistently affect brain functions? What happens in a child’s nerve cells when fear and stress overwhelm […]
May 13, 2021

Sleep disruptions linked to a significant increase in death risk

Sleep is very important for us and you know it. If you don’t get a good night’s sleep, you definitely feel it. Duration of sleep is important, but other factors play a huge role as well. For example, interruptions. A new study from the University of Adelaide has revealed that […]
May 12, 2021

A few words about gene therapy

Is there any hope for people who are suffering from incurable diseases? Modern medicine shed light in the darkness in the form of a novel therapy, gene therapy. Gene therapy is a relatively new experimental technique, which uses the gene to treat, prevent or limit illness development. It is based […]
May 12, 2021

Anesthesia doesn't simply turn off the brain — it changes its rhythms

Simultaneous measurement of neural rhythms and spikes across five brain areas reveals how propofol induces unconsciousness. In a uniquely deep and detailed look at how the commonly used anesthetic propofol causes unconsciousness, a collaboration of labs at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT shows that as the […]
May 12, 2021

Gene therapy restores immune function in children with rare immunodeficiency

Investigational gene therapy can safely restore the immune systems of infants and children who have a rare, life-threatening inherited immunodeficiency disorder, according to research supported in part by the National Institutes of Health. The researchers found that 48 of 50 children who received the gene therapy retained their replenished immune […]
May 12, 2021

Study: Americans are increasingly experiencing chronic pain

Americans are in chronic pain, and a comprehensive new study exploring trends in this major public health concern reveals that what has been a long-standing and under-acknowledged problem is getting substantially worse. The findings, published in the latest issue of the journal Demography, suggest blanket increases across multiple measures, with pain rising […]
May 12, 2021

Scientists Find Mechanism that Eliminates Senescent Cells

Scientists at UC San Francisco are learning how immune cells naturally clear the body of defunct – or senescent – cells that contribute to aging and many chronic diseases. Understanding this process may open new ways of treating age-related chronic diseases with immunotherapy. In a healthy state, these immune cells […]
May 12, 2021

Novel Structure Found in Tumor Cells May Open Door to New Kinds of Cancer Therapies

In 2015, researchers at UC San Francisco found a structure inside of tumor cells that biologists had never seen before. Even more surprising, a closer examination of the structure revealed that it contained signaling proteins known as receptor tyrosine kinases, or RTKs, which were thought to reside exclusively on the cell’s […]
May 12, 2021

Designer alterations to brain cells reduce anxious behavior in monkeys, hold promise for new treatments

Using a technique that could point to a new way to help people with severe anxiety and other treatment-resistant psychiatric illnesses, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison successfully dialed down anxious monkeys’ overactive response to a potential threat by installing a custom chemical switch in their brain cells. About 30 […]
May 12, 2021

Study: Researchers use eel-like protein to control brain

Researchers looking to help people suffering from addiction, depression, and pain are studying how certain brain neurons operate to see if they can be controlled. In a paper published in Neuron, researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Washington University in St. Louis, along with several other […]
May 11, 2021

Artificial Intelligence is making cancer vaccines closer to reality

Imagine if you could get vaccinated for cancer. You would just get a shot or a couple of shots and your immune system would learn how to recognize and kill cancer. This sci-fi-sounding idea is not that far from reality. Especially now that scientists at the University of Waterloo have […]
May 11, 2021

Bacterial DNA is symmetrical and can be read either forwards or backwards

DNA is basically a software code for the living organisms. It is constantly read and various processes are performed according to that encoded information. It is a good system and we’ve known about it for quite some time, but there is still a lot about it that we don’t know.  […]