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As time goes by, the tips of your chromosomes—called telomeres—become shorter. This process has long been viewed as an unwanted side-effect of ageing, but a recent study shows it is in fact good for you. “Telomeres protect the genetic material,” says Titia de Lange, Leon Hess Professor at Rockefeller. “The DNA […]

About 25 per cent of the U.S. population suffers from fatty liver disease, a condition that can lead to fibrosis of the liver and, eventually, liver failure. Currently, there is no easy way to diagnose either fatty liver disease or liver fibrosis. However, MIT engineers have now developed a diagnostic […]

While doctors can successfully treat some types of skin cancer at the surface with human-engineered viruses, scientists have yet to find a way to inject these types of viruses to seek and destroy other cancers in the body, such as lung cancer. But medical researchers at Case Western Reserve University […]

A new study led by researchers at UC San Francisco has found that among older Americans with cognitive impairment, the greater the air pollution in their neighbourhood, the higher the likelihood of amyloid plaques – a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. The study adds to a body of evidence indicating that […]

New research has discovered a cell type that governs the way bones form and maintains themselves, opening up a potential target for future therapies for bone disorders like osteoporosis. Led by faculty from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, a rodent study showed that bone marrow […]

Our gut microbiomes — the many bacteria, viruses and other microbes living in our digestive tracts — play important roles in our health and risk for disease in ways that are only beginning to be recognized. University of California San Diego researchers and collaborators recently demonstrated in older men that […]

The brains of healthy adults recovered faster from a mild vascular challenge and performed better on complex tests if the participants consumed cocoa flavanols beforehand, researchers reported in the journal Scientific Reports. In the study, 14 of 18 participants saw these improvements after ingesting the flavanols. Previous studies have shown […]

Gut hormones play an important role in regulating fat production in the body. One key hormone, released a few hours after eating, turns off fat production by regulating gene expression in the liver, but this regulation is abnormal in obesity, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found in a […]

A proof-of-concept study conducted in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease offers new evidence that copper isotopes can be used to detect the amyloid-beta protein deposits that form in the brains of people living with – or at risk of developing – Alzheimer’s. Several types of isotopes give off positively […]

When the heart develops, some of its coronary blood vessels develop from cells lining the inner surface of the heart’s ventricular chambers (endocardium). Novel findings suggest that new blood vessel growth in the heart can be stimulated with the VEGF-B growth factor from the same source after myocardial infarction to […]

Michael Antonov is one of a number of high net worth individuals who are interested in accelerating progress towards a first generation of comprehensive rejuvenation therapies, targeting all of the mechanisms of aging in order to cure age-related disease and extend healthy life spans. The SENS Research Foundation remains one […]

Every cell contains a herd of hundreds of mitochondria, organelles descended from ancient symbiotic bacteria. The primary purpose of mitochondria is to package the chemical energy store molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP) that is needed to power cellular processes. Each mitochondrion contains one more copies of a small circular genome, the […]

A world-leading £1.5 million research programme that aims to achieve scar-free healing within a generation has been launched by The Scar Free Foundation, the only medical research charity which focuses solely on scarring. The five-year research study led by the University of Bristol will identify the gene(s) that causes scarring […]

Shihua Sun has investigated the associations between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and specific adverse outcomes including asthma and premature death. In his thesis, Shihua included four studies to clarify the magnitude and aetiology of the associations, as well as potential effects from medication treatment that may prevent poor prognosis. ADHD is […]

Cells become senescent and cease replication in response to damage, a toxic environment, or reaching the Hayflick limit. Such cells near all self-destruct or are destroyed by the immune system. In later life, however, they begin to linger and accumulate. This is an issue, as the secretions of senescent cells […]

Gilberto Fisone has been awarded a three-year research grant from the Swedish Research Council within the program Novel Imaging and Brain Stimulation Methods and Technologies (JPND) for a project entitled “Phage-based targeted neural stimulation in neurodegenerative diseases”. ”Parkinson’s Disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases with major social […]

How people work out the meanings of new words has been revealed by Lancaster University researchers, who say this is similar to the way in which young children learn the language. The research published in Cognition is by Professor Patrick Rebuschat and Professor Padraic Monaghan, who said: “Have you ever caught yourself […]

New research has identified and described a cellular process that, despite what textbooks say, has remained elusive to scientists until now – precisely how the copying of genetic material that, once started, is properly turned off. The finding concerns a key process essential to life: the transcription phase of gene […]

In a new study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have studied CYP2C19 and CYP2D6 genes impact on treatment with antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs. The study shows that control of the patient’s genotype can be used to individualize the drug treatment and lead to a more […]

Women diagnosed with early-onset colorectal cancer have a greater risk of dying from the disease depending upon their county of residence, according to a study published in Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology. The study is the first to define specific geographic areas in the United States where women diagnosed with colorectal cancer […]

Finding medicines that can kill cancer cells while leaving normal tissue unscathed is a Holy Grail of oncology research. In two new papers, scientists at UC San Francisco and Princeton University present complementary strategies to crack this problem with “smart” cell therapies – living medicines that remain inert unless triggered […]

Protocell compartments used as models for an important step in the early evolution of life on Earth can be made from short polymers. The short polymers, which better approximate the likely size of molecules available on the early Earth, form the compartments through liquid-liquid phase separation in the same manner […]

Research indicates that starting school later in the morning yields health and academic benefits for high schoolers, whose natural body clock tends toward late-to-bed, late-to-rise habits. While parents raise concerns about drowsy driving, irritation and impaired school performance, a new study led by researchers at UC San Francisco suggests another […]

Male fruit flies have only one X chromosome instead of two like their female counterparts. Therefore, their X chromosome must be twice as active to achieve the same “gene dosage”. If this does not succeed, the animals die. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg […]

Finding just the right model to study human development—from the early embryonic stage onward—has been a challenge for scientists over the last decade. Now, bioengineers at the University of California San Diego have homed in on an unusual candidate: teratomas. Teratomas—which mean “monstrous tumors” in Greek—are tumors made up of […]

Reduced food intake, known as dietary restriction, leads to a longer lifespan in many animals and can improve health in humans. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the positive effects of dietary restriction are still unclear. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing have now found one possible […]

Scientists have found a new mechanism responsible for regulating stem cells in fruit flies, with possible implications for cancer therapies. The study, published by University of Alberta biologists, identifies an inhibition mechanism of an enzyme called Myt1 kinase, which manages how stem cells develop and differentiate during organ development in […]

Puberty, the transformational period where a child reaches physical and sexual maturity, is a near-universal human experience, yet the fundamental processes behind how and when it starts is still a mystery. For girls, puberty can begin as early as eight years old, with most instances of early puberty linked to […]

All over the world, chemical products such as stimulants, but also beauty products, (energy) drinks, vitamins and food supplements have become an integral part of young people's daily lives. Many of these products can be potentially harmful. The University of Amsterdam studied why young people use these products and how […]

Cocoa is the cosy beverage of choice during dark winter evenings. You wrap yourself in a Christmas blanket, turn on an appropriate movie and just sip your hot cocoa. However, it is not just delicious – it is also good for your brain, as this new study from the University […]