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New research has revealed the fascinating adaptation of some Australian sea snakes that helps protect their vulnerable paddle-shaped tails from predators. An international study led by the University of Adelaide shows that several species of Australian sea snakes can sense light on their tail skin, prompting them to withdraw their […]

University of Queensland research may explain why vitamin D is vital for brain health, and how deficiency leads to disorders including depression and schizophrenia. Associate Professor Thomas Burne at UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute led the studies, which provide the groundwork for research into better prevention and treatments. “Over a billion […]

From shampoos to food storage containers to pesticides, we touch, ingest and breathe chemicals every day. Despite their ubiquity, the effects of these substances on human reproductive health are largely unknown. With thousands of chemicals to test, how can researchers quickly zero in on the ones most likely to cause […]

After reviewing thousands of case studies going back 25 years across six countries, generalisable survival data is now available for the first time to estimate how long hip and knee replacements are likely to last. The findings of researchers, funded by the National Joint Registry and the NIHR, from the Musculoskeletal Research Unit at the University […]

Scientists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified a potential explanation for the mysterious death of specific brain cells seen in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. The new research suggests that the cells may die because of naturally occurring gene variation in brain cells that were, until recently, […]

Cancer cells are, in some respects, impressive: They can grow relentlessly, sidestep the aging process by becoming immortal, and evade the immune system’s persistent attacks. But in the process of acquiring such superpowers, the cells must occasionally relinquish other, more mundane skills—including the ability to produce certain nutrients. Researchers at […]

Artificial Intelligence is helping to guide and support some 50 breast cancer patients in rural Georgia through a novel mobile application that gives them personalized recommendations on everything from side effects to insurance. The app, called MyPath, adapts to each stage in a patient’s cancer journey. So the information available […]

Part of a growing body of research examining how the “microbiome” — the composition of bacteria living inside the body — may improve health or contribute to disease, the new study found a significant association between the composition of a woman’s cervical microbiome and the presence of pre-cancerous lesions on […]

Depression is common in older age and with an ageing population how late-life depression is managed will become increasingly important. Researchers from the University of Bristol and University College London (UCL) suggest mental health in later life should be given greater priority by healthcare professionals. Nearly ten per cent of […]

One of the downsides to getting older is that skeletal muscle loses its ability to heal after injury. New research from the University of Pittsburgh implicates the so-called “longevity protein” Klotho, both as culprit and therapeutic target. The paper, published in Nature Communications, showed that, in young animals, Klotho expression soars after a […]

University at Buffalo researchers have received part of a $1.5 million grant to investigate light therapy as a replacement for prescription opioids in treating oral mucositis, painful ulcers and swelling in the mouth that result from chemotherapy and radiation treatment for cancer. Funded by the National Institutes of Dental and […]

Researchers say they are closer to solving the mystery of how a good night’s sleep protects against heart disease. In studies using mice, they discovered a previously unknown mechanism between the brain, bone marrow, and blood vessels that appears to protect against the development of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the […]

New tool lets researchers quantify contraction, relaxation in human heart cells in a dish. The human heart beats an estimated 2 to 3 billion times over a 70-year lifespan. Powering each beat are muscle cells’ individual units of contraction, called sarcomeres. Above, sarcomeres beat in human heart cells in a […]

DNA-repair enzymes help cells survive damage to their genomes, which arises as a normal byproduct of cell activity and can also be caused by environmental toxins. However, in certain situations, DNA repair can become harmful to cells, provoking an inflammatory response that produces severe tissue damage. MIT Professor Leona Samson […]

A new method uses fluorescence to detect potentially disease-causing forms of proteins as they unravel due to stress or mutations. A team of researchers from Penn State and the University of Washington reengineered a fluorescent compound and developed a method to simultaneously light up two different proteins as they misfold […]

National Eye Institute scientists led a collaborative study and zeroed in on genes associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss and blindness among people age 65 and older. These findings provide a more expanded and in-depth picture of the genetic contributions to AMD, and they […]

High cholesterol has been found to be a possible risk factor for the development of motor neurone disease (MND), according to a large study of genetic data led in the UK by Queen Mary University of London, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health in the USA. The results […]

A study provides new insight into how the stiffening of breast tissue plays a role in breast cancer development. By examining how mammary cells respond in a stiffness-changing hydrogel, bioengineers at the University of California San Diego discovered that several pathways work together to promote the transformation of breast cells […]

For some of us, they carry the bright blue of our grandfather’s eyes. For others they result in the characteristic cleft chin or the familial tendency toward color blindness. But in some families, the genetic mutations handed down from generation to generation aren’t as benign. And for one family in […]

Getting enough sleep is key to good health, and studies have shown that insufficient sleep increases the risk of serious problems, including cardiovascular disease. Now, Harvard Medical School researchers based at Massachusetts General Hospital have discovered one way that sleep protects against atherosclerosis, the buildup of arterial plaques. In their […]

Hearing impairment is a common consequence of advancing age. Almost three-quarters of U.S. adults age 70 and older suffer from some degree of hearing loss. One unanswered question has been to what degree hearing impairment intersects with and influences age-related cognitive decline. In a new study, researchers at University of […]

An international research team led by The University of Western Australia and The Baker Institute in Melbourne has found a morning bout of exercise reduces the detrimental impact on the pattern of brain blood flow of prolonged sitting in older adults who are overweight or obese. Lead researcher Michael Wheeler, […]

Oxford University Radcliffe Department of Medicine researchers have developed a new method that uses a protein originally found in marine corals to visualise the flow of calcium that makes the heart beat.  In a paper published in the journal Circulation Research, they used this technique to uncover the effects of genetic […]

Rotator cuff tears are common injuries, and proper healing of the shoulder muscle is often difficult. “Chronic tears often result in fat accumulation within the rotator cuff muscles, resulting in negative clinical outcomes, including weakening and atrophy of the muscles,” says Manuel Schubert, M.D., resident in orthopaedic surgery at Michigan Medicine. […]

Syrian hamsters are golden-haired rodents often kept as house pets. Cold and darkness can cause the animals to hibernate for 3-4 days at a time, interspersed with short periods of activity. Surprisingly, the hibernation spurts of these cute, furry creatures could hold clues to better treatments for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), […]

Two new papers, published simultaneously in Nature Communications and led by researchers at McGill University, offer promise that a drug currently used to treat estrogen positive breast cancer may be effective in treating two different types of cancer, one rare and one common form. The breakthrough discovery launching this research came in […]

Eye troubles detected at infancy began to take their toll when Emma Kate Roden started walking. The toddler would often bump into things because of poor eyesight. Now age 7, a rare genetic condition has continued to eat away at her vision. She can’t see after dark, so there are […]

The specialists can review an individual’s DNA following a doctor’s suspicion of retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt disease or cone-rod dystrophy, among other vision-related conditions. The goal: to identify genetic mutations and associated inheritance patterns related to the disorder. “We consider genetic testing to be an integral part of making a diagnosis in […]

As new technology allows researchers to plunge deeper into the genome and exome, a new class of RNA called circRNA, or circular RNA, may play an intriguing role. Researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center have cataloged circular RNA in multiple cancers. Their initial research suggests these stable structures could […]

Many older adults who have major surgery experience postoperative delirium in the days after their operations. Previous research has suggested that closely monitoring the brain during surgery and making adjustments to protect the brain from too much anesthesia could reduce risk of postoperative delirium. But in a new study of […]