Related Science News

March 2, 2018

Hormones may affect girls’ interests, but not their gender identity or playmates

Prenatal exposure to male hormones influences which activities girls are interested and engage in, but the effects of those hormones don’t extend to gender identity or who they socialize with, according to Penn State researchers. The researchers explored how prenatal exposure to androgens — hormones that are typically higher in […]
March 1, 2018

Genome Sequencing Uncovers Therapy for Rare Brain Tumor

Brain tumors are among the deadliest forms of cancer, due in large part to their sensitive location and the challenge of performing surgery to remove them. New research led by David Solomon, MD, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Pathology at UC San Francisco, provides much-needed targeted treatment options for […]
March 1, 2018

Undergrad seeks answers to a mystery of pancreatic cancer

Jesse Persily spent his summer chasing after answers to questions about one of the most deadly kinds of cancer. Persily, a fourth-year human biology major, received a Harrison Undergraduate Research Award last year to perform research on a specific subset of cancer patients. His work analyzed cell surface receptors on […]
March 1, 2018

DTU to boost research in microbial antibiotics

DTU is opening a new Center of Excellence for Microbial Secondary Metabolites (CeMiSt), which aims to identify why microorganisms produce penicillin and other antibiotic substances, so-called secondary metabolites. The centre will be a training platform for a new generation of researchers, and the research will both pave the way for discovering fundamental biological principles […]
March 1, 2018

Beneficial Skin Bacteria Protect Against Skin Cancer

Science continues to peel away layers of the skin microbiome to reveal its protective properties. In a study published in Science Advances, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers report a potential new role for some bacteria on the skin: protecting against cancer. “We have identified a strain of Staphylococcus […]
March 1, 2018

Southampton researchers go skin deep to explore what causes wrinkles

The prospects – and consequences – of ageing are of concern to us all, especially when considering the likelihood of developing wrinkles. They are not only a hallmark of ageing but also play a fundamental role in how we physically interact with many products and devices, from moisturiser cream and […]
February 28, 2018

Artificial sweetener could someday provide cancer treatments with fewer side effects

Artificial sweeteners are used in diet drinks and foods but also could someday be used as treatments targeting carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX), a protein associated with aggressive cancers. Although several drugs have been approved that target similar forms of CA, they aren’t selective and may cause side effects, including […]
February 28, 2018

Watch fat cells help heal a wound in a fly

The cells, which were previously thought to be immobile, propel themselves forward toward wounds with a wormlike wave motion, rather than adhering to and pushing off from other structures like most motile cells do. University of Bristol Schools of Biochemistry, and Physiology & Pharmacology & Neuroscience Professor Paul Martin commented: […]
February 28, 2018

NIH launches international study of AMD progression

A new clinical study led by the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, will follow 500 people over five years to learn more about the natural history of early age-related macular degeneration (AMD). By using the latest technologies to visualize structures within the eye and measure […]
February 27, 2018

Fertility breakthrough: New research could extend egg health with age

Women have been told for years that if they don’t have children before their mid-30s, they may not be able to. But a new study from Princeton University’s Coleen Murphy has identified a drug that extends egg viability in worms, even when taken midway through the fertile window, which could theoretically extend […]
February 27, 2018

Glowing designer sponges: New nanoparticles engineered to image and treat cancer

A Sandia National Laboratories team has designed and synthesized nanoparticles that glow red and are stable, useful properties for tracking cancer growth and spread. This work is the first time the intrinsic luminescence of metal-organic framework materials, or MOFs, for long-term bioimaging has been reported, materials chemist Dorina Sava Gallis […]
February 27, 2018

Researchers Use Human Neural Stem Cell Grafts to Repair Spinal Cord Injuries in Monkeys

Led by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, a diverse team of neuroscientists and surgeons successfully grafted human neural progenitor cells into rhesus monkeys with spinal cord injuries. The grafts not only survived, but grew hundreds of thousands of human axons and synapses, resulting in improved […]
February 26, 2018

Frailty a bigger predictor of post-surgery outcomes than age

Being frail or vulnerable were stronger predictors of post-operative outcomes than age, according to a comprehensive study by University of Alberta researchers. “One-third of patients 65-plus who underwent emergency abdominal surgery were either readmitted to hospital or died six months later. That high number alone surprised us,” said Rachel Khadaroo, a […]
February 26, 2018

Study of smoking and genetics illuminates complexities of blood pressure

Analyzing the genetics and smoking habits of more than half a million people has shed new light on the complexities of controlling blood pressure, according to a study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The research, published in The American Journal of Human Genetics, […]
February 26, 2018

Similarities found in cancer initiation in kidney, liver, stomach, pancreas

Recent research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis demonstrated that mature cells in the stomach sometimes revert back to behaving like rapidly dividing stem cells. Now, the researchers have found that this process may be universal; no matter the organ, when tissue responds to certain types of […]
February 23, 2018

Steep U.S. increase projected for rare skin cancer

The number of U.S. cases of Merkel cell carcinoma, an often-fatal skin cancer, is rising about six times faster than most other cancers and at nearly twice the rate of the more-common melanoma. The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology's March issue reports the finding, which is based on research conducted at the […]
February 23, 2018

Two in one: human placenta stem cells hold a dual benefit

Scientists have discovered a new type of stem cell which has the potential to perform two functions at the same time, meaning better treatment or even cures for many diseases. University of Queensland researchers have found that Meso-Endothelial stem cells in the placenta can generate two cell types and therefore one cell has […]
February 23, 2018

Proteins that package DNA participate in DNA repair

Proteins that function like spools to tightly wind DNA, called histones, play an active role in DNA repair, according to a new study from Weill Cornell Medicine scientists. The study, published in the journal Molecular Cell, provides the first evidence that histones exist on single strands of DNA and unveils […]
February 22, 2018

Stem-cell based stroke treatment repairs brain tissue

A team of researchers at the University of Georgia’s Regenerative Bioscience Center and ArunA Biomedical, a UGA startup company, have developed a new treatment for stroke that reduces brain damage and accelerates the brain’s natural healing tendencies in animal models. They published their findings in the journal Translational Stroke Research. The research team […]
February 22, 2018

Data Detectives Shift Suspicions in Alzheimer's from Usual Suspect to Inside Villain

The mass pursuit of a conspicuous suspect in Alzheimer’s disease may have encumbered research success for decades. Now, a new data analysis that has untangled evidence amassed in years of Alzheimer’s studies encourages researchers to refocus their investigations. Heaps of plaque formed from amyloid-beta that accumulate in afflicted brains are what stick […]
February 22, 2018

New Technique Predicts Gene Resistance to Cancer Treatments

Yale School of Public Health researchers have developed a new method to predict likely resistance paths to cancer therapeutics, and a methodology to apply it to one of the most frequent cancer-causing genes.  That gene, KRAS, is mutated in approximately 20 percent of all human cancers and has a major […]
February 22, 2018

UCI cracks code to restoring memory creation in older or damaged brains

Aging or impaired brains can once again form lasting memories if an enzyme that applies the brakes too hard on a key gene is lifted, according to University of California, Irvine neurobiologists. “What we’ve discovered is that if we free up that DNA again, now the aging brain can form […]
February 22, 2018

National study to shed light on aging

Imagine getting a phone call asking if you’d like to take part in a study … for the next 20 years. It’s a pitch that makes telemarketing look like child’s play. So no wonder Christina Wolfson, BSc’76, MSc’78, PhD’85, a professor in the Faculty of Medicine, says that the recruitment of […]
February 22, 2018

Living human tracheas

Biomedical engineers at Case Western Reserve University are growing tracheas by coaxing cells to form three distinct tissue types after assembling them into a tube structure—without relying on scaffolding strategies currently being investigated by other groups. Successful trials and further research and development could someday allow surgeons the option of […]
February 22, 2018

Neuroimaging reveals lasting brain deficits in iron-deficient piglets

Iron deficiency in the first four weeks of a piglet’s life – equivalent to roughly four months in a human infant – impairs the development of key brain structures, scientists report. The abnormalities remain even after weeks of iron supplementation begun later in life, the researchers found. The discovery, reported in the […]
February 22, 2018

Even light exercising helps reducing risk of death for older men

We know that life is short and we want to enjoy it for as long as we can. However, aging has been associated with reduced wellbeing and health as well as increasing risk of death. There are ways to combat this inevitable destiny – a new research led by scientists […]
February 21, 2018

DNA Nanorobots Successfully Kill Tumours in Mice

Detailing their findings in a study published on 12 February in the journal Nature Biotechnology, an international group of researchers had introduced a DNA nanorobot capable of traveling in the bloodstream and delivering a deathly payload to malignant tumours. “It’s a combination of diagnosing the bio-markers on the surface of […]