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Researchers Illuminate How Neurons Consume and Metabolize Glucose

The human brain has a sweet tooth, burning through nearly one quarter of the body's sugar energy, or glucose, each day.

21 Apr 2023

Universal Mechanism by Which Cells Determine DNA Shape Uncovered

We finally know why our DNA has an X shape. This finding by researchers at the Netherlands Cancer Institute may have much broader implications for how our cells behave.

21 Apr 2023

Cellophane Bees Found to be Brew Masters of the Insect World

Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have made a remarkable discovery about cellophane bees – their microbiomes are some of the most fermentative known from the insect world.

21 Apr 2023

Engineered Sustainable, Patient-Specific NPCs Could Help Treat Neurodegenerative Diseases

Progressive loss of neurons is the underlying cause for a diverse spectrum of severe diseases called neurodegenerative diseases, which include Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and retinitis pigmentosa.

21 Apr 2023

Abnormal Immune Activity in Astrocytes Causes Dementia-Related Cognitive Deficits

People with dementia have protein build-up in astrocytes that may trigger abnormal antiviral activity and memory loss, according to a preclinical study by a team of Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

21 Apr 2023

DSCAM Gene Triplication Causes Excessive Inhibitory Signaling in the Brain of Down Syndrome Mouse

An extra copy of a gene that controls synapse formation in the cortex causes excessive inhibitory signaling and may contribute to Down syndrome, according to a new study publishing April 20th in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Bing Ye of the University of Michigan, US, and colleagues.

21 Apr 2023

Macrophages in the Duodenum Play an Important Role in Iron Deficiency

Approximately one to two milligrams of the trace element must be supplied daily through food and finally absorbed in the duodenum for a balanced iron metabolism.

21 Apr 2023

Food-Poisoning Bacteria Create Syringe-Like Structures to Inject Toxins Into Intestinal Cells

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered how a bacterium that infects people after they eat raw or undercooked shellfish creates syringe-like structures to inject its toxins into intestinal cells.

21 Apr 2023

Increased Fucose Digestion by Gut Bacteria Linked to Lower Immune Responses to COVID-19 Vaccine

Gut bacteria that break down a sugar called fucose could be dampening our immune response to the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, according to a study led by researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology.

21 Apr 2023

Using Natural Collagen Extracted from Squid as Tissue Scaffold for Growing Cells

Collagen is the basic protein that makes up the intercellular matrix, or in other words, the environment for the connective tissue cells of our body, such as tendons, bone, and cartilage.

21 Apr 2023

Spatial Organization of Chromosomes and the Role of DNA Tension

Two protein complexes are primarily responsible for chromosomal spatial organization in human cell nuclei. DNA tension has an unanticipated function in this. Together with Austrian colleagues, nanoscientist Cees Dekker and his PhD candidate Roman Barth of TU Delft’s Kavli Institute of Nanoscience published their detailed visualization in Nature on April 19th, 2023.

21 Apr 2023

Gene-Silencing Complexes Work Together to Render X Chromosomes Inactive

Two protein complexes are involved in the mysterious process of shutting off one X chromosome in female mammals, according to a new study from RIKEN. This result could aid in the understanding of how specific tumors in women develop.

21 Apr 2023

Changes in Gut Microbiomes of Astronauts May be Linked to Bone Loss

In space, the bone density of both the human astronauts and rodent variety decreases. Scientists published this study on April 19th, 2023, in the journal Cell Reports. It says that alterations to the gut microbiomes of space travelers may be linked to this bone loss.

21 Apr 2023

Hair-Coloring Stem Cells in the Hair Germ Compartment Trigger Pigmentation

Some stem cells have a special capacity to mobilize among growth compartments in hair follicles; however, they get stuck with age in people. Hence, they lose their capacity to mature and retain hair color, as per new research.

From New York University (NYU) 21 Apr 2023

Ingenious Approach to Identify AIEgens From Natural Fluorescent Species

Plants that glow in ultraviolet (UV) light are not only a figment of science fiction TV and film.

21 Apr 2023

Unveiling the Molecular Structure of the Ssp Toxin from Serratia marcescens

A multinational research group has uncovered how the bacterial toxin Ssp may penetrate and kill a wide variety of living cells, including human cells.

21 Apr 2023

Using Cellular Reprogramming to Make the Heart Function Like New Again

A recent study using mice has revealed a way to turn back the clock after heart attack. The researchers behind the work used RNAs to instruct cells in an injured heart to eliminate scar tissue and recreate cardiac muscle, allowing the heart to function like new again.

20 Apr 2023

A Previously Unknown Mechanism for DNA Folding Revealed

A hitherto unknown mechanism for DNA folding is described in a study in Nature published by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics.

20 Apr 2023

Mind-Body Connection is More Than Just an Abstraction

Calm body, calm mind, say the practitioners of mindfulness. A new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that the idea that the body and mind are inextricably intertwined is more than just an abstraction.

20 Apr 2023

Quebec Scientists Isolate Infectious SARS-CoV-2 Virus from Hospital Air Samples

Quebec scientists have succeeded in isolating infectious particles of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from air samples collected from hospital rooms of COVID-19 patients and kept frozen for more than a year, a new study shows.

20 Apr 2023