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Simple Neural Circuit Controls Chewing and Appetite

Speaking, singing, coughing, laughing, yelling, yawning, chewing-;we use our jaws for many purposes. Each action requires a complex coordination of muscles whose activity is managed by neurons in the brain.

24 Oct 2024

Personalized Mini-Brains Provide Insight into Autism Spectrum Disorder

Using stem cells generated from patients with a rare and severe form of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, Scripps Research scientists have grown personalized "mini-brains" (or organoids) to study the disorder in new detail.

24 Oct 2024

Discovery of RNA Brake Offers Insights into Neurodevelopmental Disorders

When a gene produces too much protein, it can have devastating consequences on brain development and function.

24 Oct 2024

Study Uncovers Mechanism Behind B-Cell Maturation in Leukemia

Over four hundred people, 80% of them being children under 14 years old, will be diagnosed with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (B-ALL) next year in Spain, according to the latest projections from the Spanish network of cancer registries (REDECAN).

23 Oct 2024

New Insights into SARS-CoV-2’s Evasion of Innate Immunity

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has an enzyme that can counteract a cell's innate defense mechanism against viruses, explaining why it is more infectious than the previous SARS and MERS-causing viruses.

23 Oct 2024

New Bacterial Toxins Discovered as Potential Weapons Against Infections

Researchers have discovered a new group of bacterial toxins that can kill harmful bacteria and fungi, opening the door to potential new treatments for infections.

23 Oct 2024

Structural Insights into Bacteriophages Open Doors for New Therapeutics

The viruses that infect bacteria are the most abundant biological entities on the planet. For example, a recent simple study of 92 showerheads and 36 toothbrushes from American bathrooms found more than 600 types of bacterial viruses, commonly called bacteriophages or phages.

23 Oct 2024

Novel Gene Regulates Axon Regeneration in the Central Nervous System

A scientific investigation led by researchers at HKUST has uncovered promising avenues for treating injuries to the central nervous system, with findings published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

23 Oct 2024

Unraveling the Mechanics Behind Transcription-Dependent Motions of Single Genes

A group of researchers has found unexpected links between genome packing, gene activity, and genome-wide motions, exposing features of the genome's structure that have a direct impact on gene expression and regulation.

23 Oct 2024

Targeting Fat Metabolism Enhances Ferroptosis-Inducing Cancer Treatments

According to a study conducted by researchers at the Van Andel Institute, preventing cancer cells from obtaining fat may improve the efficacy of a particular cancer treatment.

23 Oct 2024

New Study Uncovers How Viral Infections Trigger Pain, Identifies Potential Target for Relief

Findings indicate nociceptors detect viral nucleic acids, activating STING and TRPV1, highlighting new pain mechanisms in viral infections like HSV-1.

23 Oct 2024

Unraveling the Genetic Blueprint of the Deep Brain

Researchers have discovered 254 genetic variations that influence important “deep brain” structures, such as those that govern memory, motor skills, addictive behaviors, and more, in one of the biggest-ever investigations of DNA and brain volume.

22 Oct 2024

Researchers Discover How Guard Cells Control Stomata Movement

Plants control their water consumption via adjustable pores (stomata), which are formed from pairs of guard cells.

22 Oct 2024

Study Identifies Novel Chromatin Configuration in Turtle Genomes

Researchers from UAB and Iowa State University have produced the first-ever genome assemblies of two hidden-neck turtle species.

22 Oct 2024

Genetic Study Offers Hope for the Endangered Oriental Stork

A new genomic study of the endangered Oriental Stork reveals that the population's genetic health is still surprisingly strong, with high genetic diversity and low levels of inbreeding.

22 Oct 2024

Phages Form Unique 3D Shapes, Boosting Disease Detection

While preparing slides to be examined under a powerful microscope, a team of McMaster researchers who frequently work with bacteriophage viruses that consume bacteria had a pleasant and potentially very significant surprise.

22 Oct 2024

Unlocking the Secrets of Life Through Synthetic Biology

It is one of the most fundamental questions in science: how can lifeless molecules come together to form a living cell? Bert Poolman, Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Groningen, has been working on this problem for over twenty years.

22 Oct 2024

How Cancer Cells Use Ribosomes to Evade the Immune System

The protein factories of our cells are much more diverse than we thought they were. Scientists from the Netherlands Cancer Institute have now shown that cancer cells can use these so-called ribosomes to boost their invisibility cloak, helping them hide from the immune system.

22 Oct 2024

Mapping Auxiliary Metabolic Genes in Ocean Viruses

The microbes that cycle nutrients in the ocean don't do the work on their own – the viruses that infect them also influence the process.

21 Oct 2024

Advancements in Understanding Intestinal Hormone Secretion

A multi-institutional group of researchers led by the Hubrecht Institute and Roche's Institute of Human Biology has developed strategies to identify regulators of intestinal hormone secretion.

21 Oct 2024