Robot

Every living organism has DNA, and every living organism engages in DNA replication, the process by which DNA makes an exact copy of itself during cell division. While it’s a tried-and-true process, problems can arise. Break-induced replication (BIR) is a way to solve those problems. In humans, it is employed chiefly […]

Scientists have very precise instruments, but measuring properties of tiny little cells is still very difficult. Now researchers at the University of Queensland have developed a new tool to measure heat transfer inside living cells. It includes actual diamonds and it can work as both a heater and a thermometre. […]

Brain stimulation is a relatively new way to treat various neurological conditions. It is typically an invasive procedure because electrodes need to be implanted in the brain. However, now scientists at UCL have found a way to use non-invasive brain stimulation to ease tremors typically found in conditions such as […]

Macrophages – immune cells that both fight infections and fix the damage they cause – are often placed into two categories: those that increase inflammation (known as “M1”) to attack, and those that decrease inflammation to begin the healing process (“M2”). Researchers in the lab of Kathryn Miller-Jensen, associate professor […]

Scientists have identified a key factor in mental aging and shown that it might be prevented or reversed by fixing a glitch in the immune system’s front-line soldiers. Suppose Smokey Bear were to lose it and start setting forest fires instead of putting them out. That roughly describes the behaviour […]

A new study suggests that a lot of people might be going through life with symptoms that resemble concussion – a finding supporting researchers’ argument that athletes recovering from a brain injury should be assessed and treated on a highly individualized basis. In the national study, between 11% and 27% […]

When cancer is confined to one spot in the body, doctors can often treat it with surgery or other therapies. Much of the mortality associated with cancer, however, is due to its tendency to metastasize, sending out seeds of itself that may take root throughout the body. The exact moment […]

If you’ve ever had a bad case of jet lag, you know how a disruption to your body’s circadian rhythm makes it difficult to function. Molecular circadian “clocks” exist in cells throughout the body, governing more than just sleep and wake cycles — they are crucial to many aspects of […]

Exposure to mutagens, or mutation-causing agents, can not only bring about changes in DNA but also appear to induce errors when genes are transcribed to make proteins, which may be an important factor in age-related diseases. USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology Assistant Professor Marc Vermulst and colleagues made the discovery by […]

Using stem cells to regenerate parts of the skull, USC scientists partially corrected a skull deformity and reversed learning and memory deficits in young mice with craniosynostosis, a condition estimated to affect 1 in every 2,500 infants born in the United States. The only current therapy is complex surgery within […]

The study, published in Science Immunology, analysed antibody and T cell responses in 136 London healthcare workers who had mild or asymptomatic Covid-19 infection dating back to March 2020. The team, including researchers from Queen Mary, Imperial College London and University College London, found that 89 per cent of healthcare workers […]

Researchers have discovered and identified sub-types of ovarian cancer cells, which can then be used to accurately identify which ovarian cancer subtypes are likely to lead to more severe cancer outcomes – an approach which has been dubbed the ‘Oxford Classification of Carcinoma of the Ovary’ or ‘Oxford Classic’ for […]

New study shows targeting arterial stiffening earlier in a person’s lifespan could provide cognitive benefits in older age and may help to delay the onset of dementia. Researchers at the University of Oxford and University College London investigated 542 older adults who received two measurements of aortic stiffness, at 64 […]

Research into motion sensitivity could lead to improved rehabilitation programmes and an improvement in building designs for people with a rare inner ear condition that affects their balance. Dr Jessica Tyrrell at the University of Exeter’s Medical School will use the VSimulators research facility at Exeter Science Park to explore the response […]

Dietary fiber found in grains is a large component of many diets, but little is understood about how we digest the fiber, as humans lack enzymes to break down the complex molecules. Some species of gut bacteria break down the fiber in such a way that it not only becomes […]

A new University of Saskatchewan (USask) study has found that stretching is superior to brisk walking for reducing blood pressure in people with high blood pressure or who are at risk of developing elevated levels. Walking has long been the prescription of choice for physicians trying to help their patients […]

The enzyme that makes RNA from a DNA template is altered to slow the production of ribosomal RNA (rRNA), the most abundant type of RNA within cells, when resources are scarce and the bacteria Escherichia coli needs to slow its growth. Researchers used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to capture the structures […]

Researchers have shown that the link between physical and mental illness is closer than previously thought. Certain changes in physical health, which are detectable in childhood, are linked with the development of mental illness in adulthood. The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, used a sample of over 10,000 […]

Study shows how to determine the elusive motions of proteins that remain disordered. Researchers from the University of Cambridge, Google Research and the University of Milan have used machine learning techniques to predict how proteins, particularly those implicated in neurological diseases, completely change their shapes in a matter of microseconds. […]

Many patients with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, eventually develop resistance to one treatment after another. That’s in part because cancer stem cells drive the disease — cells that continually self-renew. If a therapy can’t completely destroy these malignant stem cells, the cancer is likely to keep coming […]

New research from McMaster has found that psychiatric help for mothers with postpartum depression results in healthy changes in the brains of their babies. The study, published in the journal Depression and Anxiety this week, found treating mothers who had postpartum depression with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) not only helped […]

When they are activated to mount an immune response, T cells produce secretory proteins that help to manage their growth and other functions. But the intracellular pathways involved and molecular components that regulate this key process aren’t well understood. New research from a team of scientists at the University of […]

Biologists have long wondered how complex organisms contain a variety of dramatically different types of cells with specialized functions, even though all of those cells are genetically identical. New research reveals how proteins, called “pioneer transcription factors,” help turn on key genes that give cell types their unique properties and […]

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered a new genetic disorder characterized by developmental delays and malformations of the brain, heart and facial features. Named linkage-specific-deubiquitylation-deficiency-induced embryonic defects syndrome (LINKED), it is caused by a mutated version of the OTUD5 gene, which interferes with key molecular steps in embryo development. […]

Nowadays, the fashion trends and cosmetics industry promote fitness and “perfect” body types. Strict following of these “recommendations” may have harmful consequences. Social media do not help, promoting standards – to stay healthy and beautiful, measured in clothing sizes. Usually, there is no room for being “just average”. A larger […]

The United States is facing an epidemic of liver disease linked to obesity. Cases of nonalcoholic fatty liver have more than doubled in the past two decades, now affecting around one-quarter of the country’s population. The condition leads to inflammation and scarring in the liver, similar to that caused by […]

University of Alberta researchers have discovered a potential biomarker—the response of a particular reflex in the body dubbed the Hoffmann reflex—that would help surgeons deliver deep brain stimulation (DBS) more precisely and effectively to patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease. The work, led by U of A neurosurgeon Tejas Sankar, was recently published in […]

Several genetic mutations previously linked to breast cancer and included on commercial genetic tests, including direct-to-consumer tests, were found not to increase a woman’s risk of disease, according to a population study of more than 64,000 women published online in the New England Journal of Medicine from several institutions, including Penn Medicine. […]

The colons of African Americans and people of European descent age differently, new research reveals, helping explain racial disparities in colorectal cancer – cancer that killed beloved “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman at only 43. Scientists led by UVA Health’s Dr Li Li and Graham Casey, along with Matt Devall […]

Although prostate cancer is one the most common types of malignancy in men, diagnosis is typically made on the basis of the Prostate-specific antigen (PSA), with an accuracy as low as 30%. Given how unreliable PSA-based testing can often be, many patients require invasive biopsy which often leaves them with […]