Robot

A special strain of soil bacteria has the paradoxical ability to produce highly toxic compounds to protect itself from other organisms without harming itself. A collaboration that includes scientists from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has discovered that the bacteria performs this feat by confining the toxic […]

Queen and worker honeybees are almost genetically identical but are fed a different diet as larvae. The researchers have found that specific protein patterns on their genome play an important role in determining which one they develop into. These proteins, known as histones, act as switches that control how the […]

Researchers from the University of Oxford, in collaboration with researchers from Canada and the Universities of Bristol and London, have used advanced magnetic resonance imaging to investigate whether factors such as blood pressure, fitness, smoking and alcohol intake during young adult life are associated with changes in the blood vessels […]

The last year has seen milestones in the gene therapy field, with FDA approvals to treat cancer and an inherited blinding disorder. New findings from a team led by University of Pennsylvania vision scientists, who have taken gene therapies into clinical trials in the past, are proving successful, this time treating a form […]

An unexpected link between iron and fatty acids may be juicing the metabolism of ovarian cancer cells, report UConn Health researchers in the journal OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology. The findings could suggest new avenues of research for cancer treatments. Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths […]

Humankind still dreams of breaking from the bounds of Earth’s atmosphere and venturing to the moon, Mars and beyond. But once astronauts blast past the International Space Station, they become exposed to one of the many dangers of deep space: galactic cosmic radiation. The effects of deep space radiation are […]

New research highlights the extent to which epigenetic variation is influenced by both inherited and environmental factors. Epigenetic processes affect the expression or activity of genes without changing the underlying DNA sequence and are believed to be one mechanism by which the environment can interact with the genome. Now, an […]

The study investigated the best combination of blood tests that could be used to diagnose myeloma in GP practices. The research was a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the University of Exeter and Chiddenbrook Surgery, Crediton, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and was published in […]

A high-energy molecule present in every cell, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), is the form of stored energy used to accomplish much of a cell’s activities. A new theory of aging published in the journal BioEssays addresses the link between ATP levels and aging, based on broad research showing that stored energy levels decrease […]

Researchers at Yale School of Public Health and their scientific partners have found that having a depressed spouse can increase one’s own depressive symptoms as well as cognitive decline over time in late life. The findings are published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. “Because spouses’ emotions and intellectual activities […]

According to a new prospective cohort study and meta-analysis, published 16 August 2018 in the journal The Lancet Public Health, advocates of both very high and very low carbohydrate diets are wrong about which approach is best for health. The aim of the paper was to assess “whether the substitution […]

Polyploidal cancer cells—cells that have more than two copies of each chromosome—are much larger than most other cancer cells, are resistant to chemotherapy and radiation treatments and are associated with disease relapse. A new study by Brown University researchers is the first to reveal key physical properties of these “giant” cancer cells. […]

The more scientists explore so-called “junk” DNA, the less the label seems to fit. Only an estimated two percent of the human genome encodes for functional proteins that carry out normal biological processes. The remaining approximately 98 percent—the “junk DNA”—has for many years been considered a useless artifact. Some junk […]

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that women whose mothers lived to at least age 90 were more likely to also live to 90, free of serious diseases and disabilities. The study, published in Age and Ageing, found women whose mothers lived into their ninth […]

A new study has shown that the Tasmanian devil is under severe threat from a newly emerged contagious cancer, Devil Facial Tumour 2 (DFT2), which could jeopardise its future in the wild. For more than two decades the Tasmanian devil population has been suffering from Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), […]

The results from increased physical activity were found to be particularly good among women. Physical inactivity is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease and premature death from cardiovascular disease. Physical activity’s protective effect is likely due in part to its impact on biomarkers in the blood that help predict atherosclerosis risk. “The 60 […]

A car accident leaves an aging patient with severe muscle injuries that won’t heal. Treatment with muscle stem cells from a donor might restore damaged tissue, but doctors are unable to deliver them effectively. A new method may help change this. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology engineered a molecular matrix, […]

People who develop abnormally frequent cases of a skin cancer known as basal cell carcinoma appear to be at significantly increased risk for the development of other cancers, including blood, breast, colon and prostate cancers, according to a preliminary study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The increased […]

The fight against cystic fibrosis (CF) has taken a major step forward, with pioneering research by University of Adelaide scientists showing that cells causing the debilitating genetic disorder could be successfully replaced with healthy ones. The research published in the journal Stem Cell Research and Therapy applies cell transplantation therapy, normally used […]

New research led by the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) and the University of Adelaide has uncovered a significant hurdle for realising the potential benefits of gene editing in embryos. The team, led by Professor Paul Thomas, investigated North American research published last year that seemed to demonstrate […]

The team of researchers from Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences investigated the hormonal signals given off from the placenta during pregnancy. The placenta transports nutrients to the growing foetus during pregnancy and gives off hormonal signals in the mother’s bloodstream to establish and maintain a successful pregnancy. As well as […]

New research offers clues as to why some diseases are highly variable between individuals. The phenomenon is apparent in people with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that causes the light-sensing cells in the eye to degenerate. While some only develop night blindness, others completely lose their sight, even when their condition […]

Many genetic malfunctions are commonly found in cancers, and scientists are working to distinguish those directly involved in both the initial growth of cancer and its spread throughout the body. The complexity of both the disease and the ordinary functions of the genome have made this a difficult problem. However, […]

Alzheimer’s disease is difficult to diagnose as well as treat,  but researchers now have a promising new screening tool using the window to the brain:  the eye. A study of 3,877 randomly selected patients found a significant link between three degenerative eye diseases – age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma – […]

Engineers and medical researchers at the University of Minnesota have teamed up to create a groundbreaking 3D-printed device that could someday help patients with long-term spinal cord injuries regain some function. A 3D-printed guide, made of silicone, serves as a platform for specialized cells that are then 3D printed on […]

In countries which already permit embryo research, there are no “compelling moral arguments” why the time limit for experimentation should not be doubled say ethics experts. Currently, research on embryos is limited in many countries to a maximum period of 14 days after their fertilisation in the lab. But ethicists […]

Osteoporosis, decreased physical activity and weight gain are serious health concerns for postmenopausal women. Researchers from the University of Missouri now have discovered through a new animal study that soy protein found in food might counter the negative effects of menopause on bone and metabolic health. Moreover, the researchers believe that soy […]

Links between exposure to the metal manganese and neurological symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease emerged decades ago, but an Iowa State University biomedical scientist is examining how exposure to other metals may amplify the likelihood of those symptoms. The research has implications for a wide range of occupations that require […]

Biological markers responsible for extreme exhaustion in patients with cancer have now been linked to fatigue in those with Parkinson’s disease, according to new research from Rice University. “Inflammation and fatigue in early, untreated Parkinson’s disease” will appear in an upcoming edition of Acta Neurologica Scandinavica. It is one of […]

Cancerous tumors are more than a lump of cells growing out of control; they participate in active combat with the immune system for their own survival. Being able to evade the immune system is indeed a hallmark of cancer. Now, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania show that, to assist in the […]