General

Many women have breast implants with no serious complications, but textured implants manufactured by Allergan are now considered too risky for patients. Allergen announced a global recall of the macro-textured implants that have been linked to a rare type of cancer, breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). The Food and […]

The tiny hydra, a freshwater invertebrate related to jellyfish and corals, has an amazing ability to renew its cells and regenerate damaged tissue. Cut a hydra in half, and it will regenerate its body and nervous system in a couple of days. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have […]

Using the zebra finch, a songbird, the researchers looked at the effects of short-term social isolation on measures related to long-term brain function and health. The results show that the experience of being alone has immediate consequences on brain gene activity. The researchers found that some of the changes are […]

It’s important to know one’s new cells are getting nourishment. Rice University scientists are working on a way to tell for sure. The Rice lab of bioengineer Jane Grande-Allen has invented soft microparticle sensors to monitor oxygen levels in hydrogels that serve as scaffolds for growing tissues. Hydrogels being developed at Rice’s Brown […]

As embryos develop, they follow predetermined patterns of tissue folding, so that individuals of the same species end up with nearly identically shaped organs and very similar body shapes. MIT scientists have now discovered a key feature of embryonic tissue that helps explain how this process is carried out so […]

Just by slowing their metabolism, mutant fruit flies can go from zero to hero. In a new Northwestern University study, researchers slowed mutant fruit flies’ metabolic rates by 50%, and the expected detrimental effects of many mutations never manifested. After experimentally testing fruit flies’ many different genetic mutations, the researchers […]

Old-school Hollywood editors cut out unwanted frames of film and patched in desired frames to make a movie. The human body does something similar—trillions of times per second—through a biochemical editing process called RNA splicing. Rather than cutting film, it edits the messenger RNA that is the blueprint for producing […]

Multiple sclerosis is a  demyelinating disease, characterized by the damage of the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain. There is no known cure for multiple sclerosis and long-term outcome is difficult to predict. MS is the most common immune-mediated disorder affecting the central nervous system with 2-2.5 million […]

The mere presence of parasites can have a negative effect on hosts, according to new research by University of Alberta parasitologists. The study, led by U of A associate professor Lien Luong, examined the effects on fruit flies living among parasitic mites. It found that flies exposed to, but not infected […]

With its elegant double helix and voluminous genetic script, DNA has become the of darling of nucleic acids. Yet, it is not all powerful. In order for DNA to realize its potential—for genes to become proteins—it must first be transcribed into RNA, a delicate molecule that requires intense care and […]

The chemical interactions that give proteins their shape may be weaker and more numerous than previously recognized. These weak connections provide a new way for researchers to understand proteins that cause disease and help them gain insights into the fundamentals of chemistry. Chemists at the University of Tokyo modeled the […]

Cells dispose of harmful “trash” through autophagy, a normal and necessary process in which aggregated proteins and dysfunctional structures are handled. If any part of this fails, waste builds up inside cells, eventually killing them. According to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, as […]