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The fusion of a sperm cell with an egg cell is the very first step in the process that leads to new individuals in sexually reproducing species. Fundamental as this process may be, scientists are only now beginning to understand the complexities of how it works. In a paper published […]

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that they have successfully created spinal cord neural stem cells (NSCs) from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) that differentiate into a diverse population of cells capable of dispersing throughout the spinal cord and can be maintained for long periods […]

A koala virus could help researchers explain millions of years of accumulated ‘junk’ DNA in the human genome. An international team of researchers – including scientists from The University of Queensland – is studying a virus infecting koalas in the hope it could demonstrate how viruses have altered the DNA […]

When Joan Jorgensen was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, her roommate confided that she had just one period before going through menopause in high school. Doctors told Jorgensen’s roommate that she would never have biological children. “This is devastating news at any age, let alone a high school […]

In the treatment of cancer, chemotherapy is a cleaver, not a scalpel. By attacking rapidly dividing cells, chemotherapy effectively fights tumors, but it also ravages healthy cells in the gut, bone marrow, the scalp and other organs, leading to severe side effects. These toxic chemicals save lives, but at a […]

Hookworms infect nearly 430 million people in the world, mostly in countries where sanitation is poor, and people often walk barefoot. The body’s immune system is critical to attacking the hookworm, resulting in damage to the body’s tissues. But just how this damage takes place — and what helps repair […]

Key aspects of the ageing of human cells can be reversed by new compounds developed at the University of Exeter, research shows. In a laboratory study of endothelial cells – which line the inside of blood vessels – researchers tested compounds designed to target mitochondria (the “power stations” of cells). In […]

A correlation between obesity and genetics has been found to be modified by diet, according to a scientific paper in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A research group led by a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist found that a specific gene—APOA2—can result in a higher body mass index (BMI). […]

A University of Adelaide scientist and leading Adelaide surgeon is developing an early detection test for a deadly cancer and has today received a funding boost from the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF). Professor Martin Oehler, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University’s Robinson Research Institute and Director of Gynaecological […]

Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include tremor, loss of smell and neuropsychiatric problems. However, many people aren’t diagnosed until their disease is well-advanced, which could limit their treatment options. Now, researchers have tested a sensor to detect early-stage Parkinson’s disease from the breath of patients. They report their results in ACS Chemical […]

A new genetic screen may predict a person’s future risk of osteoporosis and bone fracture, according to a study by a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Specifically, the study, one of the largest of its kind, identified 899 regions in the human genome associated with low bone-mineral density, […]

A pair of new studies led by investigators at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital looks to T cells as paths toward reducing organ transplant rejection and treating autoimmune diseases. The immune system has two major kinds of T cells. T helper cells, also known as effector T cells, […]

Mutations in the gene LRRK2 have been linked to about three percent of Parkinson’s disease cases. Researchers have now found evidence that the activity of LRRK2 protein might be affected in many more patients with Parkinson’s disease, even when the LRRK2 gene itself is not mutated. The study was published […]

Throughout his science training in Vietnam, Germany, Austria and the United States, Nam Chu has loved finding ways to fight diseases such as neurodegeneration and cancer. “To do that,” he says, “you need to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms—how certain proteins can cause the disease and how you can intervene.” Now a […]

A gene linked to 3 to 4 percent of people with Parkinson’s disease could play an important role in most, if not all, people with the disease, according to new study findings from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC. The gene, called LLRK2, was previously thought to only cause […]

A wildebeest knows when it is outnumbered by a pack of hungry hyenas, thanks to an imprecise, primal brain function called the Approximate Number System, or ANS. Animals have it and human babies are born with it. Scientists have long believed that human’s ability to solve symbolic math problems such […]

It is summer now and we are all rushing to the nearest beach, river or lake. It helps us to cool down, but we can also try some extreme sports there, such as jumping to the water from some height. That can result in some injury and as a new […]

Convelo Therapeutics Inc., a company founded on seminal scientific discoveries made in the laboratories of Paul Tesar and Drew Adams at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, has launched from working in stealth mode with a mission to discover and develop a new class of medicines that regenerate the […]

The immune system can be an important ally in the fight against cancer. A study from McGill scientists published today in Science suggests that the reverse may also be true – that abnormal inflammation triggered by the immune system may underlie the development of stomach tumours in patients with a hereditary cancer syndrome known […]

Genes produce proteins that keep your body functioning and healthy. But genes that code for protein make up less than 2 percent of your DNA. The rest of the DNA might appear to be dormant at first glance, but scientists now appreciate that this region plays a key role in […]

The lack of certain toxic and cancer-causing chemicals in e-cigarettes may not necessarily mean that e-cigarette users are not exposed to them anyway. A new study from the University of Minnesota found that while e-cigarettes contain virtually no N-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) — a chemical that can cause oral cavity and esophageal cancer […]

UA students study honey bees to find out how bacteria in their guts and the foods they eat are connected to life expectancy. They hope the insects can serve as model systems to discover clues about how genetics, gut bacteria and diet influence aging in humans. To the untrained eye […]

A new study using data from the Trinity Ulster Department of Agriculture (TUDA) ageing cohort study comprising over 5,000 individuals has found that a measure of belly fat (waist:hip ratio) was associated with reduced cognitive function in older Irish adults (>60 years of age). These findings have significant implications as […]

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are more likely than other women to have an autistic child, according to an analysis of NHS data carried out by a team at Cambridge University’s Autism Research Centre. The research was published in the journal Translational Psychiatry. PCOS affects about one in ten women […]

After a primary tumor is treated, cancer stem cells may still lurk in the body, ready to metastasize and cause a recurrence of the cancer in a form that’s more aggressive and resistant to treatment. University of Illinois researchers have developed a molecular probe that seeks out these elusive cells […]

Just because an animal is soft and squishy doesn’t mean it isn’t tough. Experiments at Rice University show the humble hydra is a good example. The hydra doesn’t appear to age – and apparently never dies of old age. If you cut one in two, you get hydrae. And each one can eat animals […]

The study reported mice with pancreatic cancer that were treated with a naturally occurring constituent of medicinal cannabis alongside chemotherapy, survived almost three times longer than those treated with chemotherapy alone. Each year around 9,800 people in the UK are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The disease is particularly aggressive and […]

Pioneering new research into the way in which cells communicate with each other could hold the key to unlocking new, improved treatment for life-threatening diseases, including cancer. Various mechanisms exist for cells to communicate with each other, and many are essential  for development. A team of international researchers looked at […]

Multiple pregnancies might make women’s cells age more quickly, a new Northwestern University study suggests. Led by Calen Ryan and Christopher Kuzawa of Northwestern and Dan Eisenberg at the University of Washington, the research could help explain why women with many children tend to show signs of accelerated aging. The findings, published in Scientific Reports, […]

Almost half of our DNA sequences are made up of jumping genes—also known as transposons. They jump around the genome in developing sperm and egg cells and are important to evolution. But their mobilization can also cause new mutations that lead to diseases, such as hemophilia and cancer. Remarkably little […]