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Fruit flies have evolved an elaborate courtship ritual. Upon recognizing a suitable mate in his vicinity, a male fruit fly transforms into a dogged suitor, sometimes chasing the female for more than 26 yards, or 9 miles in human terms, singing to her all the while by vibrating his wings. […]

Anti-androgen therapy is commonly used to treat patients with advanced prostate cancer at stages where the disease has spread to the bones. However, new research reveals that anti-androgen treatment can actually facilitate prostate cancer cells to adapt and grow in the bone tumour microenvironment model, which has been developed by […]

Molecules from the same family as the anti-coagulant drug heparin may interfere with the ability of the COVID-19 virus’s spikes to bind to human cells. This could be used to treat people with severe effects of the virus and any emerging variants. New targetable site on the COVID-19 spike protein […]

Scientists have produced the first fine-detail molecular blueprints of a bacterial enzyme known as Lit, which is suspected to play a “stealthy” role in the progression of infection by reducing the immune response. Blueprints such as these allow drug designers to uncover potential weaknesses in bacterial arsenals as they seek to develop […]

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have identified rare genetic variants – carried by one in 3,000 people – that have a larger impact on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes than any previously identified genetic effect. Type 2 diabetes is thought to be driven in part by inherited […]

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen and their collaborators describe a strain of giant kelp that is genetically male, but presents phenotypic features of females. Their findings shed light on the molecular basis of how sexual development is initiated in this species. Giant kelp can […]

In the United States, nearly every pediatric doctor’s visit begins with three measurements: weight, height and head circumference. Compared to average growth charts of children across the country, established in the 1970s, a child’s numbers can confirm typical development or provide a diagnostic baseline to assess deviations from the curve. Yet, […]

A 'perfect storm' of genetic mutations, toxic proteins and a defect in natural cell recycling has been uncovered in University of Queensland research that could lead to treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Researchers have found brain cells are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of the triple threat, […]

Researchers at The University of Queensland, working to gain a better understanding of how brain cells work, have discovered the underlying mechanism of a rare genetic mutation that can cause epilepsy. Dr Victor Anggono from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute said his team made the ground-breaking findings while researching nerve cell communications, which are […]

Taken together, the bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microbes that live in our intestines from the gut microbiome, which plays a key role in the health of people and animals. In new research from the University of Minnesota, the University of Notre Dame and Duke University, scientists found that genetics […]

A diet rich in fermented foods enhances the diversity of gut microbes and decreases molecular signs of inflammation, according to researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine. In a clinical trial, 36 healthy adults were randomly assigned to a 10-week diet that included either fermented or high-fibre foods. The two diets […]

How much can a simple blood sample tell us about a person’s health? Can it give clues about whether a person will develop cardiovascular disease or leukemia? Can it predict how severe a person’s heart disease will be? John Dick, senior scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network […]