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Open Sesame: Can Plants Acquire Genes from the Species They Parasitize On?

A new study shows how Cuscuta plants acquire and repurpose a functional gene from a host species through horizontal gene transfer, thereby enhancing metabolic diversity.

8 Sep 2026

High Resolution Chemical Maps Reveal Internal Manufacturing Layout of Herbs

Plants produce flavonoids-bioactive compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and osteoprotective properties-through complex modification pathways.

8 Sep 2026

Homolog Gene Regulation Alters Cell-Cycle Progression for Sprouting Trichomes

Trichomes-tiny hair‑like structures on leaves-serve as physical barriers that protect plants from insect herbivores, UV radiation, excessive water loss, and toxic chemicals.

8 Sep 2026

First Chromosome-Level Genome Unveils Blueprints of Valued Medicinal Compounds

Spuriopimpinella brachycarpa, known locally as Dayeqin or Shanqincai, has long been used in traditional medicine to treat colds, indigestion, abdominal pain, and cough.

8 Sep 2026

Advanced RNA Sequencing Separates Rare Regenerative Cells From Mature Tissue

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Hospital for Special Surgery have discovered the unspecialized stem cells that give rise to the body's tendons and ligaments, the tissues connecting muscles and bones.

8 Sep 2026

Scientists Discover How Elusive Brain Stem Cells Make Decisions

As the human brain takes shape before birth, a remarkable type of stem cell helps give it many of the features that make it distinctly human.

7 Sep 2026

Salk Study Uncovers How Mitochondrial Signals Drive Lasting Cardioprotection

Mitochondria are popularly known as the "powerhouse of the cell," but these cellular structures do so much more-including acting as signaling hubs.

7 Sep 2026

Macrophages Function as Trash Collectors for Energy-Demanding Tissues

The body's heart muscle (for pumping blood), skeletal muscle (for movement and posture), and brown fat (for heat production), each require a lot of energy and make a lot of waste. And that waste needs to be managed.

7 Sep 2026

Elusive Archaea Act as Flexitarians in Marine Sponge Symbiosis

Symbiotic ammonia-oxidizing archaea in marine sponges are not strict specialists, but true "flexitarians": A team led by microbiologists Bettina Glasl and Katharina Kitzinger from the University of Vienna, in collaboration with partners from Australia, has shown that these microbes dine not only on ammonia but also on amino acids such as valine, leucine, and isoleucine - and presumably do that to communicate with their animal host.

7 Sep 2026

Why Not Every Ant Helps

Why do some ants help nestmates in distress while others don't? A research team from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and Tel Aviv University has addressed this question in a new study.

7 Sep 2026

Scientists Build a Genetic Score for Alzheimer’s Disease that Works Across Ancestries

Researchers developed a multi-ancestry genetic risk score for Alzheimer's, correlating genetic factors with cognitive performance and brain health markers.

7 Sep 2026

Key Cellular Complexes Drive Protein Localization Within Resistant Bacterial Membranes

Gram-negative bacteria are responsible for causing several infections that are hard to treat, owing to their high resistance to antibiotics.

7 Sep 2026

Genetic Differences In Neural Pathways Determine Which Ants Save Nestmates

Why do some ants help nestmates in distress while others don't? A research team from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and Tel Aviv University has addressed this question in a new study.

7 Sep 2026

Ancient DNA Reveals Famous Extinct Feline Was Actually Fish Eating Puma

A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has overturned decades of assumptions about Miracinonyx trumani, the extinct predator popularly known as the American cheetah.

7 Sep 2026

Research Identifies Microorganisms That Convert Precursors Into Testosterone

Many prostate cancers depend on androgen hormones, including testosterone, to grow. That is why treatments for advanced disease often try to reduce testosterone production or block its effects.

7 Sep 2026

Research Maps Complex Molecular Rules Governing Specialized Tumor Immunity

For decades, natural killer (NK) cells have been classified into two main groups based on surface markers: one specialized for cytokine production and the other for direct killing.

7 Sep 2026

New Understanding of Brain Circuitry Genes Opens Door for Targeted OCD Therapies

A Rutgers-led international team co-authored a study, which was published in Nature Neuroscience, revealing 36 genes significantly increasing the risk for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and chronic tic disorders. This research offers the most comprehensive biological insight into the development of these conditions and potential future treatments.

4 Sep 2026