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Placenta and Hormone Levels in the Womb May Have Been Key Driver in Human Evolution, Say Researchers

The placenta and the hormones it produces may have played a crucial role in the evolution of the human brain, while also leading to the behavioral traits that have made human societies able to thrive and expand, according to a new hypothesis proposed by researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford.

18 Jun 2025

New Frontier in Understanding Brain Development and Rare Diseases

A groundbreaking study identifies unknown genetic disorders affecting brain development, offering new insights into neurodevelopmental conditions and diagnoses.

11 Jun 2025

Base Editing Breakthrough Brings Hope for Genetic Disease Treatment

You may have seen it in the news recently: a baby in Pennsylvania with a rare genetic disorder was healed with a personalized treatment that repaired his specific genetic mutation.

5 Jun 2025

Infant Gut Bacteria Linked to Long-Term Viral Immunity

Findings reveal that early gut microbiome profiles in infants may protect against respiratory infections, paving the way for personalized health strategies.

5 Jun 2025

Chemical Warfare Between Algae Threatens Kelp Forest Recovery

As the ocean warms across its temperate regions, kelp forests are collapsing and turf algae species are taking over.

24 May 2025

New 3D Stem Cell Model Mimics Human Amniotic Sac Development

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have developed a new stem cell model of the mature human amniotic sac, which replicates development of the tissues supporting the embryo from two to four weeks after fertilization.

16 May 2025

Genes Influence When Babies Start Walking, Study Finds

Researchers examined over 70,000 infants’ genomic information in the first research of its kind. Eleven genetic markers were found to influence when babies begin to walk, providing a number of possibilities for more in-depth biological research.

8 May 2025

Breakthrough Ultrasound Technique Reveals Living Cells in 3D

While medical centers use ultrasound daily, so far this technology is not capable of observing body tissues at the scale of cells.

4 Apr 2025

New Compound Fights Superbug Gonorrhea via Toxin-Antitoxin System

In recent years, the World Health Organization (WHO) has consistently raised alarms regarding the rise of antibiotic-resistant microbes.

3 Apr 2025

CD11c Microglia Play Key Role in Neurodevelopmental Delays from Maternal Inflammation

A research group led by Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan has uncovered a potential mechanism linking maternal inflammation to delayed neurodevelopment in infants.

2 Apr 2025

Brain Research Offers Fresh Insights into the Nature Versus Nurture Debate

Riddle me this: how can it be that reading these words activates nearly identical word-sensitive patches of the brain's visual system in you and nearly every other reader of this story? And that a different set of face-sensitive visual regions-again in almost identical positions in each reader's brain-would activate to process the faces of the researchers, should you meet them?

18 Mar 2025

Novel Expansion Microscopy Technique for Detailed Plant Biomolecule Mapping

The approach to studying plant cells is evolving quite literally due to new research led by Kevin Cox, an Assistant Professor of Biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and an Assistant Member of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.

10 Mar 2025

Genomics can Transform Care for Children with Rare Diseases

A simple genomics blood test could improve treatment and care for childhood epilepsy, but more investment is needed to make access fair and securely join up the data, finds a new study involving researchers at University College London (UCL) and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH).

8 Mar 2025

Study Reveals How the Brain Reorganizes Sensory Maps After Loss of Touch

A team of researchers from the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Miguel Hernández University (UMH) in Elche, has discovered that the developing brain can reorganize its sensory maps when the sense of touch is affected.

8 Mar 2025

Unlocking the Genetic Secrets Behind Human Vocal Communication

The origins of human language remain mysterious. Are we the only animals truly capable of complex speech? Are Homo sapiens the only hominids who could give detailed directions to a far-off freshwater source or describe the nuanced purples and reds of a dramatic sunset?

19 Feb 2025

Epigenetic Mechanism Controls Placental Blood Vessel Formation

If the development of blood vessels in the placenta is impaired, fetal growth retardation may result. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Mannheim Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University discovered that the correct development of functioning blood vessels in the mouse placenta is controlled epigenetically: One of the enzymes that modify gene activity using methyl groups is responsible.

16 Jan 2025

Fruit Flies Evolve New Defense Through Gene Transfer

In the continual arms race between parasites and their hosts, innovation was thought to be the key to a successful attack or defense that one-ups the competition.

26 Dec 2024

Decoding the Infant Microbiome's Three Pioneers

Researchers discovered that newborn newborns had one of three pioneer bacteria in their stomach immediately after birth, one of which might be exploited to generate novel personalized infant therapeutic probiotics.

9 Sep 2024

Stem Cell Research Sheds Light on Rare Pediatric Condition

Scientists have identified mutations in the DENND5A gene that cause severe neurodevelopmental issues in infants, leading to improper brain cell division during development.

28 Aug 2024

Cryo-EM Study Sheds Light on HSV Drug Resistance Mechanisms Through Protein Movement

All organisms -; from fungi to mammals -; have the capacity to evolve and adapt to their environments. But viruses are master shapeshifters with an ability to mutate greater than any other organism. As a result, they can evade treatments or acquire resistance to once-effective antiviral medications.

28 Aug 2024