Life Science News

RSS

Epigenetics May Spark Tumors Without DNA Mutations

Scientists from the CNRS are part of a research team that has found that epigenetic changes, or modifications that affect the regulation of gene expression, can be the sole cause of cancer, one of the world's leading causes of death.

25 Apr 2024

Microfluidics Paves the Way for More Efficient Neural Stem Cell Generation

Swedish researchers have enhanced a method for transforming ordinary skin cells into neural stem cells, a development they believe narrows the accessibility gap for personalized cell-based therapies for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

25 Apr 2024

Largest Plant DNA Study Ever Unveils Flowering Plant Tree of Life

The most up-to-date understanding of the flowering plant tree of life is presented in a new study published today in the journal Nature by an international team of 279 scientists, including three University of Michigan biologists.

25 Apr 2024

PI3K Enzyme's Dual Accelerator and Brake Mechanisms Uncovered

A group of researchers have expanded conventional knowledge on a critical enzyme that controls cell migration. In a recent publication in the journal Nature Communications, they reported that phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) not only acts as an accelerator to prompt cell motility, but it also has a built-in brake mechanism that impedes migration.

25 Apr 2024

Study Unravels How Tumors Evade Immune Response by Targeting T Cells

Tumors actively prevent the formation of immune responses by so-called cytotoxic T cells, which are essential in combating cancer.

25 Apr 2024

Immune System's Standby Mode: Healthy Tissue Keeps Defenses Ready

When pathogens invade the body, the immune system must react immediately to prevent or contain an infection.

25 Apr 2024

Sphingolipid Mystery Solved: S1P May Protect Against Coronary Artery Disease

Weill Cornell Medicine investigators have uncovered a way to unleash in blood vessels the protective effects of a type of fat-related molecule known as a sphingolipid, suggesting a promising new strategy for the treatment of coronary artery disease.

25 Apr 2024

Ancient Gene Holds Key to Mammalian Gliding

People say "When pigs fly" to describe the impossible. But even if most mammals are landlubbers, the ability to glide or fly has evolved again and again during mammalian evolution, in species ranging from bats to flying squirrels.

25 Apr 2024

Hydrogel Therapy: A Novel Defense Against Viral Infections

Vaccines remain the gold standard of protection against dangerous pathogens, but take considerable time and vast resources to develop.

24 Apr 2024

Using State-of-the Art Imaging to Understand Lipid Dysfunction in Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's disease causes significant problems with memory, thinking and behavior and is the most common form of dementia, affecting more than 50 million people around the world each year.

24 Apr 2024

Unlocking the Secrets of Lipid Droplet Proteins in Arabidopsis Thaliana Leaves

Lipid droplets (LDs) serve as storage organelles found in plant leaves and seeds. While the functions of seed LD proteins in lipid metabolism are well understood, many leaf LD proteins remain unidentified.

24 Apr 2024

Small RNA-Binding Protein Promotes Prime Editing Efficiency

Through years of engineering gene-editing systems, researchers have developed a suite of tools that enable the modification of genomes in living cells, akin to 'genome surgery'.

23 Apr 2024

First Comprehensive Map of Protein Movement in Yeast Cell Cycle Revealed

An international team led by researchers at the University of Toronto has mapped the movement of proteins encoded by the yeast genome throughout its cell cycle.

23 Apr 2024

Study Uncovers Cells' Surprising Strategy to Control Signaling Pathways

Healthy cells respond appropriately to changes in their environment. They do this by sensing what's happening outside and relaying a command to the precise biomolecule in the precise domain that can carry out the necessary response.

23 Apr 2024

Revealing the Genetic Mechanisms Driving SARS-CoV-2 Variants

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for COVID-19, exhibits a troubling tendency to produce variants frequently.

23 Apr 2024

The Potential Impact of CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing on Controlling Chagas Disease

The principal vector of Chagas disease, a serious public health hazard in Central and South America as well as the southern United States, is kissing bugs, also known as triatomine bugs.

23 Apr 2024

Researchers Decode Brain Processes Behind Foraging Behavior in Monkeys

While foraging, animals including humans and monkeys are continuously making decisions about where to search for food and when to move among possible sources of sustenance.

22 Apr 2024

Study Uncovers Rare Fosa Predation Events on Critically Endangered Lemurs

What can be done when one threatened animal kills another? Scientists studying critically endangered lemurs in Madagascar confronted this difficult reality when they witnessed attacks on lemurs by another vulnerable species, a carnivore called a fosa.

22 Apr 2024

Researchers Highlight Crucial Contributions of Astrocytes to Mental Health

The health and function of the brain depend on astrocytes, which are essential cells in the central nervous system. According to recent research, they affect behaviors and higher cognitive functions by controlling local neuronal activity.

22 Apr 2024