Chewing: We don’t think about it, we just do it. But biologists don’t know a lot about how chewing behavior leaves telltale signs on the underlying bones. To find out, researchers at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo have been studying the jaw …
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DNA accessibility, gene expression jointly profiled in thousands of cells
Scientists have now developed an assay that concurrently profiles both the epigenome and transcriptome of each of thousands of single cells. The epigenome and transcriptome are part of the molecular biology that converts a genetic blueprint into tools and materials for living cells. The genomes of different types of cells …
Read More »Most land-based ecosystems worldwide risk ‘major transformation’ due to climate change
Without dramatic reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions, most of the planet’s land-based ecosystems — from its forests and grasslands to the deserts and tundra — are at high risk of “major transformation” due to climate change, according to a new study from an international research team. The researchers used fossil records …
Read More »CRISPR halts Duchenne muscular dystrophy progression in dogs
Scientists for the first time have used CRISPR gene editing to halt the progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in a large mammal, according to a study by UT Southwestern that provides a strong indication that a lifesaving treatment may be in the pipeline. The research published in Science documents …
Read More »Adapt, move or die: How biodiversity reacted to past climate change
A new paper reviews current knowledge on climate change and biodiversity. In the past, plants and animals reacted to environmental changes by adapting, migrating or going extinct. These findings point to radical changes in biodiversity due to climate change in the future. The paper is published in the scientific journal …
Read More »Climate change projected to boost insect activity and crop loss, researchers say
Scientists have already warned that climate change likely will impact the food we grow. From rising global temperatures to more frequent “extreme” weather events like droughts and floods, climate change is expected to negatively affect our ability to produce food for a growing human population. But new research is showing …
Read More »Guiding flight: The fruit fly’s celestial compass
What do ancient seafaring explorers and fruit flies have in common? Caltech researchers have discovered that, similar to nautical navigators of old, fruit flies use celestial cues like the sun to navigate in straight lines. The research is described in a paper appearing online on August 30 in the journal …
Read More »Solar eruptions may not have slinky-like shapes after all
As the saying goes, everything old is new again. While the common phrase often refers to fashion, design, or technology, scientists at the University of New Hampshire have found there is some truth to this mantra even when it comes to research. Revisiting some older data, the researchers discovered new …
Read More »Human genome could contain up to 20 percent fewer genes, researchers reveal
A new study led by the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) reveals that up to 20% of genes classified as coding (those that produce the proteins that are the building blocks of all living things) may not be coding after all because they have characteristics that are typical of …
Read More »Rapid heart imaging technique may cut costs, boost care in developing world
A newly developed rapid imaging protocol quickly and cheaply diagnosed heart ailments in patients in Peru, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. In Peru, cardiovascular disease affects 3.2 million (16 percent of the adult …
Read More »Cannabis extract helps reset brain function in psychosis
Research from King’s College London has found that a single dose of the cannabis extract cannabidiol can help reduce brain function abnormalities seen in people with psychosis. Results from a new MRC-funded trial, published in JAMA Psychiatry, provide the first evidence of how cannabidiol acts in the brain to reduce …
Read More »Deadline for climate action: Act strongly before 2035 to keep warming below 2°C
If governments don’t act decisively by 2035 to fight climate change, humanity could cross a point of no return after which limiting global warming below 2°C in 2100 will be unlikely, according to a new study by scientists in the UK and the Netherlands. The research also shows the deadline …
Read More »Engineered sand zaps storm water pollutants
University of California, Berkeley, engineers have created a new way to remove contaminants from storm water, potentially addressing the needs of water-stressed communities that are searching for ways to tap the abundant and yet underused source of fresh drinking water. Using a mineral-coated sand that reacts with and destroys organic …
Read More »How a NASA scientist looks in the depths of the great red spot to find water on Jupiter
For centuries, scientists have worked to understand the makeup of Jupiter. It’s no wonder: this mysterious planet is the biggest one in our solar system by far, and chemically, the closest relative to the Sun. Understanding Jupiter is a key to learning more about how our solar system formed, and …
Read More »Sicilian amber in Western Europe pre-dates arrival of Baltic amber by at least 2,000 years
Amber and other unusual materials such as jade, obsidian and rock crystal have attracted interest as raw materials for the manufacture of decorative items since Late Prehistory and, indeed, amber retains a high value in present-day jewellery. ‘Baltic’ amber from Scandinavia is often cited as a key material circulating in …
Read More »Nnew insights for ways to use cell metabolism to treat cancer
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine have discovered that cell metabolism plays an important role in the ability of cells to start a survival program called autophagy, an unwanted side effect of some anti-cancer drugs that helps some tumor cells dodge treatment and eventually regrow into …
Read More »Up to 8 million deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries yearly due to poor-quality health care
Recent gains against the burden of illness, injury, and disability and commitment to universal health coverage (UHC) are insufficient to close the enormous gaps that remain between what is achievable in human health and where global health stands today, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, …
Read More »Mammal forerunner that reproduced like a reptile sheds light on brain evolution
Compared with the rest of the animal kingdom, mammals have the biggest brains and produce some of the smallest litters of offspring. A newly described fossil of an extinct mammal relative — and her 38 babies — is among the best evidence that a key development in the evolution of …
Read More »A recipe for regenerating nerve fibers across complete spinal cord injury
The adult mammalian body has an incredible ability to heal itself in response to injury. Yet, injuries to the spinal cord lead to devastating conditions, since severed nerve fibers fail to regenerate in the central nervous system. Consequently, the brain’s electrical commands about body movement no longer reach the muscles, …
Read More »Humanmade mangroves could get to the ‘root’ of the problem for threats to coastal areas
With threats of sea level rise, storm surge and other natural disasters, researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science are turning to nature to protect humans from nature. They are developing innovative ways to guard coastlines and prevent scouring and erosion from waves and storms using …
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