Scientists have pinpointed a catalytic trigger for the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, establishing the pathway that shows how the toxic species that cause cell death, the oligomers, are formed. Researchers have pinpointed a catalytic trigger for the onset of Alzheimer’s disease – when the fundamental structure of a protein molecule changes to cause a chain [...]

Scientists have sequenced the genome of the ‘sacred lotus,” a finding that could reveal many secrets about aging and genetic defects. A team of 70 scientists from the U.S., China, Australia and Japan today reports having sequenced and annotated the genome of the “sacred lotus,” which is believed to have a powerful genetic system that [...]

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon National Primate Research Center have successfully converted human skin cells into embryonic stem cells, marking the first time human stem cells have been produced via nuclear transfer. Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) have successfully reprogrammed [...]

In a newly published study, scientists from UC San Francisco detail how they developed the first functioning human thymus tissue from embryonic stem cells in the laboratory, a significant step toward potential new treatments based on stem-cell and organ transplantation. Raising hopes for cell-based therapies, UC San Francisco researchers have created the first functioning human [...]

A new study shows that parts of the prefrontal cortex take over when the hippocampus is damaged, a finding that could potentially help scientists develop new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and other conditions involving damage to the brain. When the brain’s primary “learning center” is damaged, complex new neural circuits arise to compensate for [...]

A new study found that non-inherited mutations account for many heart defects, suggesting that common pathways may underlie a wide range of common congenital diseases. New mutations that are absent in parents but appear in their offspring account for at least 10% of severe congenital heart disease, reveals a massive genomics study led by researchers [...]

Researchers have identified four new genetic variants associated with an increased risk of testicular cancer, supporting the notion that testicular cancer is a disorder of germ cell development and maturation. Philadelphia — A new study looking at the genomes of more than 13,000 men identified four new genetic variants associated with an increased risk of [...]

In a new study, neuroscientists examine how individual experiences influence the development of new neurons, leading to measurable changes in the brains of mice. How do organisms evolve into individuals that are distinguished from others by their own personal brain structure and behavior? Scientists in Dresden, Berlin, Münster, and Saarbrücken have now taken a decisive [...]

Researchers have identified a protein in the blood of mice and humans that may prove to be the first effective treatment for a form of age-related heart failure, finding in mice that hearts reduced in size and thickness and resembled healthy hearts of younger mice when the protein GDF-11 was injected. Two Harvard Stem Cell [...]

A newly published study found that theta brainwave activity in the prefrontal cortex predicts how well people can overcome ingrained biases when better choices are available. The research could be applied to studying and treating conditions such as addiction or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Providence, Rhode Island — Vertebrates are predisposed to act to gain rewards and [...]

In a newly published study, scientists identify the mechanism for controlling calcium influx in cells, helping researchers better understand the molecular causes of the disruption of brain functioning that occurs in stroke and other neurological disorders. When brain cells are overwhelmed by an influx of too many calcium molecules, they shut down the channels through [...]

A newly published study suggests that Europeans are closely related, finding on a genealogical level that everyone in Europe traces back to nearly the same set of ancestors only a thousand years ago. From Ireland to the Balkans, Europeans are basically one big family, closely related to one another for the past thousand years, according [...]