Rapid New Mechanism for Muscle Self-Repair Independent of Stem Cells
A new study led by Spanish researchers describes a new mechanism for muscle repair after physiological damage relying on the rearrangement of muscle fiber nuclei,…
Biology News
Research Reveals Specific Molecular Mechanism That Controls Transition From Acute to Chronic Pain
Previously unrecognized control point identified as target for drugs that block transition. A new study led by University of California, Irvine researchers is the first…
Intense Ivory Poaching Leads to Rapid Evolution of Tuskless African Elephants
Intense ivory poaching during the Mozambican Civil War (1977-1992) resulted in the rapid evolution of tusklessness in female African elephants amid a precipitous population decline,…
What Makes Us Human? The Answer May Be Found in Overlooked “Junk” DNA
Our DNA is very similar to that of the chimpanzee, which in evolutionary terms is our closest living relative. Stem cell researchers at Lund University…
New Mechanism Discovered for Muscle Regeneration
Muscle is known to regenerate through a complex process that involves several steps and depends on stem cells. Now, a new study led by researchers…
So-Called Junk DNA – Genetic “Dark Matter” – Is Actually Critical to Survival in Mammals
Knocking out transposon promoter leads to pup death in mice; similar promoters found in many mammals. Nearly half of our DNA has been written off…
Scientists Have Found a Way To “See” Single Cells Using Sound
If you are a researcher who wants to see how just a few cells in an organism are behaving, it is no simple task. The…
Spectroradiometer “Ray Guns” Let Scientists Use Light Instead of DNA To Tell Plants Apart
In Star Trek, characters carry a little handheld device called a tricorder that they can point at objects to analyze and identify them. When the show’s…
Scientists Solve an Evolutionary Curiosity: Why a Human Egg Is 10 Million Times the Volume of a Sperm Cell
Egg and sperm cell size evolved from competition. Limited resources drove gametes to differ vastly in size and number. In most living animals, egg cells…
Bacteria Evolved a Multitude of Defense Systems That Offer Strong Immunity for Protection Against Viruses
A new study led by a team of bioscientists from Durham University, UK, in collaboration with University of Liverpool, Northumbria University and New England Biolabs,…
Nuclear Pore Complex: Cellular Environments Shape Molecular Architecture
Researchers glean a more complete picture of a structure called the nuclear pore complex by studying it directly inside cells. Context matters. It’s true for…
Tackling the Collateral Damage to Our Health From Antibiotics
EMBL scientists pave the way for reducing the harmful side effects antibiotics have on gut bacteria. Antibiotics help us to treat bacterial infections and save…
Discovery of Vital Role for the Brain’s Immune Cells Reveals a New Aspect of Human Biology
University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have revealed a vital but previously unknown role for immune cells that protect the brain from disease and injury:…
Snakes Diversified Explosively After Mass Extinction Where Dinosaurs Were Wiped Out
Modern snakes evolved from ancestors that lived side by side with the dinosaurs and that likely fed mainly on insects and lizards. Then a miles-wide…
Heart Clocks: Scientists Uncover a Circadian Rhythm in Heart Cells That Affects Their Daily Function
A new study has shown how circadian rhythms in heart cells help to change heart function over the course of the day and may explain…
Not Science Fiction: German Scientists Harness the Power of Photosynthesis for New Way To “Breathe”
Photosynthesizing algae injected into the blood vessels of tadpoles supply oxygen to their brains. Leading a double life in water and on land, frogs have…
Mito Warriors: New Footage Shows T Cell Assassins Hunting Down and Destroying Cancer Cells
Scientists discover how T cell assassins reload their weapons to kill and kill again. Cambridge researchers have discovered how T cells – an important component…
“Vegetarian” Giant Tortoise Attacks and Eats Seabird As Horrified Researchers Film
Researchers have captured on film the moment when a Seychelles giant tortoise, Aldabrachelys gigantea, attacked and ate a tern chick. This is the first documentation…