Overgrowth of Key Brain Structure Identified in Babies Who Later Develop Autism
Research led by Mark Shen, PhD, Heather Hazlett , PhD, and Joseph Piven, MD, from UNC-Chapel Hill is the first to demonstrate overgrowth of the…
University of North Carolina
For Unvaccinated, COVID Reinfection Is Likely – “Can Happen in Three Months or Less”
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been much uncertainty about how long immunity lasts after an unvaccinated person is infected with SARS-CoV-2. Now a team…
Double Masking to Protect Yourself From COVID-19? New Research Shows How to Double the Effectiveness
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine shows that wearing two face coverings can nearly double the effectiveness of filtering out SARS-CoV-2-sized particles, preventing them…
Scientists Find New Cell Type Implicated in Chronic Pain and Inflammation – Precise, New Target for Treatment
The discovery, from the UNC School of Medicine lab of Mark Zylka, Ph.D., offers pain researchers a new, precise target to treat inflammation associated with…
Brain Cells That Help Drive Bodily Reaction to Fear, Anxiety Identified – Neuroscience Breakthrough Could Lead to Mental Health Treatments
A feat of basic neuroscience co-led by UNC School of Medicine scientists, the discovery of a set of arousal-related neurons could help scientists develop better…
Startlingly New Images of SARS-CoV-2 Infected Cells – Ready to Spread COVID-19 Virus
The University of North Carolina School of Medicine lab of Camille Ehre, PhD, generated high-powered microscopic images showing startlingly high SARS-CoV-2 viral loads on human…
Researchers Create COVID-19 Mask Filtration Effectiveness Hierarchy – Dozens of Types of New, Used, and Expired Masks Tested
Published in JAMA Internal Medicine, research conducted at an EPA facility on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus shows that expired and sterilized used N95 masks are…
Findings Released: Nationwide Survey Assessing Emotional Wellbeing During COVID-19 Pandemic
Olafur Palsson, PsyD, professor of medicine in the UNC School of Medicine, led a study investigating the emotional and mental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic…
Alcohol Consumption Is Regulated by Particular Set of Neurons in Specific Brain Region
The UNC School of Medicine lab of Zoe McElligott, PhD, found that alcohol consumption is regulated by the activity of a particular set of neurons…
How Enzymes Produced by White Rot Fungi Reign Supreme in Worldwide Carbon Recycling
Richard Wolfenden, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and biophysics, details how white rot fungi produce enzymes that turn out to be key players in the carbon…
It Is Not “Safe” – Comprehensive Review on Respiratory Effects of Vaping
UNC School of Medicine researcher Rob Tarran, PhD, led a review of all published scientific literature on the effects of e-cigarette use on the respiratory…
CBD May Alleviate Seizures, Benefit People With Neurodevelopmental Conditions
UNC School of Medicine researchers led by Ben Philpot, PhD, and Bin Gu, PhD, found that cannabidiol had anti-seizure effects and behavior benefits in animal…
Warning: Exercising While Dieting Could Be Bad for Your Bones
UNC School of Medicine’s Maya Styner, MD, led research showing that the combination of cutting calories and exercising can make bones smaller and more fragile…
New Evidence on the Origins of Life on Earth
Two newly published studies reveal evidence for how the genetic code developed in two distinct stages to help primordial chemicals evolve into cells. Chapel Hill,…
Neuroscientists Discover that Dendritic Spikes Enhance the Brain’s Computing Power
New research from UNC Health Care and UNC School of Medicine shows that dendrites actively process information, multiplying the brain’s computing power. Chapel Hill, North…
New Findings Challenge Assumptions about the Origins of Life
New research from biochemists at the UNC School of Medicine offers an intriguing new view on how life began, challenging current assumptions about the origins…
“Bath Salts” Effects on the Brain are Comparable to Cocaine
As the use of synthetic stimulants collectively known as “bath salts” continues, a new study suggests that mephedrone and drugs like it may have significant…
Non-Depleting Antibodies Reverse Type 1 Diabetes in Mice
A new study details how researchers used injections of non-depleting antibodies to reverse the onset of Type I diabetes in mice genetically bred to develop…
