Summary: New research reveals that mammals with larger brains and more robust immune systems tend to live longer lives. By studying 46 species, scientists found a clear link between maximum…
Category: Genetics
‘Massive breakthrough’: In breakthrough microsurgery, surgeons use an abdomen blood vessel to reconstruct breasts
A patient who had pioneering breast reconstruction surgery said she took part ‘for all the women who will come after me’. Tanya Tanna (pictured centre), 56, from South Ruislip, had…
Viewpoint: The science of reversing aging remains little more than a dream. Here’s why
The dream of reversing aging has captivated humans for centuries, and today science is closer than it ever has been to achieving that goal. Which is to say: It’s still…
Two Key Signals Shape Brain Structure Early, Varying by Person
Summary: A new study has revealed how two morphogens, WNT and Sonic Hedgehog, act as molecular “traffic cops,” directing early human brain development. Using a custom device and stem cell-derived…
Tea bags have more than just tea leaves in them. Nanoplastics are common and persistent
Plastic waste contamination represents a critical environmental challenge with growing implications for future generations, However, the health risks associated with this contamination remain the lack of information. Food packaging, however,…
How synthetic biology is producing greener chemicals, climate-resilient agriculture and repurposing food waste
Since the development of recombinant DNA technology 50 years ago – pioneered here at Stanford – we’ve seen the rise of breakthrough therapeutics that have transformed countless lives. What, then,…
Animals have developed a mind-boggling variety of ways to become male or female.
[S]o far, researchers have uncovered a dizzying array of exceptions to the XX/XY “rule:” birds and butterflies that use the ZW system, in which males have a matching pair of sex chromosomes (ZZ)…
‘We eat first with our eyes’: The line between appetite and indulgence is dangerously blurred
From an evolutionary point of view, finding nutritious food sources is essential. While today, our foraging consists of walking down the aisle at the supermarket, in our not-so-distant past, foraging…
Disrupted Myelin Protein Implicated in Schizophrenia
Summary: A new study has identified the protein hnRNP A1 as a key player in the production and maintenance of myelin, the fatty sheath that insulates nerve fibers in the…
