Two of the traits that set modern humans apart from non-human primates are taller stature and a higher basal metabolic rate. Publishing in the Cell Press journal Cell Genomics on May 21, researchers have identified a genetic variant that contributed to the co-evolution of these traits. This…
Category: 5. Health
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‘Barcodes’ written into our DNA reveal how blood ages
A new study in the journal Nature explains how age reshapes the blood system. In both humans and mice, a few stem cells, or “clones,” outcompete their neighbours and gradually take over blood production. The blood stem cell reservoir shrinks and becomes dominated by clones which show a…
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A new technology for extending the shelf life of produce
We’ve all felt the sting of guilt when fruit and vegetables go bad before we could eat them. Now, researchers from MIT and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) have shown they can extend the shelf life of harvested plants by injecting them with melatonin using…
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Toothache from eating something cold? Blame these ancient fish
Anyone who has ever squirmed through a dental cleaning can tell you how sensitive teeth can be. This sensitivity gives important feedback about temperature, pressure — and yes, pain — as we bite and chew our food. However, the sensitive parts inside the hard enamel first evolved for something…
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Common antidepressants could help the immune system fight cancer
A widely used antidepressant drug could help the immune system fight cancer, according to a new UCLA research study.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, significantly enhanced the ability of T cells to fight cancer and suppressed tumor growth across a range of cancer types in both…
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Newfound mechanism rewires cellular energy processing for drastic weight loss
Mice genetically engineered to lack the ability to make the amino acid cysteine, and fed a cysteine-free diet, lost 30 percent of their body weight in just one week, a new study shows.
Published online May 21 in Nature, the work found that cysteine depletion disrupts the normal metabolic…
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Scientists design gene delivery systems for cells in the brain and spinal cord
Research teams funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have created a versatile set of gene delivery systems that can reach different neural cell types in the human brain and spinal cord with exceptional accuracy. These delivery systems are a significant step toward future precise gene…
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Scientists reveal how energy is delivered into the cells major ‘shipping port’
A team of scientists has answered a long-standing question in cell biology, uncovering how the cell’s main energy currency, ATP, is transported into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Disrupted energy transport could affect diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders….
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Live view: Stress-induced changes in generations of cancer cells
Cancer cells respond to stress with greater diversity. Drugs that affect DNA replication, or radiation that causes direct DNA damage, lead to increasingly diverse offspring over multiple cell generations. This increases the tumor’s genetic complexity and facilitates the development of resistance…
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Hand2: positional code that allows axolotls to regrow limbs found
With its fascinating ability to regrow entire limbs and internal organs, the Mexican axolotl is the ideal model for studying regeneration. Scientists from the lab of Elly Tanaka at IMBA now found a factor that tells cells which part of the arm to regenerate — and used it to reprogram the…
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