Molecular & Structural Biology

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Researchers to use human bone remains for studying predictable, postmortem microbes

It's one of the most salient questions in any death investigation, and one of the first asked by both law enforcement and loved ones: Not just how, but when did a person die?

9 Dec 2019

Researchers validate RNA sequencing methods using crab's nervous system model

"Being crabby" might have a whole new meaning.

6 Dec 2019

Thin hair tends to be stronger than thick hair, study shows

Despite being four times thicker than human hair, elephant hair is only half as strong--that's just one finding from researchers studying the hair strength of many different mammals.

6 Dec 2019

Discovery of protein function opens door to potential therapies for addiction, behavioral disorders

The human brain consists of several intricate networks or "circuits." One such complex circuit, called the "reward circuit," is involved in reward-associated learning, a process in which nerve cell activity changes in response to a "reward" stimulus (something that the brain perceives as a reward).

5 Dec 2019

Study reveals multiple correlations between brain complexity and locomotion pattern in vertebrates

Researchers at the Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, have uncovered multi-level relationships between locomotion - the ways animals move - and brain architecture, using high-definition 3D models of lizard and snake brains.

5 Dec 2019

Scientists identify how damaged DNA molecules are repaired inside the human genome

A team of scientists has identified how damaged DNA molecules are repaired inside the human genome, a discovery that offers new insights into how the body works to ensure its health and how it responds to diseases that stem from impaired DNA.

5 Dec 2019

Host cell calpain proteases can process enterovirus polyprotein in vitro, study shows

It has long been suggested that a cell protease could take part in enterovirus infection. However, the identity of such proteases have remained unknown.

4 Dec 2019

Baylor researchers report creation of an 'epigenetic couch potato' mouse

Why is it that some people love to exercise, and others hate it? Most people would assume it's all due to genetics, but a new Baylor College of Medicine led study in mice shows for the first time that a different molecular level of regulation - epigenetics - plays a key role in determining one's innate drive to exercise.

4 Dec 2019

Dynamics of crucial immune system proteins revealed

Of the many marvels of the human immune system, the processing of antigens by the class I proteins of the major histocompatability complex (MHC-I) is among the most mind-boggling. Exactly how these proteins carry out their crucial functions has not been well understood.

3 Dec 2019

New human colon-on-a-chip enables in vitro study of mucus physiology

We have a mutualistic but complicated relationship with the collection of microbes in our gut known as the intestinal microbiome.

3 Dec 2019

Freiburg scientists decipher basic molecular control mechanisms behind cellular identity

A research team headed by Prof. Dr. Sebastian Arnold and Jelena Tosic from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Freiburg has now succeeded in deciphering basic molecular control mechanisms by which stem cells decide which embryonic cell types to turn into.

3 Dec 2019

Researchers show how the ductal system connecting digestive organs is formed

A specialized system of ducts transports bile and enzymes from the liver and pancreas to the intestine. In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have shown how this ductal system is formed. The new knowledge can help understanding how congenital diseases in that part of the body arise.

3 Dec 2019

New approach helps study the decision-making process in the brain

Without hardly noticing, we make countless decisions: to turn left or right on the bus? To wait or to accelerate? To look or to ignore? In the run-up to these decisions the brain evaluates sensory information and only then does it generate a behavior.

2 Dec 2019

Unexpected versatility of an ancient DNA repair factor revealed

If a bone breaks or a tendon snaps, you know to seek treatment immediately. But your most fragile and precious cellular commodity, chromosomal DNA, breaks with astounding frequency- some estimate as many as 10,000 times a day per cell- usually without consequence.

2 Dec 2019

75-year old blood-stained microscope slide reveals historical spread of malaria

DNA from 75-year old eradicated European malaria parasites uncovers the historical spread of one of the two most common forms of the disease, Plasmodium vivax, from Europe to the Americas during the colonial period, finds a new study co-led by UCL.

2 Dec 2019

Human behavior closely follows probabilistic inference patterns, study suggests

How do human beings perceive their environment and take their decisions? To successfully interact with the immediate environment, for human beings it is not enough to have basic evidence of the world around them.

2 Dec 2019

New molecular mechanism involved in the regulation of cholesterol movement in cells found

Researchers from the University of Barcelona and the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute found a new molecular mechanism involved in the regulation of the cholesterol movement in cells, an essential process for a proper cell functioning.

2 Dec 2019

Purification scheme allows collection of elusive blood stem cells from zebrafish

Hematopoietic stem cells are multipotent cells that can develop into every type of blood cell in the body.

2 Dec 2019

New automated method helps identify cancer cell metabolism inhibitors

UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have developed a new automated method for testing hundreds of molecules at a time to find out which ones block cancer cells from consuming glucose - the sugars they need to spread and grow.

29 Nov 2019

What protects killer T cells from accidental death?

White blood cells, which release a toxic potion of proteins to kill cancerous and virus-infected cells, are protected from any harm by the physical properties of their cell envelopes, find scientists from UCL and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne.

27 Nov 2019

Molecular & Structural Biology

Researchers to use human bone remains for studying predictable, postmortem microbes

Researchers validate RNA sequencing methods using crab's nervous system model

Thin hair tends to be stronger than thick hair, study shows

Discovery of protein function opens door to potential therapies for addiction, behavioral disorders

Study reveals multiple correlations between brain complexity and locomotion pattern in vertebrates

Scientists identify how damaged DNA molecules are repaired inside the human genome

Host cell calpain proteases can process enterovirus polyprotein in vitro, study shows

Baylor researchers report creation of an 'epigenetic couch potato' mouse

Dynamics of crucial immune system proteins revealed

New human colon-on-a-chip enables in vitro study of mucus physiology

Freiburg scientists decipher basic molecular control mechanisms behind cellular identity

Researchers show how the ductal system connecting digestive organs is formed

New approach helps study the decision-making process in the brain

Unexpected versatility of an ancient DNA repair factor revealed

75-year old blood-stained microscope slide reveals historical spread of malaria

Human behavior closely follows probabilistic inference patterns, study suggests

New molecular mechanism involved in the regulation of cholesterol movement in cells found

Purification scheme allows collection of elusive blood stem cells from zebrafish

New automated method helps identify cancer cell metabolism inhibitors

What protects killer T cells from accidental death?

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

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