Breakthrough study suggests promising method to extend the antidepressant action of ketamine against major depression for weeks Roughly 10 percent of the U.S. population is afflicted with major depressive disorder at any given time, and up to 20 percent will exhibit MDD symptoms over their lifetimes. Yet despite its prevalence, methods to treat MDD often fall short for a not-insignificant portion of the population. Antidepressants—the standard of treatment—don’t work for 30 percent with MDD. When infused at a low dose…
Most people have encountered the black, grey, or pink stains of bacterial biofilms built up on the bathroom tiles or kitchen sink. Even with vigorous scrubbing and strong cleaning chemicals, this grime can be difficult to remove and often returns with vengeance. A new study, published in Chemical Engineering Journal, reports a novel, two-step method to effectively dismantle bacterial biofilms and prevent regrowth. “Biofilms are everywhere, from bathrooms to food factories,” said Hyunjoon Kong (M-CELS leader/EIRH/RBTE), a professor of chemical and…
A collaborative team of researchers led by vision scientists at the School of Veterinary Medicine have developed novel promoters that drive strong and specific gene expression in rod and cone photoreceptors in mid-to-late stages of disease, potentially of Key Takeaways Inherited retinal degenerations (IRDs) are a group of genetic disorders that lead to progressive vision loss as the light-sensing cells of the eye—the photoreceptors—die due to mutations in genes needed for their function and survival. Gene therapy has emerged as…
As the ocean warms across its temperate regions, kelp forests are collapsing and turf algae species are taking over. This shift from dense canopies of tall kelp to low-lying mats of turf algae is driving biodiversity loss and altering the flow of energy and nutrients through reef ecosystems. It’s also fundamentally altering the chemical ecology of coastal ecosystems. New research in Science, led by researchers at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, has shown for the first time how turf algae…
Guest editorial by Dr Vladimir Dinets, research assistant professor at the University of Tennessee and author of a new Frontiers in Ethology article Many years ago, I got to spend some time in Ngorongoro Crater, a unique place in Africa where immense herds of animals are being watched by equally immense crowds of 4×4-riding tourists, and traffic jams of all kinds are frequent. On my last evening there, a local guide told me at a campfire that some buffalo in…
A new international study led by researchers at Tulane University shows that the El Niño and La Niña climate patterns affect nearly half of the world’s mangrove forests, underscoring the vulnerability of these vital coastal ecosystems to climatic shifts. Mangroves are shrubs or trees that grow in dense thickets mainly in coastal saline or brackish water. The research, published in Nature Geoscience, is based on nearly two decades of satellite data from 2001 to 2020 and is the first study…
Neuroscientists and materials scientists have created contact lenses that enable infrared vision in both humans and mice by converting infrared light into visible light. Unlike infrared night vision goggles, the contact lenses, described in the Cell Press journal Cell on May 22, do not require a power source—and they enable the wearer to perceive multiple infrared wavelengths. Because they’re transparent, users can see both infrared and visible light simultaneously, though infrared vision was enhanced when participants had their eyes closed….
Introducing a severe impacts approach to guide adaptation to pluvial floods in residential and public buildings The risk of heavy rainfall and severe flooding increases with climate change. But property owners – regardless of size – often underestimate their own responsibility and are unaware of what preventive measures they can take themselves. In a new scientific article, researchers from Linköping University, Sweden, show how to go about preventive work. Many property owners believe that it is the municipality’s responsibility to…
UChicago-led study tests neural networks’ ability to handle ‘gray swan’ events Increasingly powerful AI models can make short-term weather forecasts with surprising accuracy. But neural networks only predict based on patterns from the past—what happens when the weather does something that’s unprecedented in recorded history? A new study led by scientists from the University of Chicago, in collaboration with New York University and the University of California Santa Cruz, is testing the limits of AI-powered weather prediction. In research published May 21…
Could black holes help explain high-energy cosmic radiation? The universe is full of different types of radiation and particles that can be observed here on Earth. This includes photons across the entire range of the electromagnetic spectrum, from the lowest radio frequencies all the way to the highest-energy gamma rays. It also includes other particles such as neutrinos and cosmic rays, which race through the universe at close to the speed of light. Curiously, “cosmic rays” are not actually rays…
When we think of cholera, most of us picture contaminated water and tragic outbreaks in vulnerable regions. But behind the scenes, cholera bacteria are locked in a fierce, microscopic war—one that could shape the course of pandemics. Cholera bacteria aren’t just battling antibiotics and public health measures—they are also constantly under attack from bacteriophages (phages), viruses that infect and kill bacteria. These viruses don’t just influence individual infections; they can make or break entire epidemics. In fact, certain bacteriophages are…
When a neuron in our body gets damaged, segments of RNA produce proteins that can help repair the injury. But in neurological disorders such as ALS and spinal muscular atrophy, or following spinal cord injuries, the mechanisms for moving life-essential RNA to injured sites within the cell fail. As a result, RNA molecules can’t get to where they are needed and damage becomes permanent. Researchers at Stanford have developed a technology for transporting RNA to specific locations within a neuron,…
Researchers at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus lead study that identifies gene mutations and cell maturity as key factors in acute myeloid leukemia drug resistance An international study led by the University of Colorado Cancer Center has uncovered why a widely used treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) doesn’t work for everyone. The findings could help doctors better match patients with the therapies most likely to work for them. The study was published today in Blood Cancer Discovery. Researchers…
Portable tech captures molecules in breath to aid medical care from diabetes to newborn development If you’ve ever sat waiting at the doctor’s office to give a blood sample, you might have wished there was a way to find the same information without needles. But for all the medical breakthroughs of the 20th century, the best way to detect molecules has remained through liquids, such as blood. New research from the University of Chicago, however, could someday put a pause…
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have shown that gonadotrophs, cells in the pituitary gland with a key role in puberty and reproduction, come from two different populations, with the majority produced after birth rather than in the embryo, as previously thought. A better understanding of when these important cells develop could help researchers and clinicians understand and treat disorders that impact puberty and fertility. In the pituitary, a small gland located in the middle of the head and connected…
UV radiation fluctuates amid wet-dry extremes in clear water bodies Lake Tahoe is experiencing large-scale shifts in ultraviolet radiation (UV) as climate change intensifies wet and dry extremes in the region. That is according to a study led by the University of California, Davis’ Tahoe Environmental Research Center and co-leading collaborator Miami University in Ohio. For the study, published in ASLO, the journal of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, scientists analyzed an 18-year record of underwater irradiance…
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