Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) have found that the movement of skin stem cells can help your skin regenerate. Although sometimes hard to accept, with aging, many things in our bodies change. One of these is the ability of the skin to regenerate. Old skin is just not as good as young skin at healing wounds. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this are largely unknown. Now, researchers from Japan have identified a mechanism to explain…
How water surfaces can be used to produce functional materials. The production of high-quality monolayers – i.e. only one molecule high – is highly relevant for optoelectronic components such as organic light-emitting diodes used today in modern cell phones: Both lifetime and energy efficiency can be increased. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, through a collaboration with TU Dresden, have now used lasers to investigate how water surfaces can be used as a template for the regular…
Researchers glean a more complete picture of a structure called the nuclear pore complex by studying it directly inside cells. Context matters. It’s true for many facets of life, including the tiny molecular machines that perform vital functions inside our cells. Scientists often purify cellular components, such as proteins or organelles, in order to examine them individually. However, a new study published on Oct. 13 in the journal Nature suggests that this practice can drastically alter the components in question….
Basic science discovery could lead to improved biomaterial production. Bacteria can store extra resources for the lean times. It’s a bit like keeping a piggy bank or carrying a backup battery pack. One important reserve is known as cyanophycin granules, which were first noticed by an Italian scientist about 150 years ago. He saw big, dark splotches in the cells of the blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) he was studying without understanding either what they were or their purpose. Since then, scientists…
Muscle is known to regenerate through a complex process that involves several steps and depends on stem cells. Now, a new study led by researchers at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (iMM; Portugal) and the University Pompeu Fabra (UPF Barcelona; Spain) and published today in the scientific journal Science describes a new mechanism for muscle regeneration after physiological damage relying on the rearrangement of nuclei. This protective mechanism opens the road to a broader understanding of muscle…
Cell culture studies show increased lung cell entry of the SARS-CoV-2 variants Delta and Delta Plus and reduced inhibition by antibodies. The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants that can spread rapidly and undermine vaccine-induced immunity threatens the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The delta variant (B.1.617.2) emerged in India and subsequently spread globally within a short time period. Also in Germany, almost all recent infections are due to this variant. In addition to Delta, so-called Delta Plus sub-variants have been…
A new study led by Spanish researchers describes a new mechanism for muscle repair after physiological damage relying on the rearrangement of muscle fibre nuclei, and independently of muscle stem cells. Muscle is known to regenerate through a complex process that involves several steps and relies on stem cells. Now, a new study led by researchers at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF, Spain)/Centro Nacional de Investigationes Cardiovasculares (CNIC, Spain)/CIBERNED (Spain) and Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (iMM, Portugal), published…
With each passing day, the dark side of our addiction to fossil fuels becomes more apparent. In addition to slashing emissions of carbon dioxide, society must find sustainable alternatives to power the modern world. In a new study, Gary Moore and his research group explore different approaches to catalysis, a chemical process that plays an essential role in biological reactions, as well as many industrial applications. Catalysts are substances that speed up the rates of chemical reactions, without being consumed during the…
The prognosis for a cancer patient who undergoes surgery is better if the surgeon removes all of the tumor, but it can be hard to tell where a tumor ends and healthy tissue begins. Now, scientists report in ACS Sensors that they have developed a fluorescent spray that specifically lights up cancerous tissue so it can be identified readily and removed during surgery. Surgeons often use sight and touch to identify cancerous tissue, but this approach can miss small tumors, as well…
A new study from the University of Gothenburg opens the way for more effective microscopy, making it easier to research diseases. The study shows how artificial intelligence can be used to develop faster, cheaper and more reliable information about cells, while also eliminating the disadvantages from using chemicals in the process. Studying cells and their components is a cornerstone of biomedicine and pharmaceutical research and can provide information about the health of cells, responses to different medications or deviations in…
New crystal forms of common — and concerning — insecticide imidacloprid control mosquitoes and fruit flies up to nine times faster, allowing less to be used. Scientists have developed seven crystal forms of imidacloprid—one of the world’s most widely used insecticides—in an effort to sharply reduce its environmental impact, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The new forms work up to nine times faster than the original version, meaning a smaller amount can…
Urbanisation appears to be another key factor for insect decline. This is shown by a study in which the impact of climate and land use on insects was disentangled for the first time. Worldwide, the quantity and diversity of insects are declining: scientists have reported more and more evidence for this in recent years. In politics and society, these findings have raised great concern. Researchers attribute the decline in insect numbers on the one hand to changes in land use,…
Blue and green color vision were lost by human ancestors, but now we understand how the genes are regulated. After decades of studying color vision in mice, new research in zebrafish has allowed experts at the University of Tokyo to uncover how some animals regulate their ability to see blue light. The results, published in Science Advances, allow researchers to better understand the evolutionary history and current control mechanisms of color vision. “In 1989 when I began studying the evolution…
Neuroscientists at Technische Universität Dresden discovered a novel, non-invasive imaging-based method to investigate the visual sensory thalamus, an important structure of the human brain and point of origin of visual difficulties in diseases such as dyslexia and glaucoma. The new method could provide an in-depth understanding of visual sensory processing in both health and disease in the near future. The visual sensory thalamus is a key region that connects the eyes with the cerebral cortex. It contains two major compartments….
Versatile fabric is effective against virus that causes COVID-19. A Northwestern University research team has developed a versatile composite fabric that can deactivate both biological threats, such as the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and chemical threats, such as those used in chemical warfare. A material that is effective against both classes of threats is rare. The material also is reusable. It can be restored to its original state after the fabric has been exposed to threats by a simple bleach…
Microbiology researchers at Oregon State University have shed new light on the mechanisms of carbon cycling in the ocean, using a novel approach to track which microbes are consuming different types of organic carbon produced by common phytoplankton species. The research is an important step toward forecasting how much carbon will leave the ocean for the atmosphere as greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and how much will end up entombed in marine sediments, said Ryan Mueller, associate professor in OSU’s Department…
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