UC Riverside scientists have described ‘Uncus,’ the oldest ecdysozoan and the first from the Precambrian period. Everyone has a past. That includes the millions of species of insects, arachnids, and nematode worms that make up a major animal group called the Ecdysozoa. Until recently, details about this group’s most distant past have been elusive. But a UC Riverside-led team has now identified the oldest known ecdysozoan in the fossil record and the only one from the Precambrian period. Their discovery…

… paving the way for personalized, blood-based, 3D-printed implants. Scientists have created a new ‘biocooperative’ material based on blood, which has shown to successfully repair bones, paving the way for personalised regenerative blood products that could be used as effective therapies to treat injury and disease. Researchers from the Schools of Pharmacy and Chemical Engineering at the University of Nottingham have used peptide molecules that can guide key processes taking place during the natural healing of tissues to create living…

…offers a fast and cost-effective way to test drugs. Researchers at the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute and Hospital have reinforced their leading role in infectious disease research by characterising and developing a new study model using Drosophila, which will enable the evaluation of various infectious agents. The Clinical and Experimental Microbiology Unit (UMCiE) at the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), in collaboration with the Comparative Medicine and Bioimage Centre of Catalonia (CMCiB), a strategic project of the institute, has spent…

Cutting back on animal protein in our diets can save on resources and greenhouse gas emissions. But convincing meat-loving consumers to switch up their menu is a challenge. Looking at this problem from a mechanical engineering angle, Stanford engineers are pioneering a new approach to food texture testing that could pave the way for faux filets that fool even committed carnivores. In a new paper in Science of Food, the team demonstrated that a combination of mechanical testing and machine learning can describe…

New Starting Point for Cancer Research. A recent study from the University of Würzburg unveiled a key enzyme involved in producing selenoproteins, opening new strategies for treating certain types of cancer in children. Selenoproteins are crucial for several biological functions, including the breakdown of harmful substances, immune system support, and regulating metabolic processes. However, in specific contexts, these proteins can be misused and shield cancer cells from death. One such protein, glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), is vital in supporting cellular…

Although it is the smallest and lightest atom, hydrogen can have a big impact by infiltrating other materials and affecting their properties, such as superconductivity and metal-insulator-transitions. Now, researchers from Japan have focused on finding an easy way to locate it in nanofilms. In a study published recently in Nature Communications, researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo have reported a method for determining the location of hydrogen in nanofilms. Because they are very small, hydrogen…

Known for its axon guidance properties, new research suggests protein is critical in guiding neural development. Scientists at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have uncovered an unexpected role for the molecule netrin1 in organizing the developing spinal cord. The researchers discovered that netrin1, which is known primarily as a guidance cue that directs growing nerve fibers, also limits bone morphogenetic protein, or BMP, signaling to specific regions of the spinal cord. This…

Recommendations published in The Lancet Oncology call for good clinical practice of new technologies to modernize decades-old standard of care for brain cancer patients. An international, multidisciplinary team of leading neuro-oncology researchers and clinicians has released new recommendations for good clinical practice — a set of guidelines that helps ensure clinical trial results are reliable, and patients are protected — regarding the use of artificial intelligence methods to more accurately diagnose, monitor and treat brain cancer patients. The team recently…

AI tool reads biopsy images… To determine the type and severity of a cancer, pathologists typically analyze thin slices of a tumor biopsy under a microscope. But to figure out what genomic changes are driving the tumor’s growth — information that can guide how it is treated — scientists must perform genetic sequencing of the RNA isolated from the tumor, a process that can take weeks and costs thousands of dollars. Now, Stanford Medicine researchers have developed an artificial intelligence-powered…

…and remains healthy during aging. Blood vessels and stromal cells in the bone marrow create an ideal environment for hematopoietic stem cells to continuously produce all blood cells. During aging, these critical niche components deteriorate and the bone marrow produces fewer healthy blood cells, leading to age-related inflammation and disease. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Münster, Germany, discovered that the skull bone marrow is a surprising exception to bone marrow aging and actually increases blood…

Rice researchers develop novel electrochemical reactor. A team of Rice University researchers led by Lisa Biswal and Haotian Wang has developed an innovative electrochemical reactor to extract lithium from natural brine solutions, offering a promising approach to address the growing demand for lithium used in rechargeable batteries. This breakthrough, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , holds significant potential for renewable energy storage and electric vehicles. Lithium is a critical component in batteries for renewable energy…

… may soon be on your plate. The protein in sea lettuce, a type of seaweed, is a promising complement to both meat and other current alternative protein sources. Seaweed also contains many other important nutrients, and is grown without needing to be watered, fertilised or sprayed with insecticides. However, the proteins are often tightly bound, and their full potential has not yet been realised on our plates.  But now researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have found…

…gives crop breeders a wider lens. Understanding how both environmental conditions and genetic makeup affect crops is essential to developing varieties that are more resilient and productive. But the intricate interplay between weather and genes is difficult to untangle, in part because plants with the same genotype can respond in different ways to varying conditions. That dynamic is called phenotypic plasticity, and it’s the main research interest of Jianming Yu, an agronomy professor at Iowa State University. Crop breeders have…

Clinical trial targeted recurrence of hard-to-treat triple-negative breast cancer. A small clinical trial shows promising results for patients with triple-negative breast cancer who received an investigational vaccine designed to prevent recurrence of tumors. Conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis with a therapy designed by WashU Medicine researchers, the trial is the first to report results for this type of vaccine — known as a neoantigen DNA vaccine — for breast cancer patients. The study, which found…

… used in condensate modifying drugs. Researchers at the universities in Mainz and Leiden have developed a simple model system that can be used to break down fibrils – the cause of numerous disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease – into their constituent single units or liquid droplets. The origin of many diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s can be found at the molecular level in our body, in other words, in proteins. In a healthy system, these proteins are…

UKB robotically suspends cervix with a body’s own tendon. If a woman’s pelvic floor is severely weakened, the uterus and vagina may descend. As a result, affected women suffer from prolapse symptoms and possibly bladder, bowel and sexual dysfunction. If conservative treatment options do not help, the uterus does not necessarily have to be removed, but can be surgically suspended using a synthetic mesh. Since 2022, single hospitals in Germany have also been performing this procedure using a body’s own…