Studies and Analyses

The most common carrier of the hantavirus in North America is the deer mouse. Credit: Photo courtesy of David M. Gascoigne.
Studies and Analyses

Emerging Hantavirus: Understanding Its Pandemic Potential

Hantavirus recently made news headlines as the cause of death for Betsy Arakawa, the wife of actor Gene Hackman, but little is commonly known about it other than its connection to rodents. Virginia Tech researchers have gained a better understanding of this insidious virus by studying its rodent hosts in North America. Using National Science Foundation data, they found three hotspots of hantavirus circulation in wildlife – Virginia, Colorado, and Texas – and identified 15 rodent species as carriers, including…

Researchers at WashU Medicine identified a direct connection between cancer-related inflammation and the loss of motivation characteristic of advanced cancer. In a mouse study, they describe a brain pathway that starts with neurons (labeled in green, above) that sense inflammation signals, and the researchers were able to treat the loss of motivation by blocking this pathway. Credit: Aelita Zhu
Studies and Analyses

New Brain Pathway Links Inflammation to Cancer Fatigue

Study in mice shows motivation can be restored with targeted treatments The fatigue and lack of motivation that many cancer patients experience near the end of life have been seen as the unavoidable consequences of their declining physical health and extreme weight loss. But new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis challenges that long-held assumption, showing instead that these behavioral changes stem from specific inflammation-sensing neurons in the brain. In a study published April 11 in…

Researchers atThe Ohio State University Wexner Medical CenterandCollege of Medicinehave discovered a new way that neurons act in neurodegeneration by using human neural organoids – also known as “mini-brain” models – from patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD).Study corresponding author Hongjun “Harry” Fu, PhD, assistant professor of neuroscience at The Ohio State University says this could lead to new treatments for FTLD and Alzheimer’s, the two most common forms of dementia that lead to cognitive decline. Credit: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Studies and Analyses

Ohio State Study Uncovers Insights on Neurodegeneration with Mini Brains

Research findings could lead to treatments for frontotemporal lobar degeneration and Alzheimer’s Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine have discovered a new way that neurons act in neurodegeneration by using human neural organoids – also known as “mini-brain” models – from patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Understanding this new pathway could help researchers find better treatments for FTLD and Alzheimer’s, the two most common forms of dementia that lead to cognitive decline….

Solar Eclipse at partial obscuration Credit: Amy Donner of Haikubox
Studies and Analyses

Eclipse Echoes: New Insights Into Avian Vocal Patterns

Published in Scientific Reports, Haikubox community science study finds significant bird song decline only where more than 99% solar obscuration occurred A new study published today in Scientific Reports reveals how birds responded to the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse across North America. The study finds bird vocalizations significantly declined only where more than 99% solar obscuration occurred. Researchers from Loggerhead Instruments, Inc. and the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology analyzed…

Research published inCell Researchfrom Mario Halic, PhD, St. Jude Department of Structural Biology, revealed 13 distinct structures of the chromatin remodeler SNF2H offering a comprehensive view the process. Credit: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Studies and Analyses

Chromatin Remodeling: Insights from a Structural Study

Chromatin remodeling plays a vital role in gene regulation, affecting how DNA is accessed. Disruptions in this process can also lead to cancer and other diseases. To better understand how chromatin remodeling works, scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to obtain fine structural details of a human chromatin remodeler in action. The researchers captured 13 structures that together offer a comprehensive view of how the remodeling enzyme SNF2H works, offering insights that are likely shared…

On the left, modified luciferase applied to mammalian cells generates an acidity traffic light: pH 6 (red), 7 (yellow) and 8 (green); on the right, firefly discovered at UFSCar in 2006 Credit: Gabriel Pelentir and Vadim Viviani
Studies and Analyses

Firefly-Inspired Sensor Detects Cellular Changes Effortlessly

An enzyme cloned from an insect found by Brazilian researchers – and genetically modified – makes it possible to monitor intracellular acidity and could be used to study diseases and drugs. The gene encoding an enzyme from a firefly, discovered at the Sorocaba campus of the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in Brazil, has given rise to a biosensor capable of detecting pH changes in mammalian cells – which could be useful, for example, in studying diseases and assessing…

You may have encountered duckweed thousands of times. The tiny aquatic plant can grow practically anywhere there’s standing water and sunlight, including here at Brooklyn’s iconic Prospect Park Credit: Evan Ernst/CSHL
Studies and Analyses

Self-Sustaining Farms: The Future of Food and Fuel

Under the right conditions, duckweed essentially farms itself. Wastewater, ponds, puddles, swamps—you name it. If there’s enough sunlight and carbon dioxide, the aquatic plant can grow freely. But that’s not all that makes it intriguing. Packed inside duckweed’s tiny fronds is enormous potential as a soil enricher, a fuel source, protein-rich foods, and more. New findings at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) could help bring all that potential to life. CSHL Professor and HHMI Investigator Rob Martienssen and Computational Analyst Evan Ernst…

Gloria Coronado, PhD, is a professor at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the associate director of population science at the U of A Cancer Center. Credit: Photo by Kris Hanning, U of A Health Sciences Office of Communications
Studies and Analyses

Patient Navigators Boost Colonoscopy Rates After Abnormal Tests

Timely follow-up colonoscopies can reduce the mortality rate from colorectal cancer, and patient navigators can play an important role in facilitating screening, according to researchers at the U of A Cancer Center A University of Arizona Health Sciences-led study found that patients are more likely to get colonoscopies following abnormal stool test results if patient navigators assist them through the process. The paper, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, showed that 55% of patients who were assigned to a…

An Anopheles gambiae mosquito that has been fed dye to make her glow. Credit: Provided by Lee R. Haines
Studies and Analyses

Nitisinone Drug Makes Human Blood Toxic to Mosquitoes

In the fight against malaria, controlling the mosquito population is crucial. Several methods are currently used to reduce mosquito numbers and malaria risk. One of these includes the antiparasitic medication ivermectin. When mosquitoes ingest blood containing ivermectin, it shortens the insect’s lifespan and helps decrease the spread of malaria. However, ivermectin has its own issues. Not only is it environmentally toxic, but also, when it is overused to treat people and animals with worm and parasite infections, resistance to ivermectin…

World lung day concept on white background, space for text. Image by AtlasComposer, Envato
Studies and Analyses

New Pathway Discovered to Slow Pulmonary Fibrosis Progression

A study published in The American Journal of Pathology demonstrates that Piezo2 is a critical mechanoreceptor involved in stiffness-mediated profibrotic fibroblast phenotypes Researchers have found a potential new way to slow the progression of lung fibrosis and other fibrotic diseases by inhibiting the expression or function of Piezo2, a receptor that senses mechanical forces in tissues including stress, strain, and stiffness. The new study in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier, sheds light on the underlying mechanisms of…

Near Moab, Utah, bees of the Genus Diadasia, also known as chimney bees, mallow bees or digger bees, build their characteristic cylindrical nests in the middle of a dirt road. Utah State University ecologists compiled a comprehensive list of Utah's bee species and published their findings in the March 14, 2025 issue of the journal Diversity. Credit: Joseph S. Wilson, USU
Studies and Analyses

Discover Utah’s Diverse Bee Species: A Rich Ecological Study

Joseph Wilson, Anthony Hunsaker publish findings about Utah’s Pollinators in the journal ‘Diversity’ Wildlife conservation is critical to sustaining the planet’s biodiversity and health. But putting together a conservation plan is a tall order. First of all, you need to determine what species you’re conserving, along with their numbers, habitat needs, threats and how they fit into a complex ecosystem. As pollinators for native plants and food crops, bees play a pivotal role in our ecosystem, according to Utah State…

Aging compromises the lymphatic vessels (green) in tissue called the meninges (blue) surrounding the brain, disabling waste drainage from the brain and impacting cognitive function. Researchers at WashU Medicine boosted lymphatic vessel integrity (bottom) in old mice and found improvements in their memory compared with old mice without rejuvenated lymphatic vessels (top). Image Credit: Kyungdeok Kim
Studies and Analyses

Boosting Brain Waste Removal Enhances Memory in Older Mice

Research opens door to developing therapies for neurodegenerative diseases As aging bodies decline, the brain loses the ability to cleanse itself of waste, a scenario that scientists think could be contributing to neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, among others. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report they have found a way around that problem by targeting the network of vessels that drain waste from the brain. Rejuvenating those vessels, they have…

“By revealing how a light-activated switch can reshape cells in real time, we’re uncovering basic design principles for how living systems self-organize and evolve shape,” says the study’s senior author, Nikta Fakhri, associate professor of physics at MIT. Image Credit: Adam Glanzman
Studies and Analyses

MIT Scientists Engineer Starfish Cells for Light-Responsive Change

The research may enable the design of synthetic, light-activated cells for wound healing or drug delivery. Life takes shape with the motion of a single cell. In response to signals from certain proteins and enzymes, a cell can start to move and shake, leading to contractions that cause it to squeeze, pinch, and eventually divide. As daughter cells follow suit down the generational line, they grow, differentiate, and ultimately arrange themselves into a fully formed organism. Now MIT scientists have…

Comparison showing 3T and 7T scans for the same participant (Credit: P Simon Jones, University of Cambridge). Image Credit: Credit: P Simon Jones, University of Cambridge
Studies and Analyses

Cambridge Team’s MRI Breakthrough Transforms Epilepsy Surgery

A new technique has enabled ultra-powerful magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners to identify tiny differences in patients’ brains that cause treatment-resistant epilepsy. In the first study to use this approach, it has allowed doctors at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, to offer the patients surgery to cure their condition. Previously, 7T MRI scanners – so called because they operate using a 7 Tesla magnetic field, more than double the strength of previous 3T scanners – have suffered from signal blackspots in crucial…

(L to R) Corresponding author Hongbo Chi, co-first author Sujing Yuan and co-first author Renqiang Sun, PhD, PhD, St. Jude Department of Immunology. Image Credit: Courtesy of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Studies and Analyses

Removing Protein Signal Jammer Boosts Immunotherapy Efficacy

Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital found that removing one protein from tumors could help thwart cancer cells in multiple ways, enhancing immunotherapy effects Targeted inhibition of a “signal jammer” protein may improve how tumors respond to immunotherapy. Published today in Nature, a new study demonstrates how some cancer cells use the protein voltage-dependent anion channel 2 (VDAC2) like a signal jammer to prevent the body’s anticancer systems from communicating with the immune system. The research also reveals the…

A human cell prepares to release infection-fighting molecules called cytokines (magenta). WashU Medicine researchers identified a protein crucial to this process and how it is involved in a rare autoimmune disease. Image Credit: David Kast
Studies and Analyses

New Insights on Autoimmune Disorder: Missing Link Discovered

Newly described protein drives immune response, offers potential target for treatment Autoimmune diseases, which are estimated to affect more than 15 million people in the U.S., occur when the body responds to immune-system false alarms, and infection-fighting first responders are sent out to attack threats that aren’t there. Scientists have long understood how the false alarms get triggered, but the second step of dispatching the immune response has been a mystery. Now, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in…

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