A research collaboration led by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has for the first time created a three-dimensional movie showing a virus preparing to infect a healthy cell. The research has the potential to fundamentally advance our understanding of how biological processes inside the cell work. That could lead to better treatment for the horde of … Continue reading Virus infecting a cell filmed in 3D
Bacteria have feelings too
For humans, our sense of touch is relayed to the brain via small electrical pulses. Now, University of Colorado Boulder scientists have found that individual bacteria, too, can feel their external environment in a similar way. In a new study, CU Boulder researchers have demonstrated that E. coli bacteria cells get excited when poked, sending … Continue reading Bacteria have feelings too
Researchers chart the lineage of chloroplasts
A new study, led by the University of Bristol, has shed new light on the origin, timing and habitat in which the chloroplast first evolved. The Earth's biosphere is fuelled by photosynthesis. During this fundamental process algae and plants capture sunlight and transform carbon dioxide into carbohydrates, splitting water and releasing oxygen. Photosynthesis takes place … Continue reading Researchers chart the lineage of chloroplasts
Study points to an ominous trend in fight against pathogens
In a classic example of the evolutionary arms race between a host and a pathogen, the myxoma virus -- introduced to control the rabbit population in Australia in 1950 -- has developed a novel and deadly ability to suppress the immune response of its host rabbits. New research shows that viruses collected in the 1990s … Continue reading Study points to an ominous trend in fight against pathogens
Study cautions against treating pain and PTSD with cannabis
The scientific evidence is too limited to make firm conclusions about the effectiveness and safety of cannabis and cannabinoid products in treating chronic pain or post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). The results of two systematic evidence reviews from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Currently, medical marijuana … Continue reading Study cautions against treating pain and PTSD with cannabis
Conversations with Gail Ashley: Water and the Ascent of Man
Gail Ashley likes to peer into the past and reassemble moments that shaped humankind's trajectory from hominin to human. Of course, it’s a puzzle that can never be fully resolved. Like everything in science, the best solutions represent statistically significant estimations. While this openness may sound daunting, it also allows researchers like Ashley to exercise … Continue reading Conversations with Gail Ashley: Water and the Ascent of Man
Common antimicrobial may lead to birth defects
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists have discovered that exposure to environmental levels of triclocarban (TCC), an antibacterial chemical common in personal care products like soaps and lotions as well as in the medical field, can transfer from mother to offspring and interfere with lipid metabolism. Ultimately, the findings could have implications for human health. The … Continue reading Common antimicrobial may lead to birth defects
Dual gene and drug delivery vehicles improve cancer treatment
Clinicians today have an arsenal of more than 200 drugs at their disposal for treating a range of cancers -- 68 drugs were approved between 2011 and 2016 alone. But many chemotherapeutic agents pose stubborn challenges: they cause serious side effects because they kill healthy cells in addition to cancer cells; some forms of cancer … Continue reading Dual gene and drug delivery vehicles improve cancer treatment
Cholera vaccines are a mixed bag of benefits at best
A new review of the research literature led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows that cholera vaccines provide substantial protection for adults but provide significantly less protection for children under age 5, a population particularly at risk for dying from this diarrheal disease.The review, which considered seven clinical trials … Continue reading Cholera vaccines are a mixed bag of benefits at best
Controlling checkpoints leads to better allergy therapies
Scientists from Trinity College Dublin have made a significant breakthrough in understanding the regulation of immune cells that play a pivotal role in allergic diseases such as asthma and eczema. They have identified a 'checkpoint' manned by these immune cells that, if barred, can halt the development of the lung inflammation associated with allergies. The … Continue reading Controlling checkpoints leads to better allergy therapies
