Slowing or preventing the development of Alzheimer's disease, a fatal brain condition expected to hit one in 85 people globally by 2050, may be as simple as ensuring a brain protein's sugar levels are
The immune system protects from infections by detecting and eliminating invading pathogens. These two strategies form the basis of conventional clinical approaches in the fight against infectious dise
A strain of the potentially deadly antibiotic-resistant bacterium known as MRSA has jumped from livestock to humans, according to a new study.
Scientists have created the first high-resolution virtual image of cellular structures called S1P1 receptors, which are critical in controlling the onset and progression of multiple sclerosis and othe
About 15 years ago, two professors had the idea to develop a programmable, wirelessly controlled microchip that would deliver drugs after implantation in a patient's body. This week, they reported tha
The cure for cancer comes down to this: video games. Scientists have made highly realistic video game images that simulate the inner workings of human cells. Playing these 'games' helps medical resear
Over their 3.8 billion years of evolution, living organisms have developed countless strategies for monitoring their surroundings. Chemists have adapted some of these strategies to improve the perform
Chemists have created a molecule that's so good at tangling itself inside the double helix of a DNA sequence that it can stay there for up to 16 days before the DNA liberates itself, much longer than
Results from a new clinical trial show that treating heart attack patients with an infusion of their own heart-derived cells helps damaged hearts re-grow healthy muscle. Patients who underwent the ste
A novel discovery reveals a mechanism by which the immune system tries to halt the spread of HIV. Harnessing this mechanism may open up new paths for therapeutic research aimed at slowing the virus&am
Researchers have discovered a startling feature of early brain development that helps to explain how complex neuron wiring patterns are programmed using just a handful of critical genes. The findings
The way people rate their health determines their probability of survival in the following decades. Researchers have demonstrated that for ratings ranging from "excellent," "good,"
Our bodies are full of tiny superheroes -- antibodies that fight foreign invaders, cells that regenerate, and structures that ensure our systems run smoothly. One such structure is myelin, a material
Gene therapy for congenital blindness took another step forward, as researchers further improved vision in three adult patients previously treated in one eye. The patients were better able to see in d
DNA sequences from tumor cells can be used to direct the immune system to attack cancer, according to scientists.
Biologists have found new evidence for why mice, people and other vertebrate animals carry thousands of varieties of genes to make immune-system proteins named MHCs -- even though some of those genes
One of the big mysteries in biology is why cells age. Now scientists report that they have discovered a weakness in a component of brain cells that may explain how the aging process occurs in the brai
One of the big mysteries in biology is why cells age. Now scientists report that they have discovered a weakness in a component of brain cells that may explain how the aging process occurs in the brai
Aerospace engineers have developed a prototype device that could power a pacemaker using a source that is surprisingly close to the heart of the matter: vibrations in the chest cavity that are due mai
Manuka honey could help clear chronic wound infections and even prevent them from developing in the first place, according to a new study. The findings provide further evidence for the clinical use of
New research from a world-renowned itch expert shows that how good scratching an itch feels is related to the itch’s location.
Researchers have demonstrated how a new virus evolves, shedding light on how easy it can be for
Diseases to gain dangerous mutations.
A tiny, freshwater flatworm found in ponds and rivers around the world that has long intrigued scientists for its remarkable ability to regenerate has now added a new wrinkle to biology.
Bacteria are able to build camouflaged homes for themselves inside healthy cells. A team that revealed how a pair of proteins from the bacteria Legionella pneumophila, which causes Legionnaires diseas
A new study shows a popular treatment for a potentially blinding eye infection is just as effective if given every six months versus annually. This randomized study on trachoma, the leading cause of i
When the activity of a molecule that is normally elevated during viral infections is inhibited in the brain, mice learn and remember better, researchers report.
Satellite images of nighttime lights normally used to spot where people live can help keep tabs on the
Diseases festering among them, too.
Scientists have discovered a genetic cause of extreme thinness for the first time. The research shows that people with extra copies of certain genes are much more likely to be very skinny. In one in 2
A team of German and Canadian scientists has shown that today's plague pathogen has been around at least 600 years. The Black Death claimed the lives of one-third of Europeans in just five years from
Most bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics such as penicillin, discovered decades ago. However, such drugs are useless against viral infections, including influenza, the common cold, an
Researchers have successfully re-engineered the protein-making machinery in bacteria, a technical tour de force that promises to revolutionize the study and treatment of a variety of
Diseases.
Using an unusual human cell line, researchers have performed a genetic screen and identified a protein used by the Ebola virus to gain entry into cells and begin replicating. The discovery may offer a
Through a combination of careful theoretical modeling and precise micro-manufacturing, a team of engineers and scientists has developed a new type of ultra-thin, self-adhesive electronics device that
Researchers have isolated 17 novel antibodies capable of neutralizing a broad spectrum of variants of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Sniffer dogs could be used for the early detection of lung cancer, according to new research. The study, carried out by researchers in Germany, is the first to find that sniffer dogs can reliably dete
Researchers have traced in detail how certain powerful HIV neutralizing antibodies evolve, a finding that generates vital clues to guide the design of a preventive HIV vaccine, according to a new stud
Scientists have identified 29 new genetic variants linked to multiple sclerosis, providing key insights into the biology of a very debilitating neurological disease.
Researchers have identified a gene for endurance, or more precisely, its negative regulator. Not having the gene relates to greater endurance in the knockout mice that were studied. The investigators
In what represents an important step toward curing HIV, a scientist has created a virus that hunts down HIV-infected cells.
A condition which robs patients of their sight has for the first time been reversed with a drug, giving some people legally certified as blind, useful vision to improve everyday life.
Microbiologists have uncovered a sneaky trick by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa to oust its competitors. Its means of attack helps it survive in the outside environment and may even help it cause infection. P. aeruginosa injects toxins into rival bacteria through a needle-like structure. The toxins degrade their competitors' protective barriers -- their cell walls.
Microbiologists have uncovered a sneaky trick by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa to oust its competitors. Its means of attack helps it survive in the outside environment and may even help it cause infection. P. aeruginosa injects toxins into rival bacteria through a needle-like structure. The toxins degrade their competitors' protective barriers -- their cell walls.
A major challenge for cancer biologists is figuring out which among the hundreds of genetic mutations found in a cancer cell are most important for driving the cancer's spread. Using a new technique called whole-genome profiling, scientists have now pinpointed a gene that appears to drive progression of small cell lung cancer, an aggressive form of lung cancer accounting for about 15 percent of lu
A novel virus that spread through a California monkey colony in late 2009 also infected a human researcher and a family member, researchers have found -- the first known example of an adenovirus "jumping" from one species to another and remaining contagious after the jump.
Biologists identified a new way in which bacteria hijack healthy cells during infection, which could provide a target for new antibiotics.