news 2020

Researchers have discovered a previously unknown way that pancreatic cells decide how much insulin to secrete. It could provide a promising new target to develop drugs for boosting insulin production in people with Type 2 diabetes. In a pair of papers recently published in Cell Metabolism, scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and their colleagues point to an overlooked enzyme known as pyruvate kinase as the primary way pancreatic beta cells sense sugar levels and release the appropriate amount of insulin.

Coral reefs are extremely sensitive to temperature, making them particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. But some corals seem able to adapt. Researchers from EPFL and the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) studied a reef in New Caledonia, combining approaches from environmental science and genomics to characterize their adaptive potential and develop targeted conservation strategies.

Two papes published in journal Animals lend support to a ban on whipping in horse racing. They respectively show that horses feel as much pain as humans would when whipped, and that the whip does not enhance race safety. Do horses feel pain when whipped? Racing industry officials have long held that they don't.

Brain training and electrical stimulation may not enhance cognition in older adults, according to a University of Queensland study. UQ School of Psychology researchers conducted the largest study to date to determine whether combined brain training and electrical stimulation would improve a range of cognitive functions, such as attention, decision making and memory, in older adults.

Scientists from the University of Geneva and HUG identify the essential role of circadian clocks in the regeneration of insulin-producing cells. Certain parts of our body, such as the skin or liver, can repair themselves after a damage. Known as cell regeneration, this phenomenon describes how cells that are still functional start to proliferate to compensate for the loss.

Yale researchers have discovered a protein that helps protect hosts from infection with the tick-borne spirochete that causes Lyme Disease, a finding that may help diagnose and treat this infection, they report Nov. 11 in the journal PLOS Pathogens. Lyme Disease is the most common vector-borne disease in North America and is transmitted by ticks infected with the spirochete  Borrelia burgdorferi .

In many neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, protein aggregates form in the brain and are assumed to contribute to neuronal cell death. Yet there exists a cellular defence mechanism that counteracts these aggregates, known as amyloid fibrils, and can even dissolve fibrils already formed. This defence mechanism is based on the activity of molecular chaperones, i.e. protein folding helpers, of the heat shock protein 70 family (Hsp70).

Heidelberg researchers gain groundbreaking new insights into the regulation and evolution of gene expression in mammalian organs A large-scale study conducted by molecular biologists from Heidelberg University has yielded groundbreaking new insights into the evolution and regulation of gene expression in mammalian organs.

Spider webs are engineering marvels constructed by 8 legged experts with 400 million years of accumulated know-how. Much can be learned from the building of the spider's gossamer net and the operation of its sticky trap.  Amazingly, garden cross spiders can regenerate lost legs and use them immediately to build a web that is pitch-perfect, even though the new limb is much shorter than the one it replaced.

Yale researchers have discovered a protein that helps protect hosts from infection with the tick-borne spirochete that causes Lyme Disease, a finding that may help diagnose and treat this infection, they report Nov. 11 in the journal PLOS Pathogens. Lyme Disease is the most common vector-borne disease in North America and is transmitted by ticks infected with the spirochete  Borrelia burgdorferi .

A high-sugar diet reprograms the taste cells in fruit flies, dulling their sensitivity to sugar and leaving a "molecular memory” on their tongues, according to a University of Michigan study. Examining fruit flies, researchers Monica Dus, Anoumid Vaziri and collaborators found that high-sugar diets completely remodeled the flies' taste cells, leaving a molecular memory that lasts even when the flies were switched back to healthy diets.

Bird 10,000 Genome.." The international consortium Bird 10,000 Genome Project (B10K) has sequenced the genome of 363 living bird species. From left to right, the experts Joan Ferrer Obiol, Jacob González-Solís (first line), Julio Rozas and Marta Riutort (second line). The study presents 257 new bird genomes that expand the sequenced genetic material during the first phase and expand the sequenced genetic material and shed light on the evolution of the genomic diversity among bird lineages.

Bioengineers at EPFL have used organoids - tiny lab-grown organs - to mimic the early development of the heart in the mouse embryo. The work is another step towards future bioartificial organs for research and transplants. There was a time when the idea of growing organs in the lab was the stuff of science fiction.

Atom-scale models could help refine established theories on how proteins interact with solutions It's a long-standing assumption that the presence of water influences how proteins fold. A new study is challenging the details. A paper in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters shows proteins that presumably evolved to avoid water as they fold may actually behave in ways scientists did not anticipate.

Amber piece of the site in Ariño with a lock of mammalian hair. This is the oldest finding of hair in amber. Credits: S. Álvarez Parra et al. Scientific Reports Amber piece from the site of San Just with dinosaur feather remains. Credits: S. Álvarez Parra et al. Scientific Reports Four examples studied in the "pull off vestiture" process in ambar pieces from San Just, Ariño, Myanmar and the Baltic, from left to right and top to bottom.

Researchers investigating the heritage of thousands of rice varieties have identified just two distinct maternal lineages, a discovery which could help address the issue of global food security. University of Queensland scientists studied more than 3000 rice genotypes and found diversity was inherited through two maternal genomes identified in all rice varieties.

Research can now target metastases more effectively thanks to a new approach that takes into account the enormous heterogeneity and phenotypes of tumour cells, with a team from the University of Geneva pinpointing a gene that prevents their development. Before an effective treatment can be devised, we have to be able to understand the specific effect of an anti-cancer substance on the cell type, or even the cell, that produces metastases in the enormous cellular heterogeneity of tumours.

Fitting birds with GPS trackers inside mini backpacks reveals what has been long suspected: urban gulls know exactly when and where to forage for human food. If you've ever seen a seagull snatch a pasty or felt their beady eyes on your sandwich in the park, you'd be right to suspect they know exactly when to strike to increase their chances of getting a human snack.

A new synthetic protein nanoparticle capable of slipping past the nearly impermeable blood-brain barrier in mice could deliver cancer-killing drugs directly to malignant brain tumors, new research from the University of Michigan shows. The study is the first to demonstrate an intravenous medication that can cross the blood-brain barrier.

Despite advances in sequencing technologies and computational methods in the past decade, researchers have uncovered genomes for just a small fraction of Earth's microbial diversity. Because most microbes cannot be cultivated under laboratory conditions, their genomes can't be sequenced using traditional approaches.