news 2021

For the first time, researchers have used human data to quantify the speed of different processes that lead to Alzheimer's disease and found that it develops in a very different way than previously thought. Their results could have important implications for the development of potential treatments.

New research led by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and The University of Manchester could revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment for people with Perrault syndrome, a rare genetic condition resulting in hearing loss in men and women, and early menopause or infertility in women. The research, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics , was funded by organisations including, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) , Action Medical Research and The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) .

Bacteria which have been shown to degrade and assimilate plastic, has been a key area of international research since 2016. Now a University of Manchester -based team of scientists have made a biotechnological breakthrough which may help humans to call on engineered bacteria cells to reduce our plastic waste.

Extraordinary shape makes births more difficult, but guarantees stability The relatively narrow human birth canal presumably evolved as a "compromise" between its abilities for parturition, support of the inner organs, and upright walking. But not only the size of the birth canal, also its complex, "twisted" shape is an evolutionary puzzle.

Using novel technology, researchers advance our understanding of anxiety's connection to brain-body interactions. For the first time, they show how the brain perceives and predicts altered states of breathing; quantifying links between anxiety and the brain's perception of the body's inner signals. Racing heart, rapid breathing, and sweaty palms - all symptoms of anxiety, but they are also the brain's way of preparing the body for a potential threat.

Using CRISPR technology, researchers at EPFL and the University of Geneva have uncovered the complex dance of genes involved in embryonic development. The rapid scientific advancements that followed the mapping of the human genome have revealed just how staggeringly complex the world of genetics is.

Researchers from Heidelberg and Bern develop a new training approach for spiking neural networks Developing a machine that processes information as efficiently as the human brain has been a long-standing research goal towards true artificial intelligence. An interdisciplinary research team at Heidelberg University and the University of Bern (Switzerland) led by Dr Mihai Petrovici is tackling this problem with the help of biologically-inspired artificial neural networks.

Sometimes plant cells don't have just one large central cavity, or vacuole, but several. These can even have different functions. How is that possible? A team led by UvA biologists Ronald Koes and Francesca Quattrocchio took another step towards solving this fundamental biological riddle. Their discovery has been published in the leading scientific journal Cell Reports.

Science, Health & Technology Alex Walls Researchers have found the two-year heatwave known as 'the Blob' may have temporarily dampened the Pacific's 'biological pump,' which shuttles carbon from the surface ocean to the deep sea where it can be stored for millennia. Canadian and European researchers, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, conducted a large-scale study of the impact of one of the largest marine heatwaves on record - colloquially known as the Blob - on Pacific Ocean microorganisms.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus does not infect blood vessels, despite the high risk of blood clots to COVID-19 patients, University of Queensland researchers have found. Dr Emma Gordon and Dr Larisa Labzin from UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience and Dr Kirsty Short from UQ's School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences pooled their expertise in vascular biology and virology to determine how the virus causes damage to blood vessels.

Many animals have tusks, from elephants to walruses to hyraxes. But one thing today's tusked animals have in common is that they're all mammals - no known fish, reptiles or birds have them. But that was not always the case. In a study published Oct. 27 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a team of paleontologists at Harvard University, the Field Museum, the University of Washington and Idaho State University traced the first tusks back to ancient mammal relatives that lived before the dinosaurs.

A team from the University of Geneva has observed that the role of plant tissue - called endosperm - is not only to feed the seed but is crucial for the development and protection of young plants. The endosperm, the tissue surrounding the plant embryo in the seed, has long been perceived as a nourishing tissue that is abandoned once the transition to the seedling is complete.

Mercury exposure in people may be low even when it is sometimes present in elevated levels in traditional foods. The benefits of consuming traditional foods tend to outweigh the risks of possible mercury contamination, according to a recent study. The research, which was part of a larger biomonitoring project to address community concerns about environmental contaminants in traditional foods, such as fish, also found that mercury exposure in people may be low even when it is sometimes present in elevated levels.

Researchers at the University of Toronto have created chemical compounds that can neutralize SARS-CoV-2 and several of its variants. In a recent paper published in the  Journal of Medicinal Chemistry , the researchers report the creation of D-peptides that neutralize the virus and stop infection of cultured human cells.

Scientists identify a new link between certain molecules produced by the microbiome and the function of a protein that impacts gut inflammation. Last updated on Tuesday 2 November 2021 An international team of scientists has identified a new connection between certain molecules produced by the microbiome and the function of a protein that impacts gut inflammation.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's, affecting more than 10 million people worldwide. PD is characterized by a decrease in a brain chemical called dopamine and the death of neurons in a part of the brain known as the substantia nigra.

Microbiology professor Yves Brun and his team explain the mechanism that allows the world's most powerful bioadhesive to stick to things like pipes and even ocean water. Université de Montréal microbiologist Yves Brun made the discovery several years ago: an aquatic bacterium called Caulobacter crescentus produces an extremely powerful glue that adhere to its surrounding wet surfaces, such as pipes and fresh water.

Child psychiatric disorders, such as oppositional defiant disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can feature outbursts of anger and physical aggression. A better understanding of what drives these symptoms could help inform treatment strategies. Yale researchers have now used a machine learning-based approach to uncover disruptions of brain connectivity in children displaying aggression.

Like many viruses, SARS-CoV-2 relies on lipid modifications carried by host enzymes to organize their membrane structure and coordinate the function of virulence proteins. Scientists at EPFL have discovered the enzymes that transfer fatty acids to one of the main components of SARS-CoV-2, its fusion protein Spike.

Inside a Petri dish in a lab at the University of Toronto is a muscle - made from scratch using human stem cells - that has Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). To study the biological properties of DMD, a degenerative muscle disorder that mainly affects males, University of Toronto researchers obtained cell lines from people living with the condition and used them to create miniature muscles in a dish. Now, they're helping other researchers and industry partners develop and test new treatments that may help the boys and young men who are afflicted with DMD.