science wire

A joint study conducted by the University of Bonn and the DZNE has confirmed early-stage brain inflammation in mice Patients with spastic paraplegia type 15 develop movement disorders during adolescence that may ultimately require the use of a wheelchair. In the early stages of this rare hereditary disease the brain appears to play a major role by over-activating the immune system, as shown by a recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Researchers have offered new insight into how our closest ape relatives - bonobos and chimpanzees - show empathy towards each other through consolatory behaviours.

Male mice fall into two camps when it comes to love: some fiercely guard the females within their territory, while others roam in search of quick flings To the point Territorials defend nests: Some males set up camp and guard areas where females gather. Roamers seek out females: Other males wander around, trying to mate with any available female.

To the point Strategy driving female dominance : Female bonobos team up to suppress male aggression against them-the first evidence of animals deploying this strategy.

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Vlasimir Litvak (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) discusses how advances in adaptive deep brain stimulation are being used to treat Parkinson's. Although the brain is our most complex organ, the ways to treat it have historically been rather simple. Typically, surgeons lesioned (damaged) a structure or a pathway in the hope that this would "correct the imbalance" that led to the disease.

Fifty years since its discovery, scientists have finally worked out how a molecular machine found in mitochondria, the 'powerhouses' of our cells, allows us to make the fuel we need from sugars, a process vital to all life on Earth.

Certain common genetic changes might make some people with focal epilepsy less responsive to seizure medications, finds a new global study led by researchers at UCL and UTHealth Houston. Focal epilepsy is a condition where seizures start in one part of the brain. It is the most common type of epilepsy.

In County Meath in eastern Ireland sits the world heritage site of Brú na Bóinne. The late 4th millennium BC megalithic tombs have been labelled "passage tombs" by archaeologists because they typically feature a narrow passage leading to an internal chamber, covered by a large circular mound.

Carnegie Mellon University's  Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program provides funding for undergraduates to work full time on research projects during the summer. Many students continue those projects beyond that time, including these three students who worked with their mentors to ask big questions about basic biology.

People have always created images to explain the world to themselves - not only individually, but also as a society.

High blood pressure is the strongest risk factor for changes in the cerebral vasculature To the point Tiny brain injuries: Undetected lesions in the brain are a common cause of dementia and can be detected by MRI.

About 10,000: it is the number of DNA lesions that every cell in our body undergoes per day. Such a number can be scary at first glance. One almost wonders how cells survive - indeed, how we survive - if our DNA is damaged to this extent on a daily basis. Repairing the damage is fundamental because DNA contains the instructions for cells to function correctly.

Physiologists at Jena University Hospital have used single-channel measurements to investigate the conductivity of pacemaker ion channels, which control the rhythmic activity of nerve or heart muscle cells.

The steady increase in the frequency of antibiotic resistance may not be inevitable. This is the conclusion of a study published in the journal PLOS Pathogens.

To contain the spread of the invasive quagga mussel in Swiss lakes, researchers recommend swift action based on comprehensive prevention, early detection and containment.

As many as one in 3,000 people could be carrying a faulty gene that significantly increases their risk of a punctured lung, according to new estimates from Cambridge researchers.

Researchers from Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) have received funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) for ten proposals covering a diverse range of topics.

New research from The University of Manchester may reshape our understanding of what happens to the immune system when we fast. Funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the study on mice shows that the brain's hypothalamus controls how the immune system adapts during fasting, through a handful of highly specialized neurons responsible for making animals hungry.

Researchers at EPFL's Neuroengineering Laboratory, led by Pavan Ramdya, aim to replicate the workings of the brain of the common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster.

A research team from TU Graz and the Vellore Institute of Technology in India is developing a 3D-printed skin imitation equipped with living cells in order to test nanoparticles from cosmetics without animal testing.

Predator-prey relationships are found in virtually all'ecosystems. Even microorganisms in their world, which is invisible to the naked eye, engage in these interactions when fighting for the survival of their species.

In a groundbreaking paper published in the journal Trends in Genetics researchers from the University of Vermont and Trinity College Dublin propose an innovative analogy between AI models and genetic encoding to help us understand how genes encode the complex information that enables them to create an organism.

A new study looks at differences in music listening habits between young adults with ADHD and their neurotypical peers.

Could tiny 'molecular robots' made from RNA provide personalised cancer treatments - without the harmful side effects? When Associate Professor Tamás Fischer speaks about his medical research project and its potential to change lives, he begins on a personal note.

According to the Alzheimer's Society of Canada, one in four Canadians over the age of 85 is living with dementia - and Alzheimer's disease (AD) accounts for more than 60 per cent of those cases.

The microorganisms in our intestines play an important role in many bodily processes, from digestion to emotions, and are a key factor in our overall health.

When emerging at night by the thousands, bats avoid colliding by changing how they move and echolocate To the point High-resolution tracking and ultrasonic recording: When bats squeeze out of caves 94 percent of echolocation calls are jammed.

A mixture of different ingredients offers an alternative to foie gras thanks to treatment with a goose enzyme A cruelly produced specialty: Foie gras is considered a specialty, but is produced by the atrocious method of force-feeding and is therefore heavily criticized.

Tucked in the back of the Microbiome and Probiotic Research Lab at St. Joseph's hospital sits the fly room - a small space that houses even smaller insects whose microscopic innards could hold clues into the link between antibiotic use and the formation of kidney stones.

Tailoring a look to receive or evade certain attention is common among people, and, according to a recent study published in Animal Behaviour , it turns out hummingbirds do it, too. It has been known for some time that some, but not all, females in the white-necked jacobin hummingbird take on the bright colors used by males.

Bonn researchers develop a versatile toolbox for the characterization of IRESes in cells The research field of "cellular IRESes" lay dormant for decades, as there was no uniform standard of reliable

Proteins in the sheath of cellular protrusions regulate the ability of cells to adhere to surfaces Biological cells often possess thin, hair-like protrusions on their surface known as cilia, which serve various functions ranging from movement to sensing environmental signals. Researchers from Germany and Italy have recently revealed new insights into the protective layer surrounding these cilia.

Mitochondria are the powerhouses in our cells, producing the energy for all vital processes. Using cryo-electron tomography, researchers at the University of Basel have now gained insight into the architecture of mitochondria at unprecedented resolution. They discovered that the proteins responsible for energy generation assemble into large "supercomplexes", which play a crucial role in providing the cell's energy.