Science & Technology
Fundamental research improves understanding of new optical materials
Research into the synthesis of new materials could lead to more sustainable and environmentally friendly items such as solar panels and light emitting diodes (LEDs). Scientists have developed a colloidal synthesis method for alkaline earth chalcogenide…
Discovery illuminates how Parkinson’s disease spreads in the brain
Aggregates of the protein alpha-synuclein spread in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease through a cellular waste-ejection process, suggests a new study.
Newly identified small molecules break amyloid tangles that cause Alzheimer’s
In lab experiments, researchers observed a molecule called EGCG break up tau tangles extracted from Alzheimer’s disease brain tissue EGCG does not, however, easily penetrate the human brain. They found two other molecules — CNS-11 and CNS-17 — that w…
Newly identified small molecules break amyloid tangles that cause Alzheimer’s
In lab experiments, researchers observed a molecule called EGCG break up tau tangles extracted from Alzheimer’s disease brain tissue EGCG does not, however, easily penetrate the human brain. They found two other molecules — CNS-11 and CNS-17 — that w…
Discovery explains cancer chemotherapy resistance, offers solution
Researchers have uncovered a novel pathway that explains how cancer cells become resistant to chemotherapies, which in turn offers a potential solution for preventing chemo-resistance.
Fish to help in search for MS drugs
The zebrafish serves as a model organism for researchers around the world: it can be used to study important physiological processes that also take place in a similar form in the human body. It is therefore routinely used in the search for possible act…
Malaria spike linked to amphibian die-off
A new study links an amphibian die-off in Costa Rica and Panama with a spike in malaria cases. The study demonstrates the importance of biodiversity to human health.
How the brain develops: A new way to shed light on cognition
Researchers introduce a new neurocomputational model of the human brain that could bridge the gap in understanding AI and the biological mechanisms underlying mental disorders.
Don’t look at me like that!
Does eye-contact always attract attention? Not in every case, as a research team has recently shown. Why not? Because context matters.
Octopuses prefer certain arms when hunting and adjust tactics to prey
Biologists investigated whether octopuses preferred certain arms over others when hunting, rather than using each arm equally. No matter what type of prey came by, each octopus attacked using the second arm from the middle.
Scientists unearth another brain-shrinking mammal
A study of moles reveals that cold weather — not lack of food — drives the rare phenomenon of reversible brain shrinkage in mammals.
Genetic variants linked to congenital urinary tract obstruction in males
Genetic variation affecting developmental genes not previously linked to urethral development may contribute to a congenital condition that is the most common cause of kidney failure in young males, a new study suggests.
Tumors form temporary structures to avoid immunotherapy treatments
Scientists have shown how tumor cells evade immunotherapy by generating unique, temporary cell-in-cell structures, where the inner cells remain in tact and can return to single tumor cells.