For The Better

Scientists describe a process for converting non-neuronal cells into functioning neurons able to take up residence in the brain, send out their fibrous branches across neural tissue, form synapses, dispense dopamine and restore capacities undermined by…

For patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS), becoming a mother is fraught with difficult questions: is it acceptable to continue disease modifying treatment during pregnancy and breastfeeding to keep the disease at bay, or does this put the chi…

CRISPR-Cas9 is considered a revolutionary gene editing tool, but its applications are limited by a lack of methods by which it can be safely and efficiently delivered into cells. Recently, a research team has constructed a highly flexible CRISPR-Cas9 c…

The famous double slit experiment shows that particles can travel on two paths at the same time — but only by looking at a lot of particles and analysing the results statistically. Now a two-path-interference experiment has been designed that only has…

A team of scientists is making inroads in understanding the relationship between certain enzymes that are normally produced in the body and their role in regulating obesity and controlling liver diseases. Researchers studied male mice that lacked the C…

Scientists have published a ground-breaking study of the structure and function of a central protein in the liver: NTCP, a cellular-entry pathway for bile salts, but also for certain hepatitis viruses. These results reveal the 3D structure of NTCP and …

When pathogens attack, the NPR1 protein steps in to control a plant’s immune response. Scientists have now figured out what the protein looks like and how it works — a possible boon for agriculture.

Researchers show that different patient responses to statins can be explained by the variation in the human microbiome. The findings suggest that microbiome monitoring could be used to help optimize personalized statin treatments.

Researchers have traced the cause of increased numbers of mutations in children to a higher rate of random mutations in sperm cells of the biological father, associated with rare genetic defects in DNA repair or chemotherapy.

Scientists have revived light-sensing neuron cells in organ donor eyes and restored communication between them as part of a series of discoveries that stand to transform brain and vision research. Billions of neurons in the central nervous system trans…

How would afforestation and restoration of large areas worldwide affect water-fluxes world wide? A new study has interesting answers. Impacts on precipitation reach far beyond country or even continent level: tree restoration in the Amazon can, for exa…

A new study has discovered the functions of hundreds of genes in algae, some of which are also present in plants. The achievement will help efforts to genetically engineer algae for biofuel production and develop strains of agricultural crops that can …

The first whole genome sequences of the ancient people of Uruguay provide a genetic snapshot of Indigenous populations of the region before they were decimated by a series of European military campaigns.

A receptor that was first identified as necessary for insulin action, that also is located on the neural stem cells found deep in the brains of mice, is pivotal for brain stem cell longevity, according to a new study, a finding that has important impli…

By clarifying the role of ‘real’ and ‘virtual’ charge carriers in laser-induced currents, researchers have taken a decisive step toward creating ultrafast computers.

Jules Verne could not even dream of this: A research team has pushed the boundaries of high-pressure and high-temperature research into cosmic dimensions. For the first time, they have succeeded in generating and simultaneously analyzing materials unde…