Lifeboat Foundation

Researchers have identified a platelet-derived factor that improves cognition in mice and published their findings in Nature Communications. Finding the right molecules This paper begins with the same refrain common in […].

Finding the perfect match isn’t easy for proteins. This AI model determines the best pairs — information that’s important for better drug and vaccine design.

Scientists established an epigenetic mouse model for glioma, providing insight into how epigenetics can initiate cancer.

A “rule of trees” developed by Leonardo da Vinci to describe how to draw trees has been largely adopted by science when modeling trees and how they function.

Now, scientists at Bangor University in the U.K. and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) have discovered that this rule contradicts those that regulate the internal structures of trees.

Da Vinci’s interest in drawing led him to look at size ratios of different objects, including trees, so that he could create more accurate representations of them. To correctly represent trees, he perceived a so-called “rule of trees” which states that “all the branches of a tree at every stage of its height are equal in thickness to the trunk when put together.”

A study in the journal Cell sheds new light on the evolution of neurons, focusing on the placozoans, a millimeter-sized marine animal. Researchers at the Center for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona find evidence that specialized secretory cells found in these unique and ancient creatures may have given rise to neurons in more complex animals.

Placozoans are tiny animals, around the size of a large grain of sand, which graze on algae and microbes living on the surface of rocks and other substrates found in shallow, warm seas. The blob-like and pancake-shaped creatures are so simple that they live without any body parts or organs.

Continue reading “Tiny sea creatures reveal the ancient origins of neurons” »

The intricate interplay of gene expression within living cells is akin to a well-orchestrated symphony, with each gene playing its part in perfect harmony to ensure cells function as they should. At the heart of this symphony are transcription factors (TFs), molecular maestros that regulate the expression of genes by binding to specific DNA sequences known as promoters.

Unlocking the secrets of these genome-scale regulatory networks requires a comprehensive collection of gene expression profiles, but measuring gene expression responses for every TF and promoter pair has posed a formidable challenge due to the sheer number of potential combinations, even in relatively simple organisms such as bacteria.

To tackle this challenge, researchers led by Fuzhong Zhang, professor of energy, environmental & chemical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, developed a technique called pooled promoter responses to TF perturbation sequencing (PPTP-seq).

Fluorescence exclusively occurs from the lowest excited state of a given multiplicity according to Kasha’s rule. However, this rule is not obeyed by a handful of anti-Kasha fluorophores whose underlying mechanism is still understood merely on a phenomenological basis. This lack of understanding prevents the rational design and property-tuning of anti-Kasha fluorophores. Here, we propose a model explaining the photophysical properties of an archetypal anti-Kasha fluorophore, azulene, based on its ground-and excited-state (anti)aromaticity. We derived our model from a detailed analysis of the electronic structure of the ground singlet, first excited triplet, and quintet states and of the first and second excited singlet states using the perturbational molecular orbital theory and quantum-chemical aromaticity indices.

Automation Anywhere, the leader in intelligent automation, announced a historic expansion of its Automation Success Platform, enabling enterprises to accelerate their transformation journeys and put AI to work securely throughout their organizations. Automation Anywhere’s new tools and enhancements deliver AI-powered automation across every team, system and process. During Imagine 2023, the company unveiled a new Responsible AI Layer, and announced four key product updates including the brand-new Autopilot, which enables the rapid development of end-to-end automations from Process Discovery, using the power of generative AI. The company also announced new, expanded features in Automation Co-Pilot for Business Users, Automation Co-Pilot for Automators, and Document Automation.

“The combination of generative AI and intelligent automation represents the most transformational technology shift of our generation,” said Mihir Shukla, CEO and Co-Founder, Automation Anywhere. “Every company, every team, every individual will be able to re-imagine their system of work and automate the processes that hold them back. Great people, empowered with AI and intelligent automation will be absolutely transformative to their organizations as they increase their productivity, creativity and accelerate the business.”

Studying genes in families with a propensity for certain diseases has led to many critical advances in medicine, including the discovery of statins in family members who suffered heart attacks at an early age.

Now, a team of researchers at Case Western Reserve University has identified an inherited mutation in a gene linked to a highly lethal cancer called esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC).

“With this discovery, we will be able to identify early those at a high risk of developing EAC in their lifetime, and accordingly tailor screening, lifestyle and treatment strategies to prevent cancer development,” said Kishore Guda, an associate professor at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.