Lifeboat Foundation

The proteins can record histories of cellular events.

Researchers from MIT developed a technique to induce cells to record the history of cellular events in a long protein chain that can be imaged using a light microscope. The technique could help understand the critical steps involved in the processes, such as memory formation, response to drug treatment, and gene expression.

Studying the molecular processes within cells can provide important insights into their function and how they contribute to the overall functioning of an organ.

Continue reading “MIT researchers developed self-assembling proteins that can store ‘cellular memories’” »

Forged 66 million years ago, an enormous impact crater near Chixculub, Mexico, was left undiscovered until only a few short decades ago. But what caused it?

Millions of years ago, a dramatic mass extinction wiped out the dinosaurs.

Continue reading “Chicxulub crater might be the smoking gun for the dinosaurs’ end of days” »

Complementing data with NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory provided additional insights.

An international collaboration of researchers used observations from the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) to find out more about a supermassive black hole that mysteriously gives out bubbles of radiation, a press release said.

Supermassive black holes are often seen at the heart of galaxy clusters in the centers of enormous galaxies. The atmospheres of these galaxy clusters are filled with hot plasma that can exceed temperatures of 50 million degrees Celsius. Over long periods of time, these temperatures cool down relatively, which allows the formation of new stars.

The new system could open up a whole host of new research avenues.

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory developed a new method to push the limits of the lab’s Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL), a press statement reveals.

Enhancing an incredibly powerful laser system.

Continue reading “Scientists produced X-ray pulses ten times more powerful than ever before” »

“No other study has been able to record optically and electrically at the same time.”

Engineers and neuroscientists at the University of California, San Diego have shown for the first time that mice implanted with human brain organoids have functional connectivity to their cortex and respond to external sensory stimuli.

A novel experimental setup that combines transparent graphene microelectrode arrays and two-photon imaging allowed researchers to make this observation over a period of months in real time. The implanted organoids responded to visual stimuli in the same manner as surrounding tissues, according to the press release.

Minor tweaks could expand its scope of applications to other conditions, such as autism.

Researchers used virtual reality (VR) games to diagnose attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) through differences in eye movements, according to a press release published by Aalto University. This method could potentially be utilized as a basis for ADHD treatment and, with minor tweaks, to assess other conditions like autism.

Continue reading “Researchers use virtual reality games to detect ADHD symptoms in children” »

“Proper hydration may slow down aging and prolong a disease-free life.”

It is an indisputable fact that drinking water is beneficial for our health. In addition to its contribution to metabolism, it also plays an important role in keeping the skin moist. According to the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) new study, drinking water also links people to age in a healthy way.

As stated in the release, researchers looked at the relationship between several health markers and blood salt levels, which rise when fluid intake declines. The study included health information acquired from 11,255 participants over a 30-year period.

Continue reading “Scientists have revealed a link between drinking enough water and aging” »

The first fully complete human genome with no gaps is now available to view for scientists and the public, marking a huge moment for human genetics. Announced in a preprint in June 2021, six papers have now been published in the journal Science. They describe the painstaking work that goes into sequencing an over 6 billion base pair genome, with 200 million added in this new research. The new genome now adds 99 genes likely to code for proteins and 2,000 candidate genes that were previously unknown.

Many will be asking: “wait, didn’t we already sequence the human genome?” In part, yes – in 2000, the Human Genome Sequencing Consortium published their first drafts of the human genome, results that subsequently paved the way for almost every facet of human genetics available today.

The most recent draft of the human genome has been used as a reference since 2013. But weighed down by impractical sequencing techniques, these drafts left out the most complex regions of our DNA, which make up around 8 percent of the total genome. This is because these sequences are highly repetitive and contain many duplicated regions – attempting to put them together in the right places is like trying to complete a jigsaw puzzle where all the pieces are the same shape and have no image on the front. Long gaps and underrepresentation of large, repeating sequences made it so that this genetic material has been excluded for the past 20 years. Scientists had to come up with more accurate methods of sequencing to illuminate the darkest corners of the genome.

Adenosine, a neurotransmitter, has been found to act as a brake on dopamine, another neurotransmitter involved in motor control, by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University. The findings, which were published in the journal Nature, reveal that adenosine and dopamine operate in a push-pull dynamic in the brain.

“There are two neuronal circuits: one that helps promote action and the other that inhibits action,” said senior author Haining Zhong, Ph.D., a scientist with the OHSU Vollum Institute. “Dopamine promotes the first circuit to enable movement, and adenosine is the ‘brake’ that promotes the second circuit and brings balance to the system.”

The discovery has the potential to immediately suggest new avenues for drug development to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder that is believed to be caused by the loss of dopamine-producing cells in the brain.