The Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz model has long guided transport analysis in nanopores and ion channels. This paper (with a companion paper in Physical Review Letters) revisits the model, showing that its constant electric field assumption leads to inconsistencies. A new self-consistent theory, inspired by reverse electrodialysis, offers a unified framework for ion transport.#AdvancingField #BiophysicsSpotlight
With careful planning and a little luck, researchers found a surprising upside to hurricanes after a Category 4 storm disrupted their expedition off the coast of Mexico.
The team was able to sample the ocean right after the storm passed and found that the storms churn the ocean so powerfully and deeplyâup to thousands of metersâthat nutrient-rich, cold water is brought to the surface.
The resulting phytoplankton bloomsâvisible in satellite imagery taken from spaceâare a feast for bacteria, zooplankton, small fish, and filter-feeding animals such as shellfish and baleen whales.
Researchers publishing in Aging Cell have used single-cell transcriptomics to discover new insights into how neural stem cells (NSCs) change with aging.
Adults do generate neurons
The adult brain does generate new neurons [1], particularly in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory formation [2]. Neurogenesis is limited to very specific niches, however, and does not occur across the entire brain [3]. This is accomplished by NSCs, cells that can differentiate into neural progenitors (NPs), which can themselves differentiate into both neurons and astrocytes and have less ability to proliferate [4]. Astrocytes are helper cells that support neuronsâ connections and metabolism [5].
When DNA breaks inside the cell, it can spell disaster, especially if the damage occurs in areas of the genome that are difficult to repair. Now, scientists Irene Chiolo and Chiara Merigliano at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences have discovered that a protein called Nup98, long known for helping traffic molecules in and out of the cellâs nucleus, plays another surprising role: guiding the cellâs most delicate repairs and reducing the risk of genetic mistakes that can lead to cancer. Their findings were published in Molecular Cell.
With support from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the American Cancer Society, the researchers revealed that Nup98 forms droplet-like structures deep inside the nucleus. These âcondensatesâ act as protective bubbles around broken strands of DNA in areas called heterochromatinâzones where the genetic material is so tightly packed that making accurate repairs is especially challenging.
Heterochromatinâa major focus of Chioloâs researchâis filled with repeated DNA sequences, making it easy for the cell to confuse one stretch for another. Nup98âs droplets help lift the damaged section out of that dense zone and create a safer space where it can be repaired accurately, reducing the chance of genetic mix-ups that could lead to cancer.
For years, astronomers have predicted a dramatic fate for our galaxy: a head-on collision with Andromeda, our nearest large galactic neighbor. This mergerâexpected in about 5 billion yearsâhas become a staple of astronomy documentaries, textbooks and popular science writing.
But in our new study published in Nature Astronomy, led by Till Sawala from the University of Helsinki, we find the Milky Wayâs future might not be as certain previously assumed.
By carefully accounting for uncertainties in existing measurements, and including the gravitational influence of other nearby galaxies, we found there is only about a 50% chance the Milky Way and Andromeda will merge in the next 10 billion years.
In this TEDx talk, Dante Muratore shows the transformative potential of brain-computer interfaces. He explains how they can be used to help patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, focusing on an artificial retina he and his team are developing to cure blindness in patients with macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. He also describes how brain-computer interfaces will change what it means to be human in the future and challenges us to think deeply about the use we want to make of this technology in society.
Professor of Bioelectronics at Delft University of Technology, where he leads the Smart Brain Interfaces group. His research group explores hardware and system solutions for brain-computer interfaces capable of interacting with the nervous system. The group is working, in collaboration with leading universities in the field, on a microchip to be implanted in the retina to improve the lives of people affected by retinitis pigmentosa and degenerative maculopathy.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.