Gene therapy reverses effects of autism-linked mutation in brain organoids
In a study published May 02, 2022 in Nature Communications, scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine used human brain organoids to reveal how a genetic mutation associated with a profound form of autism disrupts neural development. Using gene therapy tools to recover the gene’s function effectively rescued neural structure and function. […]
Marijuana linked to heart disease; supplement may mitigate risk, researchers report
People who use marijuana have an increased risk of heart disease and heart attack, according to a large study led by researchers at Stanford Medicine. The study also showed that the psychoactive component of the drug, known as THC, causes inflammation in endothelial cells that line the interior of blood vessels, as well as atherosclerosis […]
Team develops method to increase gene editing efficiency while minimizing DNA deletion sizes
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) scientists working on CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing technology have developed a method to increase efficiency of editing while minimizing DNA deletion sizes, a key step toward developing gene editing therapies to treat genetic diseases. CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) technology is used to alter DNA sequences and […]
Discovery about coral-algal symbiosis could help coral reefs recover after bleaching events
Corals are keystone species for reef and marine ecosystems but coral bleaching due to climate change and ocean warming is killing them. A new open access study by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, aims to shed light on how to reverse the damage and save corals. Corals, together with sea anemones and jellyfish, […]
Study finds how Acinetobacter baumannii survives without water on hospital surfaces
The pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii can survive on hospital surfaces—without water—for months, an ability that has helped it become a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections. Now, a team of Vanderbilt University researchers has discovered a mechanism this bug uses to live in a dried-out state: It produces “hydrophilin” proteins that protect against water deprivation. The discovery, […]
Scientists describe a gravity telescope that could image exoplanets
In the time since the first exoplanet was discovered in 1992, astronomers have detected more than 5,000 planets orbiting other stars. But when astronomers detect a new exoplanet, we don’t learn a lot about it: We know that it exists and a few features about it, but the rest is a mystery. To sidestep the […]
Bacteria make a beeline to escape tight spaces
A newly published study by researchers at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa revealed that bacteria alter their swimming patterns when they get into tight spaces—making a beeline to escape from confinement. Nearly all organisms host bacteria that live symbiotically on or within their bodies. The Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes, forms an exclusive symbiotic […]
Researchers bridge the gap between disciplines to better understand chemical reactions
Simon Fraser University researchers are yielding new insights into how chemical reactions can be understood and guided. Results of their interdisciplinary approach have been published in Physical Review Letters. Though chemical reactions may be very complex, they often follow a series of elementary steps as they progress. In their work, SFU chemistry Ph.D. student Miranda […]
New process aims to strip ammonia from waste water
A dash of ruthenium atoms on a mesh of copper nanowires could be one step toward a revolution in the global ammonia industry that also helps the environment. Collaborators at Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering, Arizona State University and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed the high-performance catalyst that can, with near 100% […]
Search reveals eight new sources of black hole echoes
Scattered across our Milky Way galaxy are tens of millions of black holes—immensely strong gravitational wells of spacetime, from which infalling matter, and even light, can never escape. Black holes are dark by definition, except on the rare occasions when they feed. As a black hole pulls in gas and dust from an orbiting star, […]