Category: 4. Health

The word mutation can mean…

The process of how a humble single cell becomes an organism fascinates scientists across disciplines. For some animals, the entire process of cellular multiplication, generation of specialized cells, and their organization into an ordered multicellular embryo takes place in the protective environment of the uterus, making direct observation and studies challenging. This makes it…

The groundbreaking discovery, published in the journal Nature, could have far-reaching implications, helping us to understand how certain viruses and cancers replicate.

Using cutting edge cryo-electron microscopy, the team of scientists were able to visualise a helicase…

Transcription factors, which regulate transcription, can also direct genes to interact with the…

The study, published in Cell Systems and conducted by researchers at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) identifies a non-genetic, reversible adaptation mechanism that allows melanoma cells to survive treatment with BRAF inhibitors. By identifying and blocking this early…

Most living organisms on our planet-whether plants, animals, or…

Cancer is the rapid proliferation of malignant cells that permeate tissue and cause dysregulation of the body’s daily functions. Many cancers can be characterized by the mutation cells have and how the tumors behave. Specifically, tumors are graded based on location and aggressive nature, which informs physicians of tumor resistance to therapy. Unfortunately, there are various tumor types and each one can respond differently in a patient. Many…

Our immune system works to fight infections immediately, but also maintain long-term immunity. Two waves of protection help neutralize and eliminate disease, including the innate and adaptive immune responses. Innate immunity comprises of non-specific immune cells that recognize an invading pathogen and activate a broad response. This first wave of protection is responsible for initial inflammation and notifying the rest of the body of infection. The…

In clinical trials, almost 500 depression patients who were resistant to current treatments were given therapy that stimulated their vagus nerve. The majority of these patients had such serious depression that they were unable to work. The study showed that after one year, depression symptoms, quality of life, and the ability to do everyday tasks improved in the treated individuals. The findings have been reported in two studies in the journal Brain…

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers struggled to grasp the rate of the virus’s spread and the number of related deaths. While hospitals tracked cases and deaths within their walls, the broader picture of mortality across communities remained frustratingly incomplete.

Policymakers and researchers quickly discovered a troubling pattern: Many deaths linked to the virus were never officially counted. A study analyzing data from over 3,000 U.S. counties between March…