Science and Health News

The base pairs found in DNA are key to its ability to store protein-coding information, but they also give the molecule useful structural properties. Getting two complementary strands of DNA to zip up into a double helix can serve as the basis of intricate physical mechanisms that can push and pull molecular-scale devices.

Painstaking experiments in germ-free mice show importance of eating natural fiber to protect the digestive tract’s vital mucus barrier

Researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have discovered that calcification of heart muscle tissue is caused when a type of cell called cardiac fibroblasts go awry. The scientists also found that blocking a molecular pathway in cardiac fibroblasts prevents heart calcification in mice.

Research at Texas A&M hints that cancer cells evade treatment by ‘eating’ healthy cells

Well-established research suggests extensive plaques and tangles in the brain result in the death of neurons and are an indicator of Alzheimer’s dementia. But surprising new Northwestern Medicine research on the brains of individuals 90 years and older who had superior memories until their deaths revealed widespread and dense Alzheimer’s plaques and tangles in some cases, considered full-blown Alzheimer’s pathology.

Salk researchers have discovered, for the first time, how to place DNA in specific locations in non-dividing cells

Researchers at Oregon State University and other institutions have discovered an important link between the immune system, gut bacteria and glucose metabolism — a «cross-talk» and interaction that can lead to type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome when not functioning correctly.

Organoids are miniature organs that can be grown in the lab from a person’s stem cells. They can be used to model diseases, and in the future could be used to test drugs or even replace damaged tissue in patients. But currently organoids are very difficult to grow in a standardized and controlled way, which is key to designing and using them.