News

When an asteroid smacked into the Earth 66 million years ago, it triggered mass extinctions all over the planet. The collision caused clouds of ash to block the sun and cool the planet's temperature, devastating plant life. But a new study shows that while land plants struggled, some kinds of lichens--organisms made of fungi and algae living together--seized the moment and evolved into new forms to take up plants' role in the ecosystem.

A comprehensive database of gene activity in mice across ten disease models, which could significantly reduce animal use worldwide, has been developed by scientists at the Francis Crick Institute, which gives a full picture of the immune response to different pathogens.

Scientists have published an article presenting the draft genomes of three different jellyfish species.

Researchers have succeeded in using a genetically manipulated virus to destroy tumor cells upon injection into mice with prostate cancer.

Insights into how a gene that increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease disrupts brain cells have been revealed by scientists. Brain tissue from people with Alzheimer’s showed that a protein called clusterin builds up in vital parts of neurons that connect cells and may damage these links.

Researchers uncover factors underlying the genetic structure of glacier ice worms.

Early ancestors of the last Neandertals lived in Europe already 120,000 years ago.

Some MRSA infections could be tackled using widely-available antibiotics, suggests new research. A team of scientists used genome sequencing technology to identify which genes make MRSA susceptible to a previously defined combination of drugs. They identified a number of mutations centered around a protein known as a penicillin-binding protein 2a or PBP2a.

Protein stabilization has been implicated as a major factor in maintaining control of the stem cell state.

Eating a plant-based diet may be an effective treatment for Crohn's disease, according to a case study published in the journal Nutrients.