News

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have discovered that heparanase, a poorly understood protein, is a key regulator of cells’ innate defense mechanisms.

A new study has shone light on the molecular steps behind the spread of prion diseases, a group of incurable brain conditions that have puzzled researchers for decades.

Our fingerprints are an indelible marker of our identity. Fully developed by birth, they will remain constant throughout our adult life. But beyond their utility for criminal-catching and spy movie cliches, why exactly do we have fingerprints? A new study has provided an answer: they may help improve our sense of touch.

The biotechnology company Novavax has announced that its COVID-19 vaccine NVX-CoV2373 has a final efficacy of 96.4% against mild, moderate and severe disease.

Computer scientists have developed a deepfake identification tool that automatically identifies deepfake photos by analyzing light reflections in the eyes.

Scientists have determined the structure of protein "fibrils" linked to neurodegenerative disorders including Lou Gehrig's disease. The findings provide clues to how toxic proteins clump and spread between nerve cells in the brain. The results may also lead to developing drugs to treat diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia.

Across North America, the rising tide of cannabis legalization has upped the demand for domestic cultivation operations that can provide a consistent product year-round. But what’s been the environmental cost of this boom in indoor, energy-demanding farming? A heavy one, according to one new study.

Researchers have developed a computer-guided design tool called IRENE, which increases the efficiency of cell conversions by predicting highly effective combinations of cell type-specific transcription factors. By combining IRENE with a genomic integration system the team demonstrated their approach to generate higher numbers of natural killer cells used in immune therapies, and melanocytes used in skin grafts, than other methods.

People with aphantasia – that is, the inability to visualise mental images – are harder to spook with scary stories, a new study shows.

A new Penn State and Cornell study describes an effort to produce the most comprehensive and high-resolution map yet of chromosome architecture and gene regulation in yeast, a major step toward improving understanding of development, evolution and environmental responses in higher organisms.