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Researchers identify a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant that spread widely across Europe in summer 2020

Researchers from Basel and Spain have identified a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant that has spread widely across Europe in recent months, according to an un-peer-reviewed preprint released this week.

29 Oct 2020

Mental health challenges associated with COVID-19 lockdown in spring 2020

This brief is a summary of the policy brief prepared in the context of the Swiss national COVID-19 science task force (https://ncs-tf.ch/en/).

29 Oct 2020

Tumor suppressor gene represses 'jumping genes'

About half of all tumors have mutations of the gene p53, normally responsible for warding off cancer. Now, UT Southwestern scientists have discovered a new role for p53 in its fight against tumors: preventing retrotransposons, or "jumping genes," from hopping around the human genome.

29 Oct 2020

Researchers develop infectious disease model for forecasting elections

Forecasting elections is a high-stakes problem. Politicians and voters alike are often desperate to know the outcome of a close race, but providing them with incomplete or inaccurate predictions can be misleading.

29 Oct 2020

Study: Mammary basal cell lineage contributes to breast cancer heterogeneity

A key hurdle in treating breast cancers is intratumoral heterogeneity, or the presence of multiple different cell populations within the same tumor that have distinct characteristics such as gene expression, metabolism and ability to divide, spread and grow.

29 Oct 2020

Research: Sick vampire bats socially distance themselves from groupmates

New research shows that when vampire bats feel sick, they socially distance themselves from groupmates in their roost - no public health guidance required.

28 Oct 2020

Furin cleavage site and D614G on SARS-CoV-2 spike evolved to balance infectivity, stability, cytopathicity

SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of COVID-19 disease, currently raging across the world. The virus has now infected more than 43.89 million individuals and claimed over 1.16 million lives. The study titled, "Spike glycoprotein and host cell determinants of SARS-CoV-2 entry and cytopathic effects," is released on the preprint server bioRxiv* in October 2020.

27 Oct 2020

Study identifies cardiac structural damage experienced by COVID-19 patients

Cardiac ultrasounds (also known as echocardiograms) are providing a view of the heart and the impact of the COVID-19 virus on patients.

27 Oct 2020

Study finds new transposon-derived genes related to autism

The lack of some genes in the BEC/TCEAL cluster could be related to some alterations associated with the autism spectrum disorder, according to a preclinical study published in the journal Genome Biology, and led by Professor Jordi Garcia Fernàndez, from the Faculty of Biology and the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona, and researcher Jaime Carvajal, from the Andalusian Centre for Developmental Biology - University Pablo de Olavide.

27 Oct 2020

New research on small non-coding RNAs and SARS-CoV-2

A recently published mini-review in the Frontiers in Microbiology on the altered expression of small non-coding RNAs during coronavirus-mediated infections.

26 Oct 2020

Study suggests 5’UTR of SARS-CoV-2 might be of pangolin coronavirus origin

Findings from a new genomic sequencing study support the hypothesis that the pangolin was the intermediate host for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that enabled transmission of the virus to humans.

26 Oct 2020

Happiness neurotransmitter serotonin plays role in evolutionary expansion of the neocortex

During human evolution, the size of the brain increased, especially in a particular part called the neocortex.

23 Oct 2020

HU laboratories develop novel treatment methods and technology to fight against COVID-19

A couple of days before October, the world hit another bleak milestone as the number of deaths due to COVID-19 reached one million.

23 Oct 2020

Ancient elements in human DNA can activate powerful immune response to kill cancer cells

Ancient embedded elements in our DNA from generations past can activate a powerful immune response to kill cancer cells like an infection.

22 Oct 2020

Obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular illnesses linked to dramatic dietary changes

Are obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular illnesses and more the result of a "mismatch" between the meals we eat and the foods our bodies are prepared for?

21 Oct 2020

Cognitive elements of language likely to have developed 40 million years ago

Humans are not the only beings that can identify rules in complex language-like constructions - monkeys and great apes can do so, too, a study at the University of Zurich has shown.

21 Oct 2020

Researchers explore effect of temperature on molecular structure of SARS-CoV-2 spike

Didac Martí et al., from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, in a recent bioRxiv preprint research paper, explore the effect of the temperature on the molecular structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein. The study specifically focuses on the spike glycoprotein's molecular structural integrity at different temperatures (within 25 ºC and 100 ºC) using atomistic computer simulations.

20 Oct 2020

Study: Localization of neurons is adapted to successful hunting sequence in zebrafish

Spotting, pursuing and catching prey - for many animals this is an essential task for survival. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology now show in zebrafish that the localization of neurons in the midbrain is adapted to a successful hunting sequence.

20 Oct 2020

Scientists uncover important disease-fighting role for cells in the liver

Scientists at Scripps Research have uncovered an important disease-fighting role for cells called hepatocytes, which constitute most of the liver. The discovery could potentially be harnessed to develop new medicines for viral illnesses.

19 Oct 2020

Temple researchers identify criteria to predict cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients

Like a cold front that moves in, setting the stage for severe weather, coronavirus infection triggers showers of infection-fighting immune molecules - showers that sometimes escalate into a chaotic immune response known as a cytokine storm.

19 Oct 2020

Evolution News and Research

Researchers identify a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant that spread widely across Europe in summer 2020

Mental health challenges associated with COVID-19 lockdown in spring 2020

Tumor suppressor gene represses 'jumping genes'

Researchers develop infectious disease model for forecasting elections

Study: Mammary basal cell lineage contributes to breast cancer heterogeneity

Research: Sick vampire bats socially distance themselves from groupmates

Furin cleavage site and D614G on SARS-CoV-2 spike evolved to balance infectivity, stability, cytopathicity

Study identifies cardiac structural damage experienced by COVID-19 patients

Study finds new transposon-derived genes related to autism

New research on small non-coding RNAs and SARS-CoV-2

Study suggests 5’UTR of SARS-CoV-2 might be of pangolin coronavirus origin

Happiness neurotransmitter serotonin plays role in evolutionary expansion of the neocortex

HU laboratories develop novel treatment methods and technology to fight against COVID-19

Ancient elements in human DNA can activate powerful immune response to kill cancer cells

Obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular illnesses linked to dramatic dietary changes

Cognitive elements of language likely to have developed 40 million years ago

Researchers explore effect of temperature on molecular structure of SARS-CoV-2 spike

Study: Localization of neurons is adapted to successful hunting sequence in zebrafish

Scientists uncover important disease-fighting role for cells in the liver

Temple researchers identify criteria to predict cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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