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Small-stature in rainforest populations may be linked to cardiac adaptations

African and Asian rainforest hunter-gatherers share short stature, and now an international team of researchers has shown that this is an example of convergent adaptation that may also be linked to changes in cardiac development pathways.

13 Nov 2018

Researchers discover how mitochondria deploy a powerful punch against disease-causing bacteria

The constant battle for dominance between disease-causing bacteria and our immune systems has led to the evolution of some crafty warfare tactics on both sides.

12 Nov 2018

UCI researchers accelerate and simplify directed evolution bioengineering technique

In a process known as directed evolution, scientists reengineer biomolecules to find ones that perform beneficial new functions. The field is revolutionizing drug development, chemical engineering and other applications, but to realize its promise involves painstaking and time-consuming laboratory work.

9 Nov 2018

Cultural brain hypothesis could explain reason for extraordinary increase in brain size

A theory called the cultural brain hypothesis could explain extraordinary increases in brain size in humans and other animals over the last few million years, according to a study published in PLOS Computational Biology by Michael Muthukrishna of the London School of Economics and Political Science and Harvard University, and colleagues at the University of British Columbia and Harvard University.

9 Nov 2018

Scientists identify ancient light-sensing mechanism in modern mouse retinal cells

Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have identified what may be an ancient light-sensing mechanism in modern mouse retinal cells.

9 Nov 2018

Rats and humans share ability to selectively forget distracting memories

Our ability to selectively forget distracting memories is shared with other mammals, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge.

7 Nov 2018

Study offers new hope to patients with rare brain cancer

sGBM is a rare type of brain cancer in adults. The incidence varies from 2 to 5 per million people per year. For example, if Hong Kong's base population of 7.5 million people is taken as a reference, over 15 people will be diagnosed with sGBM tumors annually.

2 Nov 2018

Study reveals how cancer-causing HPVs evolved

Cancer-causing human papillomaviruses diverged from their most recent common ancestors approximately half a million years ago, roughly coinciding with the timing of the split between archaic Neanderthals and modern Homo sapiens, according to a study published November 1 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Zigui Chen of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Robert Burk of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and colleagues.

2 Nov 2018

Experts call for more targeted early interventions to tackle cancer

Policymakers around the world should consider introducing more targeted early interventions in a bid to tackle cancer, according to experts at the University of Stirling.

1 Nov 2018

Policymakers should introduce more targeted early interventions to tackle cancer

Policymakers around the world should consider introducing more targeted early interventions in a bid to tackle cancer, according to experts at the University of Stirling.

1 Nov 2018

Researchers cross-reference historical divergence of Aedes aegypti populations

The BioScience Talks podcast features discussions of topical issues related to the biological sciences. Mosquito-borne diseases have plagued humanity for centuries, and a prolific offender has been Aedes aegypti, commonly known as the "yellow fever mosquito."

1 Nov 2018

Scientists find new protein that keeps stipules small

Francesco Vuolo and colleagues from the laboratory of Max Planck Director Miltos Tsiantis are investigating the mechanisms underlying the dazzling variation in leaf shapes one can see in nature. Recently, they have turned their efforts to investigating little understood leaf parts called stipules.

1 Nov 2018

Research reveals how Mycoplasma pathogens sneak past our line of defense

New research reveals that Mycoplasma pathogens make DNA in a unique way that may protect them from our immune response. The result could provide new avenues to combat the pathogens that utilize this strategy.

1 Nov 2018

Brain may have more influence on lifespan and sexual maturity of humans than their body

New Vanderbilt research finds how long humans and other live--and when they reach sexual maturity-- may have more to do with their brain than their body. More specifically, it is not animals with larger bodies or slower metabolic rates that live longer; it is animals with more neurons in the cerebral cortex, whatever the size of the body.

31 Oct 2018

Scientists pinpoint TIM-3 protein as next potential target for immunotherapy treatments

Following the 2018 Nobel Prize for Medicine, global attention is now more than ever turned toward the promise of immunotherapy in oncology. An international team’s work has shed new light on a molecule called TIM-3 that might play a key role in the regulation of the immune response.

31 Oct 2018

UTHealth's Valentin Dragoi wins $1.6 million NIH award to unlock mysteries of the brain

Working to further the understanding of how the brain processes information, Valentin Dragoi, Ph.D., of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston has been awarded a three-year, $1.6 million award from the National Institutes of Health's Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative.

30 Oct 2018

Novel bioreactor allows ultrasonic monitoring of human cartilage grown in 3D

A team of Spanish scientists has designed a bioreactor that allows to grow, in four weeks, human cartilage tissues in scaffolds generated by 3D printing.

29 Oct 2018

Study sheds new light on evolution of olfactory systems in vertebrates

In all animals, including humans, smell - the oldest of the five senses - plays a predominant role in many behaviors essential for survival and reproduction. It has been known since ancient times that animals react to odors.

29 Oct 2018

UC Riverside evolutionary biologist reveals why tall people are more prone to cancer

For most cancers, risk increases dramatically with age. But what about the effect of having more cells in the body? Might taller people be more prone to cancer because they have more cells?

26 Oct 2018

Barcelona researchers win one of the most prestigious EU grants to study CLL

The European Research Council today announced the results of the 2018 Synergy Grants call for proposals. The aim of Synergy Grants is to address ambitious research questions that can only be answered by the coordinated work of a small group of two to four principal investigators and their teams, bringing together their complementary skills, knowledge and resources.

26 Oct 2018

Evolution News and Research

Small-stature in rainforest populations may be linked to cardiac adaptations

Researchers discover how mitochondria deploy a powerful punch against disease-causing bacteria

UCI researchers accelerate and simplify directed evolution bioengineering technique

Cultural brain hypothesis could explain reason for extraordinary increase in brain size

Scientists identify ancient light-sensing mechanism in modern mouse retinal cells

Rats and humans share ability to selectively forget distracting memories

Study offers new hope to patients with rare brain cancer

Study reveals how cancer-causing HPVs evolved

Experts call for more targeted early interventions to tackle cancer

Policymakers should introduce more targeted early interventions to tackle cancer

Researchers cross-reference historical divergence of Aedes aegypti populations

Scientists find new protein that keeps stipules small

Research reveals how Mycoplasma pathogens sneak past our line of defense

Brain may have more influence on lifespan and sexual maturity of humans than their body

Scientists pinpoint TIM-3 protein as next potential target for immunotherapy treatments

UTHealth's Valentin Dragoi wins $1.6 million NIH award to unlock mysteries of the brain

Novel bioreactor allows ultrasonic monitoring of human cartilage grown in 3D

Study sheds new light on evolution of olfactory systems in vertebrates

UC Riverside evolutionary biologist reveals why tall people are more prone to cancer

Barcelona researchers win one of the most prestigious EU grants to study CLL

Event guide: 4th Extra-Hepatic Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Delivery Summit eBook

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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