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Zebrafish study links altered neuronal genes to hyperarousal states

The altered presence of tiny fragments of neuronal genes, called microexons, causes hyperarousal in zebrafish. This is the main conclusion of an international study led by the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG).

19 Jun 2026

Study shows jumping genes can transfer between different species

Genes are not passed on exclusively from parents to their offspring. Some are mobile and can also jump to other species, as researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen have now shown.

19 Jun 2026

Gene therapy successfully treats deadly childhood liver disease in mice

A new gene therapy has been used to successfully treat a deadly childhood liver disease using mice that model this disease by researchers at UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

19 Jun 2026

Epigenetic drugs improve blood vessel health in obesity and diabetes

People with obesity and type 2 diabetes are at high risk of blood vessel damage. This risk depends not only on the genes a person carries, but also on how they are "read".

18 Jun 2026

Onion-loving gene linked to lower diabetes and blood pressure risk

Imagine if a doctor could look at your DNA and predict not just your disease risk, but also which foods you're drawn to – and whether those cravings are quietly protecting you.

17 Jun 2026

Autism study reveals shared brain cell changes during early development

Hundreds of genes have been linked to autism, yet the precise molecular and cellular mechanisms behind it remain largely unclear.

17 Jun 2026

Developing brain cells routinely repair severe DNA damage during migration

Newborn nerve cells must squeeze through crowded, narrow spaces-through dense tissue, past other cells, between fibers-to reach the areas where they form neural circuits in the brain cortex.

17 Jun 2026

Houston Methodist study reveals how strep bacterium causes infection

A fast-rising strep bacterium has become increasingly notorious for causing serious infections in humans, including complications that can lead to muscle damage and patient death. New Houston Methodist research appearing in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier, sheds light on how Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE) causes disease and may provide important insights to aid in vaccine development.

17 Jun 2026

Scientists identify unique receptor that accelerates early neuron growth

Cells have surface receptors that couple to proteins and other molecules to initiate or inhibit certain behaviors.

17 Jun 2026

Synthetic biology platform unmasks hidden bacterial targets of bacteriophages

An interdisciplinary team of Rice University researchers has uncovered previously unknown relationships between bacteriophages - viruses that infect bacteria - and their bacterial hosts, offering a powerful new tool for next-generation microbiome engineering.

17 Jun 2026

Heart tissue repair drug may also help repair and regenerate damaged kidney tissues

A drug previously developed at UCLA to help heart tissue repair itself after a heart attack might also help kidney tissue repair and regenerate, researchers have found.

16 Jun 2026

Hormone cycles dictate how the brain absorbs neuroprotective drugs

Consider what we ask of a clinical trial. We gather people who differ in nearly every way that matters, we give them the same drug at the same dose, and then we average the result and call the average truth.

16 Jun 2026

Gut bacteria may help explain why fatigue appears before illness

A small study of healthy Japanese adults found that fatigue was associated with distinct gut microbiome, microbial gene, and fecal metabolite patterns. The findings suggest fatigue may track with altered microbial energy metabolism and oxidative stress-related functional potential, but larger longitudinal studies are needed to test causality and clinical value.

16 Jun 2026

Family genetics study reveals clues to longer healthspan

Understanding why some people stay healthy without developing disease until late in life (have an increased healthspan), whereas others become infirm at a much younger age has important implications for the health of today's ageing population.

15 Jun 2026

Researchers urge caution over large-scale newborn genome screening

New research from large population studies provides invaluable evidence on genome screening of newborn babies to reduce risks from overdiagnosis.

15 Jun 2026

Study identifies genetic marker associated with severe IBD

In the largest genetic study of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) traits to date, researchers have identified a genetic marker that is associated with more severe ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease – the major forms of IBD.

15 Jun 2026

Bionic cooling skin accelerates healing and combats wound infections

As the global burden of infected wounds continues to rise-with over 300 million surgeries performed annually and postoperative infections affecting 5–20% of patients-conventional wound dressings face a critical limitation: no single product has successfully integrated protective function, wearing comfort, and efficient antibacterial activity.

15 Jun 2026

Dr. Dan Landau receives Lotus Award for ovarian cancer research

Dr. Dan Landau, the Bibliowicz Family Professor of Medicine, and a member of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center and the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, has received a Lotus Award from the Pershing Square Foundation for research aimed at uncovering new immunotherapy targets in ovarian cancer.

15 Jun 2026

Gut microbes control liver genes by flipping DNA switches

A local research study led by scientists from the A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore (A*STAR GIS) has uncovered how the gut microbiome can influence gene activity in the liver by acting on short stretches of regulatory DNA that function like molecular "switches".

15 Jun 2026

Australia’s diphtheria outbreak shows why boosters, antibiotics, and better housing all matter

A 131-case diphtheria outbreak in Australia’s Northern Territory showed how toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae can re-emerge even in highly vaccinated populations. Genomic and epidemiological evidence linked most cases to a dominant ST381 strain, with transmission shaped by overcrowding, poor skin health, and persistent health inequities.

15 Jun 2026