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Simulations explore possible encounters between Neanderthals and modern humans

Researchers at the University of Cologne use simulations to investigate the likelihood of interactions between Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans on the Iberian Peninsula / publication in “PLOS One”.

19 Dec 2025

DNA twisting controls how cells respond to estrogen

Estrogens, the main female sex hormone, although they also perform some functions in men, are involved in a myriad of processes, which is why the body changes so much during menopause. This is because estrogens regulate hundreds of genes.

19 Dec 2025

Viral DNA elements help control early embryonic development

Transposable elements are stretches of DNA that can move around the genome. Many of these DNA sequences originate from long ago, when viruses inserted their genetic material into our ancestors' genomes during infection.

19 Dec 2025

Access barriers keep Black and low-income patients out of genetics clinics

Black patients and patients from socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods are dramatically under-represented in genetics clinics-often at rates half or less than those of White patients or individuals from wealthier areas-according to researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts General Hospital.

19 Dec 2025

ACE2 protein may play a protective role against high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes

A collaborative study from the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) and Imperial College London has found that the protein ACE2 may play a protective role against two common conditions, high blood pressure and type-2 diabetes, which affect millions of people worldwide.

19 Dec 2025

Study identifies TAK1 gene as a key brake on cancer immunotherapy

Australian researchers have discovered that the TAK1 gene helps cancer cells survive attack from the immune system, revealing a mechanism that may limit the effectiveness of immunotherapy treatments.

19 Dec 2025

New genetic insights could lead to treatments for Candida auris

Scientists have discovered a genetic process which could unlock new ways to treat mysterious and deadly fungal infection which has shut down multiple hospital intensive care units.

19 Dec 2025

Genes and biological networks that drive long COVID risk

This study merges causal genetics and network theory, revealing 32 genes linked to long COVID, offering insights for diagnostics and personalized therapies.

19 Dec 2025

New tear gland organoids shed light on the biology of dry eye disease

An estimated 5-15% of people have problems with dry eyes, with symptoms including eye redness, stinging, or burning sensation, and eye fatigue. Dry eye disease (DED) occurs when the eyes' tear glands produce insufficient or poor-quality tears which can be due to allergy or autoimmune disease, hormonal changes, aging, etc.

18 Dec 2025

How diabetes medications may influence cancer risk and progression

Diabetes, particularly Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM), has been linked to an increased risk of various cancers, including liver, colorectal, and breast cancer.

18 Dec 2025

Phages use small RNA to hijack bacterial cells and boost replication

As antibiotic-resistant infections rise and are projected to cause up to 10 million deaths per year by 2050, scientists are looking to bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, as an alternative.

18 Dec 2025

Junk' DNA may hold new clues to Alzheimer’s disease

When most of us think of DNA, we have a vague idea it's made up of genes that give us our physical features, our behavioral quirks, and keep our cells and organs running.

18 Dec 2025

Gestational diabetes alters the placenta at the molecular level, study reveals

Gestational diabetes can cause a multitude of complications in the offspring, but to date, the reasons are incompletely understood.

18 Dec 2025

ADHD linked to higher risk of criminal convictions within families

People with ADHD are at a higher risk of offending than those without an ADHD diagnosis. The same pattern appears among their relatives, according to a new study from örebro University.

18 Dec 2025

Scientists unravel how citrin deficiency can trigger fat buildup in the liver even in lean individuals

Scientists at City of Hope, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S. and a leading research center for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses, have unraveled how citrin deficiency (CD), a rare genetic disorder that prevents the liver from converting food into energy efficiently, can trigger fat buildup in the liver - even in lean individuals.

18 Dec 2025

Folate deficiency drives genetic changes linked to lung cancer

Genetic alterations lie at the heart of cancer development, but scientists may have been overlooking a powerful driver of these changes—the everyday nutrients that feed our cells.

18 Dec 2025

Social living allows genetic effects to spread through the gut microbiome

Your "roommate's" genes could be influencing the bacteria living in your gut, and vice versa, according to a study of rats published today in Nature Communications.

18 Dec 2025

Flu wave’s hidden cost on people with cystic fibrosis

People with cystic fibrosis (CF) are uniquely vulnerable to the flu wave currently ripping through the UK, a clinical researcher from The University of Manchester has warned.

18 Dec 2025

Researchers decipher anti-MOG antibody construction, paving way for therapies

MOG Antibody-associated Disease (MOGAD) is a rare autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. The blood of patients contains antibodies against myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), a protein in the myelin layer that surrounds the neurons in the brain. It is believed that these antibodies contribute to the destruction of this protective layer in the brain.

18 Dec 2025

Eating high-fat cheese and cream may be linked to lower dementia risk

Eating more high-fat cheese and high-fat cream may be linked to a lower risk of developing dementia, according to a new study published on December 17, 2025, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

17 Dec 2025