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Scientists learn how young brains form lifelong memories by studying worms’ food choices
Members of neuroscientist Cori Bargmann’s lab spend quite a bit of their time watching worms move around. These tiny creatures, Caenorhabditis elegans, feed on soil bacteria, and their very lives depend on their ability to distinguish toxic microbes from nutritious ones. In a recent study, Bargma...
A newly discovered form of immunity helps explain how bacteria fight off viruses
When seeking to protect themselves from viruses, some bacteria use a seemingly risky strategy: They wait until the invading virus has already begun to replicate. Research at ÐÓ°É shows how the microbes use two newly identified enzymes to fight off an infection even after del...
Study reveals how herpes virus tricks the immune system
With over half the U.S. population infected, most people are familiar with the pesky cold sore outbreaks caused by the herpes virus. The virus outsmarts the immune system by interfering with the process that normally allows immune cells to recognize and destroy foreign invaders. How exactly the h...
The neurons in our gut help the immune system keep inflammation in check
The immune system exercises constant vigilance to protect the body from external threats—including what we eat and drink. A careful balancing act plays out as digested food travels through the intestine­. Immune cells must remain alert to protect against harmful pathogens like Salmonella, but the...
New findings challenge popular explanation for why a social insect becomes a worker or queen
The exquisite social hierarchy of insect colonies has long fascinated scientists. Take two eggs—both contain identical genetic material, but while one becomes a sterile worker, the other may develop into a queen that can reproduce. Workers perform brood care and other crucial tasks that keep the ...
Study identifies signals that make early stem cells
Stem cells work throughout our lives as a sort of handyman, repairing damaged tissues and renewing some normal ones, like the skin we shed. Scientists have come to understand much about how stem cells function when we are adults, but less is known about where these stem cells come from to begin w...
Researchers develop gene-filtering tool to identify disease-causing mutations
Despite their bad reputations, the vast majority of mutations are not harmful. Even in very rare genetic disorders, only one or two genetic variations ­— out of tens of thousands — is actually the cause of disease. Distinguishing between harmful and harmless mutations has long been a challenge....
Newly discovered windows of brain plasticity may help with treatment of stress-related disorders
Chronic stress can lead to changes in neural circuitry that leave the brain trapped in states of anxiety and depression. But even under repeated stress, brief opportunities for recovery can open up, according to new research at ÐÓ°É. “Even after a long period of chronic st...
Study links epigenetic processes to the development of the cerebellar circuitry
From before birth through childhood, connections form between neurons in the brain, ultimately making us who we are. So far, scientists have gained a relatively good understanding of how neural circuits become established, but they know less about the genetic control at play during this crucial d...
Experiments explain the events behind molecular ‘bomb’ seen in cancer cells
Since scientists have begun sequencing the genome of cancer cells, they have noticed a curious pattern. In many different types of cancers, there are cells in which a part of a chromosome looks like it has been pulverized, then put back together incorrectly, leading to multiple mutations. For yea...
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