News & HighlightsNews
Odd histone helps suppress jumping genes in stem cells, study says
A family of proteins known as histones provides support and structure to DNA, but for years, scientists have been puzzling over occasional outliers among these histones, which appear to exist for specific, but often mysterious reasons. Now, researchers have uncovered a new purpose for one such hi...
Research on the genetic roots of a blood disorder illustrates the challenges in parsing genetic data
Accumulating data, even genetic data, is easy. Understanding the meaning of those data can be more of a challenge. As genetic testing becomes increasingly popular, more and more patients and physicians are faced with tough questions: Does a particular genetic variation translate into a predisposi...
In first human study, new antibody therapy shows promise in suppressing HIV infection
In the first results to emerge from HIV patient trials of a new generation of so-called broadly neutralizing antibodies, Rockefeller University researchers have found the experimental therapy can dramatically reduce the amount of virus present in a patient’s blood. The work, reported this week in...
Under the microscope, strong-swimming swamp bacteria spontaneously organize into crystals
Insects form swarms, fish school, birds flock together. Likewise, one species of bacteria forms dynamic, living crystals, says new research from Rockefeller University. Biophysicists have revealed that fast-swimming, sulfur-eating microbes known as Thiovulum majus can organize themselves into a t...
Genetic mutation helps explain why, in rare cases, flu can kill
Nobody likes getting the flu, but for some people, fluids and rest aren’t enough. A small number of children who catch the influenza virus fall so ill they end up in the hospital — perhaps needing ventilators to breathe —Ěýeven while their family and friends recover easily. New research by Roc...
To survive, a parasite mixes and matches its disguises, study suggests
Orchestrated costume changes make it possible for certain nasty microbes to outsmart the immune system, which would otherwise recognize them by the telltale proteins they wear. By taking the first detailed look at how one such parasite periodically assumes a new protein disguise during a long-ter...
Researchers master gene editing technique in mosquito that transmits deadly diseases
Traditionally, to understand how a gene functions, a scientist would breed an organism that lacks that gene —Ěý“knocking it out” — then ask how the organism has changed. Are its senses affected? Its behavior? Can it even survive? Thanks to the recent advance of gene editing technology, this ...
Chemical tag marks future microRNAs for processing, study shows
Just as two DNA strands naturally arrange themselves into a helix, DNA’s molecular cousin RNA can form hairpin-like loops. But unlike DNA, which has a single job, RNA can play many parts — including acting as a precursor for small molecules that block the activity of genes. These small RNA molec...
Changes in a blood-based molecular pathway identified in Alzheimer’s disease
By the time most people receive a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease — based on clinical signs of mental decline — their brains have already suffered a decade or more of damage. But although the mechanisms that spur the destruction of neurons in Alzheimer’s disease are not yet fully understood...
Scientists pinpoint molecule that controls stem cell plasticity by boosting gene expression
Stem cells can have a strong sense of identity. Taken out of their home in the hair follicle, for example, and grown in culture, these cells remain true to themselves. After waiting in limbo, these cultured cells become capable of regenerating follicles and other skin structures once transplanted...
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