Scientists studying the remarkable regenerative abilities of planarian flatworms have uncovered a previously unknown type of immune cell with an unusually destructive defense strategy. What if an immune cell could wipe out nearby threats by detonating itself? That is exactly what Stanford researchers have discovered in one of nature’s most unlikely creatures: the planarian flatworm. [...]
A newly discovered genetic clock acts as the body’s developmental timekeeper, coordinating the bursts of gene activity needed for growth. Scientists found that when this clock breaks down, development comes to a halt. Think about a train sitting at a station. Passengers have boarded, conductors are checking tickets, and everything is ready to go. But [...]
Detached sea cucumber tissue survived, healed, and grew for years in natural seawater, revealing a remarkable new model for regeneration and biomedical research. A chance observation has led scientists to a discovery that challenges one of biology’s most basic assumptions: that detached animal tissue eventually dies. Instead, researchers found that tissue removed from a sea [...]
Scientists found that aging may begin with a hidden cellular remodel that could help drive disease later in life. Thanks to advances in public health, people are living longer than ever before. However, many of those extra years are accompanied by chronic illnesses rather than good health. Aging is a normal part of life, but [...]
A new AI framework called MouseMapper allows scientists to examine disease-related changes across the entire body at cellular resolution. Obesity does much more than affect metabolism and fat storage. It also changes immune activity, nerve structure, and tissue organization throughout the body, raising the risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, [...]
Scientists identified phosphatidylcholine loss as a key driver of mitochondrial aging and showed that restoring it can rejuvenate cellular energy networks. Why do cells age, and why do people gradually lose energy and vitality over time? Scientists have long focused on mitochondria, the tiny structures inside cells responsible for producing energy. Researchers now understand that [...]
Stanford researchers have developed a microscope that can show how nanostructures interact inside living cells at the highest resolution achieved so far. The view into living cells just got better. Stanford researchers have merged two microscopy methods to build a unique instrument that can capture cell structures interacting in real time at an unprecedented resolution [...]
A new evolutionary analysis suggests that modern blood and immune cells may preserve a 700-million-year legacy inherited from ancient single-celled ancestors. Long before humans, dinosaurs, or even fish existed, ancient single-celled organisms may have already carried the genetic blueprint for one of the body’s most important systems: blood. A new study from Kyoto University suggests [...]
Scientists are discovering that some of the cells linked to aging may also be key to staying healthy. A growing body of research is changing how scientists view one of aging biology’s most studied cell types: senescent cells, often called “zombie cells.” While these cells have long been associated with aging and chronic disease, new [...]
A remarkable new study of the world’s oldest verified living person reveals a surprising picture of extreme longevity. Maria Branyas lived through two world wars, the 1918 flu pandemic, the Spanish Civil War, and COVID-19. When she died in 2024 at age 117 years and 168 days, she was the oldest verified living person in [...]
Sperm cells move through fluids that should stop them almost instantly, yet new research suggests they succeed by exploiting unusual properties of active living matter. A sperm cell should not be a strong swimmer. At microscopic scales, fluid does not behave like water in a pool. It acts more like a thick barrier, stopping motion [...]
A newly identified immune-related protein may help drive the spread of Parkinson’s disease in the brain. A protein tied to the brain’s immune system may be helping Parkinson’s disease spread from cell to cell, and scientists believe stopping it could open a new path toward slowing the disease itself. In a new study published in [...]
Long-distance gene control first emerged around 650 to 700 million years ago, significantly earlier than scientists had previously believed. Life depends on timing. Every cell must turn genes on and off at just the right moment. Even the simplest forms of life have mastered this, usually with switches located right next to the genes they [...]
Researchers have uncovered an unexpected weakness in pancreatic cancer involving damaged mitochondria and a powerful inflammatory signal. Researchers at The Wistar Institute and ChristianaCare’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute have identified a weakness in pancreatic cancer that may open the door to new treatments. Their study, published in the Proceedings of the [...]
Scientists have discovered that the body’s own immune alarms may play a major role in rapid-aging diseases. New research suggests that reducing the activity of an overactive immune sensor may help restore tissue function in severe genetic disorders, offering a new perspective on aging and DNA damage. The immune system is designed to recognize and [...]
A newly developed therapy inspired by bacteria residing within tumors offers a different way to combat cancer by targeting how tumor cells produce energy. Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have designed a new cancer treatment by borrowing a strategy from bacteria that live inside tumors. Instead of attacking cancer cells directly, the approach [...]
Scientists just uncovered how the immune system’s killer cells strike cancer with microscopic precision. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes serve as the immune system’s specialized “killer” cells, targeting and eliminating infected or cancerous cells with remarkable accuracy. Their effectiveness depends on a tightly controlled contact point known as the “immune synapse,” where they release toxic molecules…
A strange bead-like motion inside cells may be the secret to keeping their DNA—and health—in balance. Mitochondria are often described as the power plants of the cell because they produce the energy cells need to survive. To support this role, they carry their own small set of genetic instructions called mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Inside each [...]
A subtle failure during cell division can set off dramatically different outcomes, according to new research exploring whole genome duplication. A new study finds that the way a cell fails to divide after copying its DNA can shape what happens to it next. Cell division is a core process of life, requiring thousands of molecules [...]
A newly identified weakness in “zombie” cells may open the door to more precise cancer treatments by turning their own survival strategy against them. A new class of drugs takes advantage of a recently discovered weakness in “zombie-like” or senescent cells, opening the door to potential treatments for cancer and age-related diseases. Researchers from the [...]
For the first time, scientists have shown that heart muscle cells can regrow after a heart attack in humans, a process that had previously only been observed in mice. Groundbreaking work led by specialists from the University of Sydney, the Baird Institute, and the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney has found that heart muscle [...]
New evidence suggests axons may not be uniform tubes but dynamic, pearl-like structures. Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say one of biology’s most familiar textbook images may be wrong, challenging a view of neuron structure that has persisted for more than a century. Axons, the long extensions neurons use to send signals, may not be smooth, [...]
Glutathione balance in the ER, controlled by SLC33A1, is essential for proper protein folding and disease prevention. Glutathione is one of the cell’s most versatile defenders, an antioxidant that neutralizes harmful molecules, repairs damage, and helps keep essential systems running smoothly. But scientists are discovering that its role is far more complex and consequential than [...]
A newly identified trigger of brain inflammation could offer a fresh target for slowing Alzheimer’s progression. The brain has its own built-in immune system that identifies threats and responds to them. In Alzheimer’s disease, growing evidence shows that this system becomes persistently overactive. The result is chronic inflammation that damages the connections between brain cells. [...]
Adolescence is widely thought to be a time when the brain trims away excess neural connections, refining circuits through synaptic pruning. New research now suggests this view may be incomplete. Adolescence is when the brain’s “control center” keeps coming online. As teens move toward adulthood, skills like planning ahead, weighing consequences, and solving unfamiliar problems [...]
Cancer cells may “learn” to survive therapy by rewiring gene activity using AP-1 proteins. Researchers at NYU Langone Health say cancer cells may have a far more flexible survival system than scientists once thought. In a new model, the team argues that some tumors may not need to wait for rare DNA mutations to escape [...]
A newly identified population of dysfunctional immune cells may play a central role in both aging and chronic disease. UCLA researchers have uncovered a rogue group of immune cells that may be quietly driving both aging and chronic liver disease. These cells accumulate over time in tissues, especially in the liver, and appear to fuel [...]
Researchers investigating a widely used medication have uncovered an unexpected cellular process that may interfere with early brain development. A medication widely used to control epilepsy, migraines, and bipolar disorder has long carried a serious warning for pregnant patients. Valproic acid is known to increase the risk of birth defects, but scientists have struggled to [...]
New research reveals that when fat tissue fails, the consequences ripple across the body. Many people think negatively about body fat, but scientists now understand that adipose tissue is essential to health. It functions as an active organ that plays a central role in metabolism and supports many critical processes in the body. Excess fat, [...]
A familiar Alzheimer’s protein may have a hidden role in cell division. Processes such as wound healing, hair growth, and the continual renewal of cells all rely on cell division. In this process, chromosomes must be evenly distributed between two daughter cells. Even small mistakes can lead to abnormalities within the cell. Researchers at POSTECH [...]