Health News

DNA-nanoparticle motors are exactly as they sound: tiny artificial motors that use the structures of DNA and RNA to propel motion by enzymatic RNA degradation. Essentially, chemical energy is converted into mechanical motion by biasing the Brownian motion. The DNA-nanoparticle motor uses the ‘burnt-bridge’ Brownian ratchet mechanism. In this type of movement, the motor is being propelled by the degradation (or ‘burning’) of the bonds (or ‘bridges’) it crosses along the substrate, essentially biasing its motion forward.

A breakthrough study sheds new light on how brain cells relay critical information from their extremities to their nucleus, leading to the activation of genes essential for learning and memory.

A new study has identified a group of neurons that, when activated, can induce a hypometabolic state, akin to hibernation. The discovery could have far-reaching implications for conditions like obesity, cardiometabolic diseases, and even for space travel. The research team found that these neurons regulate key aspects of the brain-heart-gut axis.

A new paper led by Professor Imanuel Lerman of UC San Diego provides a review of the field of bioelectronic medicine and the most promising opportunities for life-changing new therapies and diagnostics.

The ability to alter proteins to refine control over binding affinity and specificity can create tailored therapeutics with reduced side effects, highly sensitive diagnostic tools, efficient biocatalysis, targeted drug delivery systems and sustainable bioremediation solutions. However, various approaches to such protein redesign have time-consuming drawbacks. Researchers now offer a simplified method they call ProteinReDiff that uses artificial intelligence to speed the redesign of ligand-binding proteins.

Do speakers of different languages build sentence structure in the same way? In a neuroimaging study, scientists recorded the brain activity of participants listening to Dutch stories. In contrast to English, sentence processing in Dutch was based on a strategy for predicting what comes next rather than a ‘wait-and-see’ approach, showing that strategies may differ across languages.

A team has unearthed new findings about what happens during the minutes and hours after a cell divides, expanding our understanding of human biology — and potentially leading to better medicines.

A brain-computer interface, surgically placed in a research participant with tetraplegia, paralysis in all four limbs, provided an unprecedented level of control over a virtual quadcopter — just by thinking about moving his unresponsive fingers.

Researchers have made an exciting discovery about how human cells protect DNA during cell division, offering new insights into combating diseases such as cancer. The research uncovers the vital role of a protein called PICH in preventing genetic errors that can lead to diseases such as cancer.

Antibiotic overuse is a key driver in the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a major global health crisis. Researchers have provided compelling evidence that short-course antibiotic treatments can be a game-changer in tackling ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), a serious infection common in critically ill patients.