A protein tied to ALS and dementia may have a much bigger role in disease than scientists realized. Researchers found that TDP43 controls a key DNA repair process, but when the protein becomes imbalanced, the repair system can spiral out of control, harming neurons and
Hidden in volcanic lakes and deep-sea vents, scientists have discovered tough new DNA-binding proteins built to survive extreme conditions. After scanning huge genetic databases, researchers found molecules that remain stable under heat, salt, and harsh chemistry. One of these
Researchers have revealed how bacteria precisely control the genes that trigger cell division. The study shows that the MraZ protein, which normally forms a donut-shaped structure, must bend and partially break apart to bind key DNA sequences that activate division genes. Using
Mars didn’t always look like the barren world we see today. Over billions of years, the Sun’s solar wind stripped away much of its atmosphere, helping transform it from a warmer, wetter planet into a frozen desert. NASA’s twin-spacecraft ESCAPADE mission aims to watch this
NASA’s Curiosity rover is investigating strange spiderweb-like ridges on Mars that may reveal a hidden chapter of the planet’s watery history. These “boxwork” formations likely formed when groundwater flowed through cracks in the rock, leaving minerals that hardened into ridges
Spiders and insects may not be fan favorites, but they are vital to the health of ecosystems—and scientists barely know how they’re doing. Researchers found that nearly 90% of North America’s insect and arachnid species have no conservation status, leaving their fate largely
Since the 1970s, the U.S. has lost billions of birds. We now know that those losses aren't just growing—they are accelerating in places with intensive human activity, particularly where agriculture and expanding communities are changing the landscape.
Lithium dendrites, i.e. tiny crystalline thorns that grow off of lithium-ion battery anodes during charging, have been a persistent challenge for the world's most widely used form of energy storage. "Dendrites can penetrate the battery's separator, causing catastrophic short
Researchers have created “Smart Underwear,” a wearable device that measures flatulence by detecting hydrogen produced by gut microbes. Early tests suggest people may pass gas about 32 times a day—much higher than previous estimates. The device gives scientists a new way to
In biology and paleontology (the study of extinct organisms) there are a few ways to estimate the age of an animal's skeleton. One is the extent of fusion of sutures in the skeleton—how much the plates of bone have joined together as the animal matured. Another is the texture
Peroxiredoxins are among the most abundant enzymes involved in managing oxidative stress. They control the levels of peroxides such as hydrogen peroxide, relay redox signals, and help protect other proteins during stress. For decades, scientists assumed that these enzymes
Plastic is one of the most durable materials humans have ever made. That durability has made it indispensable in medicine, food packaging and transport. But it's also created one of the defining environmental problems we have faced.
A collaborative research team has uncovered a previously unknown mechanism of action of yaku'amide B, a structurally complex peptidic natural product derived from deep-sea sponge found in the waters near Yakushima Island, Japan. Natural products often exhibit multifaceted
Every summer, people living near the Mendenhall River in Juneau, Alaska, keep a close eye on the water level. When the river level begins to rise rapidly, it's a sign that Suicide Basin, a small glacier-dammed lake 5 miles up the mountains, has broken through the glacier again
The 2025 Eaton fire's smoke did more than darken the sky: It generated a carbon monoxide and particulate matter surge that far exceeded Los Angeles County's average daily human-caused emissions, according to a new study led by researchers at the USC Dornsife College of Letters,
Cerebral blood flow is essential for normal brain function and often perturbed in neurological disease. If one shines a source of coherent light on perfused tissue, the detected speckles, or "grains" of light fluctuate, or "dance," at a rate proportional to blood flow in the
An international team of astronomers has employed the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe a complex planetary nebula known as NGC 6302. The observations, detailed in a paper published Feb. 25 on the arXiv pre-print server, resulted in the discovery of dry (carbon
The Mediterranean Sea is widely perceived as having a low tsunami risk. History and recent modeling technology have demonstrated that destructive waves have already hit the French coast and could do so again. The results of a project carried out in Nice and along the French
Photoreceptors are specialized cells in the eye that convert light energy into neural signals. Several diseases that cause irreversible vision loss, including age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa and retinal detachment, are associated with dying
Monoclonal antibodies are widely used to treat diseases ranging from cancer to autoimmune disorders. The safety and efficacy of these biologic drugs depend on maintaining their correct three-dimensional organization, known as their higher-order structure (HOS).
The More You Know: This week, researchers successfully reconstructed videos from the brain activity of mice. According to a new study, female birds are more likely to sing when their extended families help with childcare. And mathematicians have disproven a decades-old
A team of US researchers has gained new insights into how large protein molecules consistently fold themselves into useful shapes. Using a new approach to fluorescence microscopy, Hoi Sung Chung and colleagues at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney
In a French criminal trial, conventional DNA analysis couldn’t distinguish between twin brothers, but emerging scientific methods could help in such cases