Geckos are amazingly agile. In addition to running across land and up trees, the animals can prance across the surface of water. A new study reveals how they do it.
Scientists have made the first comprehensive inventory of cells present in the human placenta of the first trimester, a stage when many pregnancy complications are thought to arise. The findings could fuel new research on conditions such as preeclampsia and pre-term birth.
By analyzing gene expression patterns, researchers have identified previously unknown distinctions between mouse and human neurons. They have also developed a new way to track cellular changes associated with brain disorders.
Researchers have assembled a new and improved DNA catalogue for the mosquito Aedes aegypti. This tool will help researchers understand the insect’s biology, and may lead to new strategies for preventing diseases like Zika and dengue.
A new study shows that embryonic cells retain a memory of the chemical signals to which they are exposed. Without these memories, cells fail organize into distinct tissue types.
Analyzing soil samples from across the country, researchers have identified an antibiotic capable of treating strains of tuberculosis that do not respond to existing therapies.
Using a unique mouse model, Rockefeller scientists have developed a new strategy in cancer immunotherapy that is more safe and effective than other treatments of its kind.
As you encounter new experiences and form new memories, your brain changes. Now, researchers show that some of these change occur in a brain region devoted to visual perception.
Studying neurons in C. elegans, researchers made a surprising discovery: these roundworms, like most animals, process information using a digital, electric code.
DEET, a chemical in bug sprays, affects the behavior of highly diverse organisms—but how it works remains unclear. New research in C. elegans shows that the compound exploits unique receptors and neurons to interfere with the animals’ response to odors.
Researchers have discovered that the protein ASTN2 shuttles receptors away from the surface of neurons, a process that facilitates efficient brain activity.
Using gene editing technology, researchers have developed a new way to study B cell activation in mice. This technique makes research more efficient, and has the potential to improve our understanding of immune responses in humans.
A new study in ants demonstrates that living in groups leads to improved fitness. The researchers show that, in larger groups, ants take on specialized roles and colony stability increases.
Researchers describe, for the first time, the structure of a smell-receptor protein common among insects. Its inner architecture illuminates how insects evolved to detect an amazing diversity of odors.
Scientists describe a group of proteins that protect cells from a subtype of human papilloma virus. They also outline genetic mutations that make this virus unusually harmful in people with epidermodysplasia verruciformis, a rare skin condition.
Researchers find that a deficiency of acetyl-L-carnitine is associated with a particular subtype of depression. Individuals with very low levels of this molecule often have highly severe symptoms and don’t respond to traditional antidepressants.
A new study in ants identifies a peptide that plays an important role in regulating reproduction. This research illuminates a potential trajectory for the evolution of distinct social castes—workers and queens.
Scientists find that certain neurons release nitric oxide onto nearby blood vessels, and potentially use this mechanism to control awareness in the brain.
Scientists have long debated the evolutionary origins of human speech. New research reveals neural circuits in the brains of monkeys that may represent the source of our unique speech capabilities.
A new study sheds light on the mysterious ways in which evolution may tweak the brain to shape behavior. It started with a close look at two Drosophila species and their mating maneuvers.
Scientists have found a metabolic particularity in tumor cells lacking oxygen. The discovery might point to new drugs to target the most difficult-to-treat spots within a tumor.
A new study shows that a group of neurons, previously thought to die in the course of development, in fact become incorporated into the brain’s cortex. This research has implications for understanding—and possibly treating—several brain disorders.
Scientists have found a new way to trawl blood samples for snippets of RNA released by tumors or diseased organs. The method might eventually help doctors diagnose and track a wide range of medical conditions.
Researchers have uncovered the genetic factors that make some people susceptible to Whipple's disease, an intestinal inflammatory disorder that causes diarrhea, pain, and weight loss.
Detailed structural images reveal how an ion channel helps curtail a neuron’s firing. The work has relevance for diseases in which this molecule malfunctions.
For the first time, scientists have shown that a small cluster of cells in the human embryo dictates the fate of other embryonic cells. The discovery of this developmental “organizer” could advance research into many human diseases, and it suggests we have more in common with birds than meets the...
A new imaging tool makes it possible to track the firing of millions of brain cells in mice while the animals move about as normal. The method could help shed new light onto the neural processes that create behavior.
Scientists have developed a new strategy to study the cells that host hidden reserves of dormant HIV, a step that may lead to new treatments that go beyond controlling the infection and instead aim to eradicate the virus entirely.
Among other superpowers, stem cells have a knack for fending off viruses like dengue and zika. Scientists have gained new insight into these curious defense strategies—knowledge they say could fuel the development of drugs against a range of diseases.
Scientists have discovered a curious way for cells to die. In studying it, they are learning about how remnants of diseased cells are normally chewed up and removed.
The gateway to cellular headquarters has 552 components. A new map that shows how all these pieces fit together could help scientists study numerous diseases.
A new report details three cases of secondary brain tumors in people with fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. The researchers say imaging tests could improve treatment for patients whose cancer spreads to the brain from the liver.
In discovering how an antibiotic kills the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, scientists open the door to new treatments for the disease—and possibly others, as well.
Scientists have used cryo-electron microscopy to capture the very first snapshots of the large ribosomal subunit—part of the ribosome responsible for forging bonds between amino acids, the building blocks of proteins—coming together.
In mining soil for natural drugs, scientists have discovered a brand-new antibiotic potent against many bacteria. They hope it could be used to treat infections that cannot be stopped with existing drugs.
New research has helped explain what goes wrong in Aicardi-Goutières syndrome, a rare brain disorder. Patients with the disease have genetic abnormalities that may put their cells at risk of accidentally triggering an antiviral response.
A new study illuminates the biology that guides behavior across different stages of life in worms, and suggests how variations in specific neuromodulators in the developing nervous system may lead to occasional variations.
After figuring out the functions of two proteins involved in the rare genetic condition ICF, scientists pieced together the molecular process that is altered in the disease.
Our ability to hear relies on tiny bundles of hair-like sensors inside the inner ear. Scientists have identified a key component of the machinery that makes these bundles grow in an orderly fashion.
Virtually all aspects of life and disease depend of brief exchanges between cells. A new technique to study cell-to-cell contacts lets interacting cells “smear” one another with the biological equivalent of lipstick.
The symptoms of Huntington’s typically appear in middle age, but the disease may in fact originate much earlier. New research shows that a patient’s neural abnormalities may arise already during embryonic development—suggesting that treating the disease early may be beneficial.
A new treatment may help cancer patients who don't respond to traditional immunotherapy. Findings from the first-ever clinical trial reveal that it is effective in activating immune cells that kill cancer cells.
New research shows that subtle differences between bacterial strains may cause dramatic differences in outcome between people infected with the same microbe.
With new imaging methods, scientists hope to make significant progress in the fight against obesity. A new report reveals striking images of neural projections within fat tissue, and clues for the development of new drugs.
Scientists found that immune cells called intraepithelial lymphocytes act as a surveillance force at the intestine, helping to generate an appropriate immune response to both friendly bacteria and dangerous pathogens.
Scientists studying the cell’s DNA-copying machinery have discovered a molecular mechanism that helps reactivate it should it stop prematurely. Its function may prevent genetic errors like those that cause cancer.
Scientists have discovered a group of brain cells that may play a role in keeping smokers addicted to nicotine. Their work could ultimately lead to new drugs to help people conquer their tobacco dependence.
A protein transferred from male to female mosquitoes during sex influences female mating behavior—a phenomenon that could be exploited to limit the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses like Zika and dengue.
Researchers have found that the cells directing the very first steps of brain formation are not other neurons, as scientists have long assumed. They've also uncovered previously hidden molecular pathways that attract neurons into the brain.
Scientists have engineered a mouse model to study a rare and often-fatal form of liver cancer. They’ve used it to clarify what drives these tumors at the molecular level, and discover new drug concepts.
