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After spending over 20 years as a wet lab/bench scientist in academic research labs ( and a co-author of over 30 peer-reviewed publications), I now write an array of science articles for the website labroots.com - however, this is a personal account, and views shared here are not endorsed by that website.
#Science #Biology #Nature #Health #Medicine #Microbiology #DNA #Genetics #Earth #Climate #ClimateChange #MolecularBiology #CellBiology
Gut Bacteria & Acetate Combo Can Cut Fat & Retain Muscle
"Our next step is to confirm the safety and efficacy of using acetylated cellulose to treat obesity in humans. If so, it could become an important ingredient in functional foods that prevent obesity," said senior study author Hiroshi Ohno of the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS).
Antibiotics Trigger a Crisis Mode in Bacteria, Aiding Their Survival
"The changes in metabolism are making antibiotics work less well and helping bacteria evolve resistance," said senior study author Jason Yang, an assistant professor at Rutgers.
Astrocytes may Explain the Brain's Massive Storage Capacity
The brain's storage capacity has been modeled with networks, and synapses with more than one link are needed to explain the vast storage ability of the human brain. But synapses are typically thought of as places where only two neurons meet. So the missing storage space may lie in astrocytes.
On #ShowYourStripes day, notice that even the most remote population center in the world is experiencing rapid warming due to our use of fossil fuels.
Show me your stripes with this tool from @edhawkins.org.
Long-Theorized LSD-Related Fungus is Finally Discovered
"Morning glories contain high concentrations of similar lysergic acid derivatives that give them their psychedelic activities," said Prof Daniel Panaccione of WVU. Scientists analyzed morning glories to try to find a fungus that might have been generating those chemicals, & tho they found some that are similar, they never found the actual fungus...
#mycology #microbiology #fungi #fungus #LSD #research #science
An Orchestrator of Reactive Gliosis & Neurodegeneration is Revealed
"Reactive gliosis can help the nervous system adapt to stressful conditions to continue healthy functioning, but it can also be maladaptive, even causing neuronal death. Learning how to control this condition could help us [change] the trajectory of neurodegenerative disease," said Dr Chun-Li Zhang, PhD.
#genetics #research #health #medicine #neuroscience #science
Revealing New Details About the 'Brain in the Gut'
In this work, the investigators analyzed a portion of the enteric nervous system called the submucosal nerve layer to learn more about it. This revealed three novel types of neurons, one of which can sense what's in the intestine.
https://www.labroots.com/trending/cell-and-molecular-biology/29183/revealing-details-brain-gut
Several new studies have identified biomarkers of COVID-19 and long COVID, which can tell us more about what causes the diseases. These findings can also help find ways to diagnose and treat long COVID, or identify people who are at high risk of developing the chronic disorder.
#health #medicine #science #research #COVID
https://www.labroots.com/trending/clinical-and-molecular-dx/29170/scientists-array-covid-biomarkers
This Dangerous Superbug Can Consume Medical Plastics
“It means we need to reconsider how pathogens exist in the hospital environment,” said study leader Professor Ronan McCarthy of the Brunel University of London. “Plastics, including plastic surfaces, could potentially be food for these bacteria."
#bacteria #biology #research #science
https://www.labroots.com/trending/microbiology/29162/dangerous-superbug-consume-medical-plastics
Trump Administration Abandons Deal With Northwest Tribes to Restore Salmon
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The Trump administration canceled a deal, signed under President Joe Biden, that would have enabled the removal of four hydroelectric dams along the Columbia River that are considered harmful to salmon.
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-salmon-columbia-river-tribes-deal?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #Trump #Native #Indigenous #Oregon #Environment #Sustainability #PNW
Environmental DNA: The Possibilities and Ethical Problems
"The level of information that's available in environmental DNA is such that we're only starting to consider what the potential applications can be, from humans, to wildlife to other species that have implications for human health," said senior study author David Duffy, Ph.D., a professor of wildlife disease genomics at the University of Florida.
#DNA #genetics #environment #research #science #ethics #bioethics
Molecules known as adjuvants can make bacteria more vulnerable to antibiotics.
“A novel adjuvant could really help us overcome resistance mechanisms and better address the antibiotic crisis,” said co-first study author Megan Tse.
#antibiotics #medicine #health #science
https://www.labroots.com/trending/microbiology/29143/creating-potent-antibiotics-combining
How One Gene Helped Plague Persistently Cause Pandemics
Bubonic plague has caused the deadliest pandemic in history. The bacterium that causes bubonic plague, known as Yersinia pestis can cause severe illness and death. Now reporting in Science, researchers have shown how one gene in the Yersinia pestis genome has enabled its survival over hundreds of years, with tweaks to virulence and deadliness.
VIVA! These are the courageous NIH staffers who have spoken out against what the Trump administration is doing to biomedical research in the US. This is incredibly brave and honorable. They need our support. Spread the word. https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/09/health/nih-letter-bethesda-declaration
Understanding Canadian Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) & Wildfire Smoke
Wildfire smoke consists of toxic gases and particulate matter (PM) when breathed in gets into our lungs, bloodstream, and even our brain. 🧵1/
Men's Dementia Risk May be Doubled by Common Gene Variant
"Having just one copy of this gene variant does not impact someone's health or increase their risk of dementia. However, having two copies of the variant more than doubled the risk of dementia in men, but not women," noted study co-author Professor John Olynyk of the Curtin Medical School.
The destruction of US science institutions by the Trump administration is ongoing, and on all fronts...
"U.S. military trims access to its critical sea ice measurements
Data gaps come as Arctic sea ice shrinks to near-record lows"
#climate #ClimateChange #USA #news #science #research
https://www.science.org/content/article/u-s-military-trims-access-its-critical-sea-ice-measurements
Gut Bacteria Byproduct Can Accelerate Blood Vessel Aging
"The aging process of the cardiovascular system can ... be regulated via the microbiome," suggested Soheil Saeedi of the University of Zurich.
In a First, T cells are Found in the Healthy Human Brain
"We think of T cells as something that fights off infection & causes autoimmune disease, but the surprise of this study is that T cells have a different role in biology that we were unaware of," said David Hafler, MD.
"With this paper, we've definitively shown that their presence is not just disease-related but part of normal physiology, & that changes everything."
