Unpacking Embryonic Pluripotency

Unpacking Embryonic Pluripotency

Researchers have identified factors that spark the formation of pluripotent cells. Their findings, published in Developmental Cell, shed light on human embryonic development and help research into…
Packaging And Unpacking Of The Genome

Packaging And Unpacking Of The Genome

DNA represents a dynamic form of information, balancing efficient storage and access requirements. Packaging approximately 1.8m of DNA into something as small as a cell nucleus is no mean feat, but…
Why Are Some Genes Highly Expressed?

Why Are Some Genes Highly Expressed?

The DNA in our cells is folded into millions of small packets, like beads on a string, allowing two-meter linear DNA genomes to fit into a nucleus of only about 0.01 mm in diameter. However, these…
What Algae And Brain Fluid Share In Common

What Algae And Brain Fluid Share In Common

The lipid ceramide, long known to help keep skin smooth, also helps algae swim toward the light and appears to enable one type of brain cell to keep cerebrospinal fluid moving, researchers report in…
Epilepsy Switch Discovered

Epilepsy Switch Discovered

Approximately five percent of people suffers an epileptic attack, during which the nerve cells get out of their usual rhythm and fire in a very rapid frequency, over the course of their lives. This…
Protein Found In Malaria Could Help Stop Cancer

Protein Found In Malaria Could Help Stop Cancer

Researchers have discovered how a protein from malaria could some day help stop cancer. While exploring why pregnant women are particularly susceptible to malaria, they found that the mosquito-borne…