Research

Three people with a muscle-destroying disease destined to worsen got a little stronger—able to stand and walk more easily—when an implanted device zapped their spinal cord.... Read more

Pharmaceutical ads are difficult to avoid in American television programming and a growing number of them promote a class of medications called JAK inhibitors, using an acronym that assumes the average TV watcher knows exactly what JAK stands for.... Read more

Mitochondria are essential for generating energy that fuels cells and helps them function.... Read more

Our biceps and our brain cells may have more in common than previously thought.... Read more

People's bodies can be old or young for their chronological age, depending, in part, on the amount and types of stressors they have experienced. Scientists can estimate people's biological age, but whether they use oral tissue or blood to make the measurement matters, according to a new study led by... Read more

A research team affiliated with UNIST has unveiled an innovative technology to eliminate drug-resistant cancer cells using light. Professors Tae-Hyuk Kwon and Duyoung Min from the Department of Chemistry at UNIST, alongside Professor Taiho Park from POSTECH, have created a photoreactive compound capable of suppressing autophagy in cancer cells—one of... Read more

By age 75, a noteworthy 50% of men develop an inguinal (groin) hernia—a bulge that results from soft tissue pushing through a weak spot in the abdominal muscles. Although common, the cause of these hernias is unknown, and the only treatment is surgery to repair the weakened area. Even after... Read more

A nasal vaccine for COVID-19—based on technology developed at Washington University in St. Louis—is poised to enter a phase 1 clinical trial in the U.S. after an investigational new drug application from Ocugen, Inc. was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Ocugen, a U.S.-based biotechnology company, licensed the... Read more

Researchers from the University of Illinois have identified a key process coordinating liver maturation and polyploidization, a state in which cells carry more than two sets of chromosomes. Their findings, published in Genes and Development, provide insight into hepatocyte specialization that will aid efforts in regenerative medicine.... Read more

Graying hair is a hallmark of aging, often considered an inevitable part of growing older. However, recent research from Nagoya University in Japan led by Masashi Kato and Takumi Kagawa suggests that an antioxidant might suppress this process. The researchers identified luteolin, an antioxidant found in vegetables including celery, broccoli,... Read more

Globally, scientists are working to unlock the secrets of extending human lifespan at the cellular level, where aging occurs gradually due to the shortening of telomeres–the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that function like shoelace tips to prevent unraveling. As telomeres shorten over time, cells lose their ability... Read more

Weighing in at nearly 2 kilos, our gut bacteria seem to play an even bigger role than was previously thought. These bacteria can influence our mood and act as a communication center. Gut microbiota researchers Åsa Håkansson and Frida Fåk Hållenius at Lund University in Sweden share their latest insights.... Read more

Many foods are often advertised for their antioxidant properties. Antioxidants counteract what are known as reactive oxygen species (ROS), chemically reactive molecules that can disrupt the normal functions of lipids, proteins, and DNA in human cells. Accumulation of ROS contributes to the development of age-related diseases, including cancer, emphasizing the... Read more

Disinfecting surfaces is crucial in keeping bacteria and viruses at bay, but the cleaning solutions could be ineffective if met with neutralizing compounds.... Read more

Low-density lipoproteins (LDL)—commonly known as bad cholesterol—have long been on scientists' radar as a major contributor to heart disease. But these microscopic troublemakers have hidden their inner workings behind a maze of complexity. That is, until now.... Read more