Summer fun: how plants beat the heat


Scientists have discovered a gene that allows plants to cope with extreme heat by changing the composition of chloroplast membranes.

The brain’s GPS has a buddy system


In addition to encoding self location, brain cells in the rat hippocampus act like a GPS that encodes the location of other rats.

Electrolithoautotrophs


Learn what electrolithoautotrophs are and how the scientists proved that A. ferrooxidans can use electric potential to fuel growth.

Eve Marder: freeing knowledge, crashing neurons


None of us would get on a plane that had its parts changed in mid-air, says Eve Marder, who has spent her career probing a very specific cluster of crustacean nerve cells. Yet we are all walking around undergoing a constant turnover of cellular parts, and so are the lobsters and crabs Marder studies.

Organ regeneration in the lab


Interview with Takashi Tsuji, team leader of the Laboratory for Organ Regeneration at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology

Stem cell exhaustion and proliferation: An aging fly’s tale


Blocking the gene ced-6 led to stem cell exhaustion in aging fruit flies and prevented repair of damaged intestines.

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Dec

21

The stars align

The stars align


The stars align. That’s what you say, when things work out perfectly. In the case of an eclipse, of course, it’s not stars that align but rather the moon and sun.

Brain wave synchrony can predict memory age


The degree of neuronal synchrony between the anterior cingulate cortex and the hippocampus during recall is an indication of memory age (in mice).

Sphingolipid S1P: Potential new target for schizophrenia treatment


Sphingolipid S1P is reduced in brain white matter of people with schizophrenia, making S1P receptors a good target for new treatments.

Brainless memory makes the spinal cord smarter than previously thought


The spinal cord learns how to direct limb muscles to avoid aversive sensations and recalls the memories using separate neural circuitry. Oh, and without a brain!

Ultraprecise clocks and the Tokyo Skytree verify Einstein’s theory of relativity


Time measured at the top and bottom of the Tokyo Skytree with ultraprecise clocks has verified the time dilation effect predicted by Einstein.

Electric rays to help us map the ocean floor


Electric rays and sting rays could map the ocean floor through their natural behavior, helping us find resources and collect data on other ocean life.

Nanopores in deep-sea hydrothermal vents and the origin of life


“Naturally occurring selective nanopore ion channels in deep-sea hydrothermal vents are similar to ion channels found in cells and could help explain the origin of life.

Next stop: clinical hair regeneration


A new recipe for continuous cyclical hair regeneration in mice. This means that the hair will continue to fall out and regrow like normal hair.

H2AK119ub1: How you inherit acquired traits from your mom


H2AK119ub1. Say that three times really fast! But seriously, it allows maternally acquired traits to be inherited.

Eating a high fat diet without getting obese?


Scientists discover that without innate immune cells in the intestines, eating a high fat diet does not lead to obesity in mice.

Social contact-seeking behavior and loneliness in the brain


Levels of the peptide amylin in the brain are related to loneliness; activating amylin neurons in the MPOA drives isolated mice to seek social contact.