Topics
Gene regulator that allows plant rehydration after drought
New genetic insights into the plant rehydration process: this is why your plants don’t die after you forgot to water them.
Researchers create a functional salivary gland organoid 🤤
Scientists have succeeded in growing three-dimensional salivary gland tissue that produced saliva like normal glands when implanted into mice.
Getting a grip on slow but unique shark evolution
Scientists have decoded the genomes of two species of shark, bringing the grand total of sequenced shark genomes to three.
Ig Nobel awards: Silly experiments that strike gold
Amanda writes about the Ig Nobel awards after founder Marc Abrahams visited nerdnite Tokyo. Science at its best!
A self-powered heart monitor taped to the skin
A group of scientists have developed a human-friendly, ultra-flexible organic sensor powered by sunlight, which acts as a self-powered heart monitor.
Protostars that exhibit large diversity in organic compounds
A survey of a molecular cloud has found that the organic chemical makeup of protostars varies considerably.
Scientists solve epigenetic barriers to cloning
Scientists show that two epigenetic factors improve the success rate of cloning via somatic cell nuclear transfer.
Transgenic plants 🌱🌿on acid survive without water
Scientists designed transgenic plants that survive drought-like conditions by bumping up acetic acid production only when water is scarce.
Two genes that regulate how much we dream
An international research team led by RIKEN BDR has identified a pair of genes that regulate how much REM (dream) and non-REM sleep an animal experiences.
Flies use fecal deposits as pheromones
Bioluminescence imaging of fly brains reveals neurons sensitive to fly poo laced with pheromones (you can see the fecal “landmark” in the dotted circle). Need we say more?
Hippocampal memory isn’t all about place cells
Scientists have found evidence that hippocampal memories of experience are not stored in place cells.
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.
Freedom from fear 🧟♀️
Researchers discover a dopaminergic circuit in the brain that allows fear associations to disappear when there isn’t anything to be afraid of anymore.
Blue gene regulation helps plants respond properly to light
Blue light alters some gene expression in plants by changing the transcription start sites to downstream locations.
Out on a limb: the many ‘brains’ of the octopus
Learn how (neurologically) cool octopus arms are (as if you didn’t already know).
Supermassive black holes still dark and mysterious
For the first time, scientists have measured the strength of magnetic fields near supermassive black holes and something doesn’t add up.
Evolution of the inner ear: insights from jawless fish
A new story for inner ear evolution based on the developmental patterning found in hagfish, one of two extant jawless vertebrates and a link to the last common ancestor of modern jawed vertebrates.
Tumor detection during breast cancer surgery
Scientists have developed a new way to accurately detect the margins between cancerous and non-cancerous tissue during breast cancer surgery.
Smarter AI: machine learning without negative data
Scientists have developed a new method for machine learning that allows an AI to make better classifications without negative data.
Nerdnite recap: When the brainbow met the boson
Fun times at nerdnite tokyo. Brains, bosons, and math, oh my!
Mutations, CRISPR, and spinocerebellar ataxia
Scientists discover that mutations causing the degenerative movement disorder spinocerebellar ataxia type 29 work by disrupting calcium release of neurons inside the brain.
Gene regulator that allows plant rehydration after drought
New genetic insights into the plant rehydration process: this is why your plants don’t die after you forgot to water them.
Researchers create a functional salivary gland organoid 🤤
Scientists have succeeded in growing three-dimensional salivary gland tissue that produced saliva like normal glands when implanted into mice.
Getting a grip on slow but unique shark evolution
Scientists have decoded the genomes of two species of shark, bringing the grand total of sequenced shark genomes to three.
Pulses of light can enhance superconductivity
Pulses of light could be used to turn materials into superconductors through an unconventional type of superconductivity.
Scientists create new type of self-healing material
Brain clock ticks differently in autism
A new brain imaging study shows that autistic severity is linked to how long certain regions of the brain store information.
Supermassive black holes still dark and mysterious
For the first time, scientists have measured the strength of magnetic fields near supermassive black holes and something doesn’t add up.
Evolution of the inner ear: insights from jawless fish
A new story for inner ear evolution based on the developmental patterning found in hagfish, one of two extant jawless vertebrates and a link to the last common ancestor of modern jawed vertebrates.
Tumor detection during breast cancer surgery
Scientists have developed a new way to accurately detect the margins between cancerous and non-cancerous tissue during breast cancer surgery.