Researchers develop comprehensive genetic map for bison, discover gene responsible for albinism

Researchers have determined the gene mutation responsible for an observable trait in bison -- albinism.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231120124103.htm

Potential glaucoma treatment strategy to guide stem cells to the retina

Scientists have developed a novel approach that allows stem cells to be turned into retinal ganglion cells that are capable of migrating and surviving in the eye's retina. This approach presents a promising new treatment strategy for diseases like glaucoma, in which the loss of retinal ganglion cells caused by the disease leads to irreversible vision loss.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231117181026.htm

New research suggests plants might be able to absorb more CO2 from human activities than previously expected

New research  paints an uncharacteristically upbeat picture for the planet. This is because more realistic ecological modelling suggests the world's plants may be able to take up more atmospheric CO2 from human activities than previously predicted.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231117181018.htm

Scientists produce human norepinephrine neurons from stem cells, with significant implications for researching diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin--Madison have identified a protein key to the development of a type of brain cell believed to play a role in disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and used the discovery to grow the neurons from stem cells for the first time. The stem-cell-derived norepinephrine neurons of the type found in a part of the human brain called the locus coeruleus may enable research into many psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases and provide a tool for developing new ways to treat them.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231117134930.htm

New study reveals the genetics of human head shape

Researchers have discovered a suite of genes that influence head shape in humans. These findings help explain the diversity of human head shapes and may also offer important clues about the genetic basis of conditions that affect the skull, such as craniosynostosis.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231117120657.htm

Benefits of adolescent fitness to future cardiovascular health possibly overestimated

There is a well-known relationship between good physical fitness at a young age and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. However, when researchers adjusted for familial factors by means of sibling analysis, they found a weaker association, although the link between high body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular disease remained strong.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231117120643.htm

Heart repair via neuroimmune crosstalk

Unlike humans, zebrafish can completely regenerate their hearts after injury. They owe this ability to the interaction between their nervous and immune systems, as researchers now report.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231117102523.htm

Environment and wallet benefit from redispensing cancer pills

Redispensing cancer drugs reduces both environmental impact and medical costs, according to new research. The annual savings could amount to tens of millions.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231117102515.htm

Rediscovery of rare marine amoeba Rhabdamoeba marina

Researchers have rediscovered and successfully cultivating Rhabdamoeba marina -- a rare marine amoeba that has only been reported in two cases in the past century. Using this culture strain, they performed a comprehensive analysis of its genetic sequence, revealing for the first time the phylogenetic position of this enigmatic amoeba, and proposed a novel taxonomic classification based on their research findings.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231117102454.htm

Division of cells in cell cultures and cancer

If cells in cell cultures grow while being treated with division-suppressing agents, their growth becomes excessive and they permanently lose their ability to divide. However, if the cells are treated with a combination of division inhibitors and growth inhibitors, they remain capable of dividing after these substances have been discontinued. The findings could be transferred to certain cancer therapies, but first need to be clinically tested and confirmed.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231117102436.htm

Research in Lake Superior reveals how sulfur might have cycled in Earth's ancient oceans

A scientists has sulfur on her mind. The yellow element is a vital macronutrient, and she's trying to understand how it cycles through the environment. Specifically, she's curious about the sulfur cycle in Earth's ancient ocean, some 3 billion years ago.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231116150905.htm

Hunger hormones impact decision-making brain area to drive behavior

A hunger hormone produced in the gut can directly impact a decision-making part of the brain in order to drive an animal's behavior, finds a new study.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231116141050.htm

Scientists piece together DNA repair pathway implicated in breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers

Medical researchers have learned more about an enzyme found to be overly expressed in patients with hereditary breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and prostate cancer.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231115133233.htm

Microbes could help reduce the need for chemical fertilizers

A new metal-organic coating protects bacterial cells from damage without impeding their growth or function. The coated bacteria, which produce ammonia, could make it much easier for farmers to deploy microbes as fertilizers.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231115133203.htm

An old star with ring-like structure: ALMA demonstrates highest resolution yet

ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) has demonstrated the highest resolution yet with observations of an old star. The observations show that the star is surrounded by a ring-like structure of gas and that gas from the star is escaping to the surrounding space. Future observations with the newly demonstrated high resolution are expected to elucidate, not only the end of a star's life, but also the beginning, when planets are still forming.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231115113925.htm

Surveilling wetlands for infectious bird flu -- and finding it

Recently, morning omelets and holiday dinners have gotten more expensive. One likely cause is bird flu, outbreaks of which led to the deaths of millions of chickens and turkeys from infection or culling in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and which still demands rigorous monitoring of wild populations. Now, researchers have developed a method that detected infectious bird flu virus in wetlands frequented by waterfowl.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231115113838.htm

Previously unknown luminescence revealed in ten deep sea species and an order of sea cucumbers

Researchers present evidence of previously unknown luminosity in 10 deep-sea species, suggesting underestimated diversity. These new discoveries include a member of the order Molpadia, which was previously thought not to be luminescent. The authors stress the importance of considering the ecological role of bioluminesence and the need for conservation.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231114223918.htm

Researcher helps solve 60-year mystery inside heart

Scientists have solve a 60-year-old mystery about one of the body's most vital organs: the heart.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231114215709.htm

Non-native species likely to continue spreading in North America, Australia and Europe

Naturalized species, which are not native but have established themselves in new locations, have the potential to spread even further to suitable habitats in many parts of the world, reports a new study.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231114143909.htm

Ultrafine particles from traffic disturb human olfactory cell function

Exposure to ultrafine particles from traffic alters the expression of many genes in human olfactory mucosa cells, a new study shows. The study is the first to combine an analysis of emissions from different diesel fuels and exhaust after-treatment systems with an examination of their effects in a human-derived cell model of the olfactory mucosa.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231114143839.htm