Molecular biology's central dogma posits a simple recipe for the construction of the human body: a DNA blueprint is transcribed into an RNA message, and the RNA message is translated into the proteins that make you. Translating the mRNA message is a bit like an assembly line. The individual nucleotide "letters" in mRNA form [...]
The question of how living organisms emerged from non-living matter remains one of the most profound mysteries in science. Despite numerous theories, a conclusive explanation remains elusive. This is hardly unexpected, considering these events occurred three to four billion years ago, under Earth’s drastically different ancient conditions. Justifying hypotheses with experimental data “Over this [...]
With human retinas grown in a petri dish, researchers discovered how an offshoot of vitamin A generates the specialized cells that enable people to see millions of colors, an ability that dogs, cats, and other mammals do not possess. "These retinal organoids allowed us for the first time to study this very human-specific trait," [...]
Instruments smaller than a human hair are being designed to eradicate antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fight cancer. Dr. Ana Santos becomes emotional when describing what happened several years ago: Her grandfather and an uncle died of urinary tract infections and a good friend succumbed after an accidental cut got infected. She was shocked. In an [...]
Despite the end of the pandemic, COVID-19 continues to pose a serious health threat. Most individuals have established robust immune protection and do not develop severe disease but the infection can still lead to marked and sometimes long-lasting disease symptoms. In the late summer of 2023 a new SARS-CoV-2 variant emerged, BA.2.86 (pirola), which, [...]
Unlocking the secrets of COVID-19: a groundbreaking study reveals the intricate biomechanics behind the virus’s evolution and spread. Richard Feynman famously stated, “Everything that living things do can be understood in terms of the jigglings and wigglings of atoms.” This week, Nature Nanotechnology features a groundbreaking study that sheds new light on the evolution of the coronavirus and [...]
Marla Kott was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer on Nov. 21, 2014. It was her 60th birthday. "It was not a great day," said Kott, who was was one of thousands of people in Canada diagnosed with lung cancer that year. The disease accounts for a quarter of cancer deaths, according to the Canadian Cancer [...]
In 2023, AI policy and regulation went from a niche, nerdy topic to front-page news. This is partly thanks to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which helped AI go mainstream, but which also exposed people to how AI systems work—and don’t work. It has been a monumental year for policy: we saw the first sweeping AI law [...]
Using a new technology developed at MIT, diagnosing lung cancer could become as easy as inhaling nanoparticle sensors and then taking a urine test that reveals whether a tumor is present. The new diagnostic is based on nanosensors that can be delivered by an inhaler or a nebulizer. If the sensors encounter cancer-linked proteins [...]
The blood-brain barrier blocks the entry of antibodies into the brain. This limits the potential use of antibody therapeutics to treat brain diseases, such as brain tumors. Elsewhere in the body, more than 100 United States Food and Drug Administration-approved therapeutic antibodies are used by medical teams to treat cancers and autoimmune, infectious and [...]
