News by Subject Medicine & Health

Electrical activity in the motor cortex of rats transforms from redundant to complex over the span of four days shortly after birth. Sleep twitches guide this metamorphosis, according to new research published in JNeurosci.

Scientists reveal a key role for interspecific gene flow in the continent-wide adaptive radiation of the Heliconius butterflies.

How neuronal circuits remodel themselves over time, especially during early development, is a major question in neurobiology. Using mice, researchers from Kyushu University have uncovered a biomolecular mechanism behind the strengthening of connections from neurons called mitral cells. The team found that the protein BMPR-2 is a key regulator of selective stabilization of neuron branching and that strengthening of a branch happens only when neural signals are transmitted.

Single-cell RNA sequencing has revealed a subset of cells that could provide protection from a rare, but severely debilitating and fatal, lung disease. The findings were published by Nagoya University researchers and colleagues in the European Respiratory Journal. Further research could lead to new therapeutic strategies for the disease, called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

The physical interactions between coral and algal cells as they join together in symbiosis have been observed for the first time. Within minutes of being introduced, the coral cells had started to engulf the algae, either digesting them or protecting them within a 'bubble' inside the cell. This new study will form the basis of further research that will expand our understanding of their symbiotic relationship, leading to improved methods of coral conservation.

Scientists have found new evidence of menopause in killer whales - raising fascinating questions about how and why it evolved.