Some forms of sudden infant death syndrome stem from a genetic mutation that keeps infants from processing lipids in milk, a new study has discovered. The build-up of unprocessed fatty material disrupts heart functions. While no treatments are yet available, the finding could help in genetic screening. Drugs are also being tested to see if they can help.
Read moreA new study describes how spheres can be transformed into twisted spindles thanks to insights from 16th century navigational tools. Researchers show how polymers can contract into spiral structures, known as loxodromes, that have complex patterning ten times smaller than the width of a human hair.
Read moreThe microbiome is a treasure trove of information about human health and disease, but getting it to reveal its secrets is challenging. A new genetic 'repressilator' circuit acts like a clock that tracks how bacterial growth changes over time with single-cell precision. This tool allows scientists to noninvasively study the dynamics of the microbiome, and also unlocks the potential for complex, synthetic-biology-based diagnostics and therapeutics for the human gut.
Read moreResearchers have created a metallic microdevice in which they can define and tune patterns of superconductivity. Their discovery holds great promise for quantum technologies of the future.
Read moreA study has found that microglia drive neurodegeneration in diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, that are linked to tau protein. Targeting microglia may help treat such diseases.
Read moreThe largest study of its kind into childhood developmental disorders has discovered that jumping genes cause genetic changes in some patients with undiagnosed neurodevelopmental diseases. The research enabled genetic diagnoses for three children with previously undiagnosed rare developmental diseases, enrolled in the Deciphering Developmental Disorders project. Reported in Nature Communications, these diagnoses will help the families access support and understand the disease risks for any future children.
Read moreResearchers haveidentified for the first time the initial steps of alpha-synuclein protein aggregates related to early onsets of hereditary Parkinson cases. The results may help the understanding of the early stages of the disease and how it develops over time.
Read moreThe nanoscale radiation detector is a hundred times faster than its predecessors, and can function without interruption.
Read moreWhen people become stressed, their bodies can respond by sweating. Now, researchers are monitoring how much adolescents severely affected by autism sweat in order to better understand when behavioral issues, such as aggression, are likely to occur.
Read moreResearchers have figured out how to add more conductivity into functional fabric devices, by coating yarns with a 2-dimensional carbon-based material called MXene, to make conductive threads. The group has developed a dip-coating method, similar to the dyeing process, that can produce a conductive yarn strong enough for use in industrial knitting machines and durable enough to make it through wash cycles without degrading.
Read more