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eLife
eLife

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Published in Health and Disease

·6 days ago

Tracing cancer’s family tree

Marking tumours with genetic barcodes reveals why some cells refuse to die. — Cancer begins when a cell multiplies again and again to form a tumour. By the time that tumour measures a centimetre across, it can contain upwards of a hundred million cells. And even though they all came from the same ancestor, they are far from identical. The tumour’s family tree…

Science

2 min read

Tracing cancer’s family tree
Tracing cancer’s family tree
Science

2 min read


Published in Life on Earth

·6 days ago

Insect data grown on trees

Traces of DNA left by insects after they munch on leaves could hold the key to reliable and long-term monitoring of biodiversity. — Insects are a barometer of environmental health. Ecosystems around the world are being subjected to unprecedented man-made stresses, ranging from climate change to pollution and intensive land use. These stresses have been associated with several recent, dramatic declines in insect populations, particularly in areas with heavily industrialised farming practices.

Science

2 min read

Insect data grown on trees
Insect data grown on trees
Science

2 min read


Published in Life on Earth

·Jan 25

Investing in the next generation

Western honey bee queens change the size of their eggs depending on the environment of the colony they are living in. — Honey bees are social insects that live in large colonies containing tens of thousands of individuals. The vast majority of bees are sterile females known as worker bees. …

Honey Bees

2 min read

Investing in the next generation
Investing in the next generation
Honey Bees

2 min read


Published in Life’s Building Blocks

·Jan 24

Eye spy

A common modification to RNA plays an important role in the development of supporting cells in the retina. — The retina is a layer in the eye that converts light into electrical signals, which allows us to see. It is a part of the central nervous system and is made of brain cells, such as neurons and supporting cells called glia. These supporting cells protect neurons, supply them with…

Science

2 min read

Eye spy
Eye spy
Science

2 min read


Published in Roots and Shoots

·Jan 23

The caterpillar receptor

Small mutations in an immune receptor enabled some plants to evolve the ability to detect oral secretions from caterpillars. — The health status of a plant depends on the immune system it inherits from its parents. Plants have many receptor proteins that can recognize distinct molecules from insects and microbes, and trigger an immune response. …

Legumes

2 min read

The caterpillar receptor
The caterpillar receptor
Legumes

2 min read


Published in Life’s Building Blocks

·Jan 20

When cholesterol helps to hear

Investigations in zebrafish uncover a gene that enables hearing by moving cholesterol inside hair cells in the ear. — Cholesterol is present in every cell of the body. While it is best known for its role in heart health, it also plays a major role in hearing, with changes in cholesterol levels negatively affecting this sense. …

Science

2 min read

When cholesterol helps to hear
When cholesterol helps to hear
Science

2 min read


Published in Brains and Behaviour

·Jan 19

Changing hands

A survey of primates shows that humans’ extreme preference for right-handedness cannot be easily explained. — About 90% of humans are right-handed. While it is known that handedness is caused by certain brain regions that are specialized in one of the two hemispheres, it is not clear how this evolved or why right-handedness dominates. …

To Be Added By Editor

2 min read

Changing hands
Changing hands
To Be Added By Editor

2 min read


Published in Health and Disease

·Jan 19

Curbing COVID-19 in schools

Computer modeling with crowd-sourced case data shows large outbreaks of COVID-19 in schools are not common, and suggests the best approaches to reducing transmission are masking and smaller class sizes. — During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health officials promoted social distancing as a way to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The goal of social distancing is to reduce the number, proximity, and duration of face-to-face interactions between people. To achieve this, people shifted many activities online or canceled events outright. …

Science

2 min read

Curbing COVID-19 in schools
Curbing COVID-19 in schools
Science

2 min read


Published in Life on Earth

·Jan 18

Warming awakens slumbering microbial diversity

Communities of bacteria alter their composition in response to temperature changes, tapping into a reservoir of latent species which are better suited for these new conditions. — Most ecosystems on Earth rely on dynamic communities of microorganisms which help to cycle nutrients in the environment. There is increasing concern that climate change may have a profound impact on these complex networks formed of large numbers of microbial species linked by intricate biochemical relationships.

Biology

2 min read

Warming awakens slumbering microbial diversity
Warming awakens slumbering microbial diversity
Biology

2 min read


Published in Brains and Behaviour

·Jan 17

Poke-sensitive nerves

Fruit fly larvae have specialized nerve cells that can sense local poking, helping them to escape the pointy sting of a wasp. — Being able to sense harm is essential for survival. Animals have to be able to tell the difference between a gentle touch and a dangerous pressure. They do this using nerve cells called mechanical nociceptors which switch on when the body feels a potentially painful pressure, such as a sharp…

Poking

2 min read

Poke-sensitive nerves
Poke-sensitive nerves
Poking

2 min read

eLife

eLife

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