Viruses in the gut may warn of a deadly disease in preterm infants
Immediately after birth, human infants begin to develop a complex, interwoven fabric of microbes in their gut. Known collectively as the gut microbiome, this diverse ecosystem consists of bacteria, archaea, viruses and fungi, numbering in the billions. All have important roles to play in health and disease and researchers are racing to better understand their […]
New miniature heart could help speed heart disease cures
There’s no safe way to get a close-up view of the human heart as it goes about its work: you can’t just pop it out, take a look, then slot it back in. Scientists have tried different ways to get around this fundamental problem: they’ve hooked up cadaver hearts to machines to make them pump […]
Intense exercise while dieting may reduce cravings for fatty food
In a study that offers hope for human dieters, rats on a 30-day diet who exercised intensely resisted cues for favored, high-fat food pellets. The experiment was designed to test resistance to the phenomenon known as “incubation of craving,” meaning the longer a desired substance is denied, the harder it is to ignore signals for […]
For neurons, where they begin isn’t necessarily where they end
The making of a human brain remains a mostly mysterious process that races from an embryonic neural tube to more than 100 billion interconnected neurons in the brain of a newborn. To achieve this marvel of biological engineering, the developing fetal brain must grow, on average, at a rate of roughly 250,000 nerve cells per […]
Disbelief in human evolution linked to greater prejudice and racism: UMass Amherst research findings consistent across countries, cultures, genders and religions
A disbelief in human evolution was associated with higher levels of prejudice, racist attitudes and support of discriminatory behavior against Blacks, immigrants and the LGBTQ community in the U.S., according to University of Massachusetts Amherst research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Similarly, across the globe — in 19 Eastern European countries, […]
HHS Claws Back $100 Million in Provider Pandemic Relief Money
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is collecting $100 million in pandemic assistance money from providers who failed to comply with the agency’s reporting requirements, a Bloomberg Law report found. On March 10, HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) sent notices to providers who received more than $10,000 in relief money but […]
Researchers map human sensory neurons, pursue chronic pain cure
An investigation into how human nerve cells differ from animal cells has provided researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas’ Center for Advanced Pain Studies (CAPS) with important clues in the pursuit of more effective treatments for chronic pain. Dr. Ted Price BS’97, Ashbel Smith Professor of neuroscience in the School of Behavioral and […]
Student researchers discover genes unique to humans in search for source of our evolutionary distinctiveness
A team of student researchers from John Jay College of Criminal Justice has discovered human microRNA genes not shared with any other primate species and which may have played an important role in the unique evolution of the human species. The students, under the direction of John Jay Professors Dr. Hunter R. Johnson and Dr. […]
What Does HIV Do to a Person? Symptoms & Stages
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks and weakens the immune system, impairing the body’s ability to fight diseases and infections Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks and weakens the immune system, impairing the body’s ability to fight diseases and infections. Without a healthy, functioning immune system, a person may become vulnerable to infections that can then lead […]
Research advances knowledge of the battle between viruses and human cells: Discovery of protective RNA mechanism informs pursuit to develop anti-viral drugs
In the long-term battle between a herpesvirus and its human host, a University of Massachusetts virologist and her team of students have identified some human RNA able to resist the viral takeover — and the mechanism by which that occurs. This discovery, described in a paper published Feb. 15 in Proceedings of the National Academy […]