Secret to weathering climate change lies at our feet: New research on the microbiome of grass shows that the future lies with healthy bacteria
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently discovered that the ability of agricultural grasses to withstand drought is directly related to the health of the microbial community living on their stems, leaves and seeds. “Microbes do an enormous amount for the grasses that drive the world’s agriculture,” says Emily Bechtold, a graduate student in […]
Pioneering noninvasive technique for neurological conditions
Indiana University School of Medicine researchers are developing a new, noninvasive brain stimulation technique to treat neurological disorders, including pain, traumatic brain injury (TBI), epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and more. “Given the increasing use of brain stimulation in human brain study and treatment of neurological diseases, this research can make a big impact on […]
Role of dopamine in songbird’s brain plasticity: Neurotransmitter shown to be a key driver in sensory processing
Neuroscientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have demonstrated in new research that dopamine plays a key role in how songbirds learn complex new sounds. Published in the Journal of Neuroscience, the finding that dopamine drives plasticity in the auditory pallium of zebra finches lays new groundwork for advancing the understanding of the functions of […]
Maternal diets rich in Omega-3 fatty acids may protect offspring from breast cancer, study suggests
According to researchers at Marshall University, a maternal diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids protects from breast cancer development in offspring. In a new study recently published by Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, researchers noted a significant difference in mice from mothers that were fed a diet rich in canola oil, compared with mothers […]
Tracking data show how the quiet of pandemic-era lockdowns allowed pumas to venture closer to urban areas
New research from the University of California, Santa Cruz shows how regional shelter-in-place orders during the coronavirus pandemic emboldened local pumas to use habitats they would normally avoid out of fear of humans. This study, published in the journal Current Biology, is part of a growing wave of research working to formally document the types […]
Abnormal response to cellular stress is associated with Huntington’s disease
A new University of California, Irvine-led study finds that the persistence of a marker of chronic cellular stress, previously associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), also takes place in the brains of Huntington’s disease (HD) patients. Chronic cellular stress results in the abnormal accumulation of stress granules […]
Dieting and its effect on the gut microbiome: Bacterium associated with antibiotic-induced colitis plays a role in weight control
Researchers from Charité — Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the University of California in San Francisco were able to show for the first time that a very low calorie diet significantly alters the composition of the microbiota present in the human gut. In a current Nature publication, the researchers report that dieting results in an increase of […]