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And they could help some creatures adjust to changing climates Originally published by Sofia Quaglia, at nautil.us, on July 30, 202 Cell biologist Amy Gladfelter recently set out to solve a riddle that concerns one of the most fundamental features of evolution : adaptation . After a decade of study, she had noticed that one of her favorite fungi, Ashbya gossypii , thrives in a wide variety of environments , from the tropics of Trinidad to the often frigid plains of Wisconsin . How , she began to wonder, did the simple filamentous fungus , with its tiny genome and simple lifecycle, evolve such versatility —and how did the beach-town strains differ from the cold-adapted ones ? Gladfelter decided to tinker with Ashbya gossypii ’s genetic code to see what she could find out. In her laboratory at Duke University School of Medicine , she and her team sifted through 70 strains of the fungus and started methodically swapping proteins in its DNA . In particular, they focused on a protein ...

Analysis of DNA from 23andMe users points to variants in genes linked to brain function and sense of rhythm Originally published by Nazeefa Ahmed at Scienst, on 28 Jul 2025 In The King’s Speech , the 2010 biopic that portrays the United Kingdom’s King George VI’s lifelong struggle with his severe stutter , the king’s father tries to quell his son’s stammering by shouting, “Relax! Relax!” as if it were something he could simply control. Decades of research has shown stuttering is, in fact, an involuntary condition that is highly heritable, though its causes are multifaceted and murky. Now, some of the murk has cleared. Fuente: youtube.com Using data from 1.1 million users of the genetic testing service 23andMe , researchers have identified 57 previously unreported DNA regions linked to stuttering . The findings, published today in Nature Genetics , implicate genes involved in brain function and sense of rhythm , and suggest potential relationships between stuttering and other co...

Neural progenitor cells keep dividing in the adult brain, offering new hope for memory, learning, and repair. Originally published by Neetika Walter , Updated: Jul 03, 2025 06:46 PM EST Representational image of brain neurons. iStock Photos For decades, scientists believed the human brain stopped producing new neurons after childhood . This long-held view painted the adult brain as a fixed organ, incapable of generating fresh cells in the very region responsible for memory and learning. But a landmark new study turns that dogma on its head, offering the clearest evidence yet that adult humans continue to form new neurons well into the old age . Read more   

Originally published by Christoph Schwaiger at livescience.com on July 1, 2025 Scientists say they captured 3D images of a new organelle they're calling a "hemifusome," which may be a recycling center in human cells.   The green and orange structures in this image are hemifusomes, newly discovered organelles that may represent a previously unrecognized pathway for recycling in human cells. (Image credit: Courtesy UVA Health) A new organelle has been discovered in human cells — and scientists call it a " hemifusome ." Like the full-size organs in our bodies, the organelles within cells are specialized structures that carry out specific functions . While observing filaments that maintain the shape of cells, Seham Ebrahim , an assistant professor at the University of Virginia , and her team noticed a new structure that was consistently appearing in the 3D images they were making . Read more