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Originally published at MedicalXpress by Gladstone Institutes , on November 26, 2024 Aged App NL-G-F mice show robust AD-related pathology and mild impairments in the Morris water maze. Credit: Cell Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114870 Subtle signs of Alzheimer's disease can emerge decades before a diagnosis —often in the form of irregular behaviors that reflect very early stages of brain dysfunction . But until now, identifying and measuring these slight behavioral changes in a scientific way hasn't been feasibl e, not even when studying Alzheimer's in mice. In a study published in Cell Reports , a team of scientists at Gladstone Institutes used a new video-based machine learning tool to pinpoint otherwise-undetectable signs of early disease in mice that were engineered to mimic key aspects of Alzheimer's. Their work sheds light on a new strategy for identifying neurological disease earlier than currently possible and tracking how it develo...

The sequenced genome of the brittle star revealed unique gene arrangements and provides insights into ancient genes involved in limb regeneration. Originally published at The Scientist by Sneha Khedkar, on Nov 22, 2024 As mist lingers over a Swedish fjord lined with towering, forested cliffs, a group of scientists collect mud from the bottom of the turquoise-colored waters . They’re after brittle stars —marine animals with long, slender, serpent-like arms—to peek into the genes that give them distinct characteristics, including the power of regeneration .  ABOVE: Scientists have sequenced the genome of the brittle star Amphiura filiformis . Fredrik Pleijel (University of Gothenburg) Brittle stars belong to the phylum Echinodermata, which includes sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and sea lilies. While the genomes of these other echinoderm classes have been characterized, Ferdinand Marlétaz , an evolutionary biologist at University College London , noted,...