Category Biology/Biotechnology

Over 30 years of dentistry, Sami Dogan has treated just about every kind of tooth ailment. Cavities are simple to fill. Dental implants have become routine. But there’s one problem, he said, that annoys even the most experienced dentists: hypersensitivity, the painful sensation sparked by contact with hot, cold or acidic food.

“We see patients with hypersensitive teeth, but we can’t really help them,” said Dogan, a professor of restorative dentistry at the University of Washington. “We have all these repair options available in the market, but they’re all transient...

New research has discovered neurons within the brain that detect and respond to changes in the level of sugar within the bloodstream.

Understanding how this blood sugar detection system works and how these neurocircuits operate would give researchers and doctors greater insights into how our brains regulate our blood sugar, and perhaps, how to target them therapeutically to treat metabolic diseases like diabetes and obesity, according to the study authors.

The study was published June 22 online in Diabetes.

“We’ve known for a long time that many neurons can detect sugar locally within the brain,” said Dr...

We use plastics in almost every aspect of our lives. These materials are cheap to make and incredibly stable. The problem comes when we’re done using something plastic—it can persist in the environment for years. Over time, plastic will break down into smaller fragments, called microplastics, that can pose significant environmental and health concerns.

The best-case solution would be to use bio-based plastics that biodegrade instead, but many of those bioplastics are not designed to degrade in backyard composting conditions...

A potential therapeutic for one of the major chronic diseases of aging. Mopping up free radicals with antioxidants was the rage in the 1970’s; people were taking large, sometimes massive doses of various general antioxidants, including vitamins and minerals, to try to remove harmful byproducts of energy metabolism. The method was supposed to blunt the effects of aging and stave off chronic disease. The strategy didn’t work, and in some cases, it caused harm because untargeted antioxidants also compromised beneficial cellular signaling pathways. Over time, this area of research went on the shelf as mitochondrial theories of disease and aging fell into disfavor.

But research at the Buck offers a new way to deal with free radicals: rather than mop them up, take a pill that selectively...