Category Biology/Biotechnology

Fasting triggers autophagy in our body. The body switches on the waste disposal system in the cells and gains new energy. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne have now shown in mice that the brain plays a decisive role in this process.

Even after a short period of fasting, the brain triggers the release of the hormone corticosterone and thus initiates autophagy in the liver...

Researchers led by Northwestern University and the University of Texas at Austin (UT) have developed the first cardiac implant made from graphene, a two-dimensional super material with ultra-strong, lightweight and conductive properties.

Similar in appearance to a child’s temporary tattoo, the new graphene “tattoo” implant is thinner than a single strand of hair, yet still functions like a classical pacemaker. But unlike current pacemakers and implanted defibrillators, which require hard, rigid materials that are mechanically incompatible with the body, the new device softly merges with the heart to simultaneously sense and treat irregular heartbeats...

When a person reads a sentence, two distinct networks in the brain are activated, working together to integrate the meanings of the individual words to obtain more complex, higher-order meaning, according to a study at UTHealth Houston.

The study, led by Oscar Woolnough, Ph.D., postdoctoral research fellow in the Vivian L...

Neutron and light scattering, along with atomic force microscopy and quartz crystal microbalance, illuminate a mechanism explaining the ‘vicious circle’ of osteoarthritis.

The exact mechanism of cartilage breakdown in osteoarthritis is unknown, but damage from mechanical stress with insufficient self-repair is believed to be the main culprit...