Category Biology/Biotechnology

Laser light in the visible range is processed for use in the testing of quantum properties in materials in Carlos Silva’s lab at Georgia Tech. Credit: Georgia Tech/Allison Carter

Some novel materials that sound too good to be true turn out to be true and good. An emergent class of semiconductors, which could affordably light up our future with nuanced colors emanating from lasers, lamps, and even window glass, could be the latest example. These materials are very radiant, easy to process from solution, and energy-efficient. The nagging question of whether hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) could really work just received a very affirmative answer in a new international study led by physical chemists at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The researchers observed in an HOIP a “ri...

Resting neural stem cells (nuclei shown in blue) accumulate large protein aggregates (pink) in and around storage compartments called lysosomes (green). Credit: Xiaoai Zhao

Young, resting neural stem cells in the brains of mice store large clumps of proteins in specialized cellular trash compartments known as lysosomes, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found. As the cells age, they become less proficient at disposing of these protein aggregates, and their ability to respond readily to “make new neurons” signals wanes. Restoring the ability of the lysosomes to function normally rejuvenates the cells’ ability to activate.

The discovery of the aggregates in young stem cells was unexpected, in part because similar aggregates are associated with the development of ...

CasRx (magenta) targeting RNA in the nucleus of human cells (gray). Credit: Salk Institute

Most people have heard of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology, which acts as targeted molecular scissors to cut and replace disease-causing genes with healthy ones. But DNA is only part of the story; many genetic diseases are caused by problems with RNA, a working copy of DNA that is translated into proteins. Now, Salk Institute scientists have created a new tool that targets not DNA, but RNA, and used it to correct a protein imbalance in cells from a dementia patient, restoring them to healthy levels...

Infrared images indicate the much warmer temperatures of a normal mouse (left) compared to a mouse unable to make ERR gamma (right). Credit: Salk Institute

A protein found in brown fat, but not typical white fat, is key to how the energy-burning brown fat cells function. While most fat cells in the human body store energy, everyone has a small subset of brown fat cells that do the opposite – burn energy and generate heat. Now, Salk researchers have discovered how the molecule ERRγ gives this “healthier” brown fat its energy-expending identity, making those cells ready to warm you up when you step into the cold, and potentially offering a new therapeutic target for diseases related to obesity.

“This not only advances our understanding of how the body responds to cold, but could lead to new...