Category Biology/Biotechnology

A biomaterial that can mimic certain behaviors within biological tissues could advance regenerative medicine, disease modeling, soft robotics and more, according to researche(rs at Penn State.

Materials created up to this point to mimic tissues and extracellular matrices (ECMs) — the body’s biological scaffolding of proteins and molecules that surrounds and supports tissues and cells — have all had limitations that hamper their practical applications, according to the team...

Researchers at the Sainsbury Wellcome Center (SWC) at UCL have unveiled the precise brain mechanisms that enable animals to overcome instinctive fears. Published in Science, the study in mice could have implications for developing therapeutics for fear-related disorders such as phobias, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The research team, led by Dr. Sara Mederos and Professor Sonja Hofer, mapped out how the brain learns to suppress responses to perceived threats that prove harmless over time.

“Humans are born with inst...

Graying hair is a hallmark of aging, often considered an inevitable part of growing older. However, recent research from Nagoya University in Japan led by Masashi Kato and Takumi Kagawa suggests that an antioxidant might suppress this process. The researchers identified luteolin, an antioxidant found in vegetables including celery, broccoli, carrots, onions, and peppers, as being a potential anti-graying agent. Their findings pave the way for potential applications in human hair care.

The researchers’ study focused on three antioxidants—luteolin, hesperetin, and diosmetin—to assess their anti-graying effects in mice that were bred to go gray like humans...

Researchers have uncovered a link between COVID-19 and blood markers linked to faulty proteins in the brain. The analysis, led by researchers at Imperial College London and the UK Dementia Research Institute, found that people who had previously had COVID-19 were more likely to have increased levels of biomarkers linked to faulty amyloid proteins—a known hallmark for Alzheimer’s disease.

On average, the effects were comparable to four years of aging with the greatest effects seen in those hospitalized with severe COVID-19 or with underlying risk factors for dementia such as smoking or high blood pressure.

According to the researchers, the findings suggest that mild or moderate COVID-19 may acceler...