The image represents the first proof of principle for the successful regeneration of a functional organ (the skin) inside a mammal, by a technique known as AAV-based in vivo reprogramming. Epithelial (skin) tissues were generated by converting one cell type (red: mesenchymal cells) to another (green: basal keratinocytes) within a large ulcer in a laboratory mouse model.
Credit: Salk Institute

Plastic surgery to treat large cutaneous ulcers, including those seen in people with severe burns, bedsores or chronic diseases such as diabetes, may someday be a thing of the past. Scientists at the Salk Institute have developed a technique to directly convert the cells in an open wound into new skin cells...

Apolipoprotein A-IV binds αIIbβ3 integrin and inhibits thrombosis. Nature Communications, 2018; 9 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05806-0

Apolipoprotein A-IV linked with thrombosis in new study. Foods high in unsaturated fats may protect against cardiovascular disease, and new research published today in Nature Communications has uncovered why.

Apolipoprotein A-IV, known as ApoA-IV, is a plasma protein. Levels of ApoA-IV increase after the digestion of foods, particularly foods high in unsaturated fats, such as olive oil. Higher levels of ApoA-IV in the blood have been reported to be associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease.

New research from the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science (KRCBS) of St...

A tiny neuro controller developed by researchers at the University of Connecticut could provide more precise operation of micro biorobots, such as those being tested on ‘cyborg’ cockroaches for possible use in search and rescue missions inside collapsed buildings.
Credit: Image courtesy of Abhishek Dutta/UConn

Scientists’ neuro-controller could improve performance of micro biobots. A tiny neuro-controller created by researchers at the University of Connecticut could provide more precise control of futuristic biobots, such as cyborg cockroaches that are already being tested for use in search and rescue missions inside collapsed buildings.

Scientists have spent the better part of the past decade exploring ways to tether live insects to miniaturized computer hardware so they can manipulate an ...

Saturn’s northern polar hexagon.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Hampton University

The long-lived international Cassini mission has revealed a surprising feature emerging at Saturn’s northern pole as it nears summertime: a warming, high-altitude vortex with a hexagonal shape, akin to the famous hexagon seen deeper down in Saturn’s clouds. This suggests that the lower-altitude hexagon may influence what happens up above, and that it could be a towering structure spanning hundreds of kilometres in height.

When Cassini arrived at the Saturnian system in 2004, the southern hemisphere was enjoying summertime, while the northern was in the midst of winter. The spacecraft spied a broad, warm, high-altitude vortex at Saturn’s southern pole, but none at the planet’s northern pole.

A new long-term stud...