Last year, the Dawn spacecraft spied organic material near Ernutet crater on the dwarf planet Ceres, largest denizen of the asteroid belt. A new analysis suggests those organics could be more plentiful than originally thought. Credit: NASA / Hannah Kaplan

New technique could find some of the youngest planets in our galaxy. Two independent teams of astronomers have uncovered convincing evidence that three young planets are in orbit around an infant star known as HD 163296. Using a new planet-finding strategy, the astronomers identified 3 discrete disturbances in a young star’s gas-filled disk: the strongest evidence yet that newly formed planets are in orbit there.

Over the past several years, ALMA has transformed our understanding of protoplanetary disks – the gas- and dust-filled planet f...

Chemical structure of small molecule PM-43I. Credit: Courtesy of D. Corry

Small molecule PM-43I prevented and reversed preexisting allergic airway disease in mice and cleared through the kidneys with no long-term toxicity. Asthma is one of the most common and difficult to endure chronic conditions. About 30 million Americans experience asthma attacks and 3 million have a severe, therapy-resistant form of the disease. In some cases, the condition can be fatal.

“Despite the prevalence of asthma around the world, therapy for this condition has not significantly changed, with a few exceptions, in the last 70 to 80 years,” said Dr. David Corry, professor of medicine-immunology, allergy and rheumatology at Baylor College of Medicine...

Image: super resolution image of α-synuclein in mitochondria of neuron (left) and single molecule TIRF image of individual α-synuclein aggregates (right). Credit: Mathew Horrocks

Detailed brain cell analysis has helped researchers uncover new mechanisms thought to underlie Parkinson’s disease. The study adds to our growing understanding of the causes of Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, and could influence drug design in the future.

For years, scientists have known that Parkinson’s disease is associated with a build-up of alpha-synuclein protein inside brain cells. But how these protein clumps cause neurons to die was a mystery...

The regenerative bandage promotes cell spreading and proliferation. The green spots are live cells entrapped in the hydrogel and stained with Calcein-AM. Credit: Ameer Research Lab, Northwestern University

Shape-conforming hydrogel leverages the body’s own healing mechanisms rather than releasing drugs or biologics. Researchers have developed a new device, called a regenerative bandage, that quickly heals painful, hard-to-treat sores without using drugs. During head-to-head tests, the new bandage healed diabetic wounds 33% faster than one of the most popular bandages currently on the market.

“The novelty is that we identified a segment of a protein in skin that is important to wound healing, made the segment and incorporated it into an antioxidant molecule that self-aggregates at body temp...