This is a model of the TP53 sensor. The Sensor is symbolized as a ‘thermometer’ that displays the TP53 status in the cell. Credit: TU Dresden, Frank Buchholz

Molecular ‘detector’ recognizes most frequent cancer-mutation in cells, TP53 gene, and initiates to kill them. The alert goes on if the TP53 gene is mutated in cells. The molecular smoke detector works like a TP53 sensor, which monitors the correct function of the gene. A non-functional TP53 gene is going to activate the sensor, which initiates cell death. Results from this study from the research team of Prof. Frank Buchholz are now published in the journal Nature Communications.

Cancer is caused by changes in the human genome...

The Cosmic Snake is the image of a distant galaxy, deflected by a strong gravitational lens. Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA, A.Cava

Asronomers have studied the image of a distant galaxy, 6 billion light-years away from us, warped and stretched by strong gravitational lensing into the shape of a cosmic snake. We have a fair understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that regulate star formation in galaxies, from the interstellar matter to the diffuse clouds distributed in space, whose gravitational contraction leads to the birth of stars within large stellar clusters. But observations of distant galaxies have questioned this picture, the size and mass of these distant stellar nurseries largely exceeding that of their local counterparts...

The Perseus galaxy cluster, located about 240 million light-years away, is shown in this composite of visible light (green and red) and near-infrared images from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Unseen here is a thin, hot, X-ray-emitting gas that fills the cluster. Credit: Robert Lupton and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Consortium

Thanks to an in-depth look into the composition of gas in the Perseus galaxy cluster, Japan’s Hitomi mission has given scientists new insights into the stellar explosions that formed its chemical elements. Before its brief mission ended unexpectedly in March 2016, Japan’s Hitomi X-ray observatory captured exceptional information about the motions of hot gas in the Perseus galaxy cluster...

Omega-6 Content of Oils & Common Foods

The higher the serum linoleic acid level, the lower the CRP, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland. Linoleic acid is the most common polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid. The findings were published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It has been speculated that a high intake of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids may increase the risk of several chronic diseases by promoting low-grade inflammation, among other things. The reasoning behind this speculation is that in the human body, linoleic acid is converted into arachidonic acid (also an omega-6 fatty acid) which, in turn, is converted into various inflammation-promoting compounds.

C-reactive protein, or CRP, levels were measured from 1,287 healthy, 42-60 year-old ...