Packaged DNA: New Method to Promote Bone Growth

Researchers develop new method to promote bone growth
Schematic illustration of the DNA-activated bone-ECM-mimicking surface coating. The lipid components OO4/DOPE were formulated to cationic liposomes. The cationic liposomes were assembled with DNA encoding either of the reporter gene green fluorescent protein (GFP) or the therapeutic gene BMP-2, to LPX. LPX were assembled into DNA-activated surface coatings as tool for in situ transfection using the LbL technique. Credit: Advanced Healthcare Materials (2022). DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202201978

DNA can help to stimulate bone healing in a localised and targeted manner, for example after a complicated fracture or after severe tissue loss following surgery...

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Hubble captures the start of a new Spoke Season at Saturn

Saturn and its rings fill the view. Saturn has yellow, reddish-brown, and tan stripes. Saturn's rings are tilted slightly, allowing us to see ring bands along with the wide dark band called the Cassini Division.
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has observation time devoted to Saturn each year, thanks to the Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program, and the dynamic gas giant planet always shows us something new. This latest image heralds the start of Saturn’s “spoke season” with the appearance of two smudgy spokes in the B ring, on the left in the image. The shape and shading of spokes varies – they can appear light or dark, depending on the viewing angle, and sometimes appear more like blobs than classic radial spoke shapes, as seen here. The ephemeral features don’t last long, but as the planet’s autumnal equinox approaches on May 6, 2025, more will appear. Scientists will be looking for clues to explain the cause and nature of the spokes...
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Telomeres, Mitochondria, and Inflammation oh my! Three hallmarks of Aging Work Together to Prevent Cancer

Telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes from damage. This image shows telomeres (green) and DNA (blue) during DNA repair activities.
Telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes from damage. This image shows telomeres (green) and DNA (blue) during DNA repair activities.

As we age, the end caps of our chromosomes, called telomeres, gradually shorten. Now, Salk scientists have discovered that when telomeres become very short, they communicate with mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouses. This communication triggers a complex set of signaling pathways and initiates an inflammatory response that destroys cells that could otherwise become cancerous.

The findings, published in Nature on February 8, 2023, could lead to new ways of preventing and treating cancer as well as designing better interventions to offset the harmful consequences of aging.

The discovery is the result of a collaboration between co-senior authors ...

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Solar-Powered Gel Filters enough Clean Water to meet Daily Needs

Solar-powered gel filters enough clean water to meet daily needs
Researchers Néhémie Guillomaitre and Xiaohui Xu hold a sample of the solar absorber gel, which acts like a sponge to soak up clean water and filter out contaminants. Credit: Bumper DeJesus/Princeton University

Worldwide, over two billion people lack reliable access to clean water. And one potential solution for meeting that need works a lot like a sponge, soaking up clean water while leaving contaminants behind.

Researchers at Princeton University have developed the next generation of their solar absorber gel technology, a device that could be key to unlocking clean water access for people across the globe...

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