Researchers Have Uncovered New Functions of the “Ancient Brain”
A multiregional hindbrain circuit enables animals to regain their pathing after deviating from it. A zebrafish heads toward its target, but strong currents push it…
Howard Hughes Medical Institute News
Fountain of Youth: Cutting Calories and Eating at the Right Time of Day Leads to a Longer Life
Many of us wish for a fountain of youth, filled with magical water that could restore our youth and vitality. It is so simple and…
Structure of “Gliding Bird” Plant Defense Protein Could Lead to Better Crops
Biologist Xinnian Dong says her “best Christmas gift ever” arrived in the form of a phone call. The call was from her longtime friend and…
After More Than 20 Years, Scientists Have Finally Solved the Full-Length Structure of a Janus Kinase
The breakthrough came on molecular biologist Christopher Garcia’s birthday. For more than 20 years, his team and others around the world had been chasing an…
Bizarre Bacterial Superpower: How Some Gut Microbes Awaken Zombie Viruses in Their Neighbors
Gut bacteria brew all sorts of chemicals, but we don’t know what most of them do. A new study suggests that one such compound, previously…
Nasal Spray Coronavirus Vaccine Booster Keeps COVID-19 at Bay
In mice, a vaccination strategy that uses an mRNA coronavirus vaccine injection followed by a nasal spray booster generates immune protection in the airways. A…
Lemon Frost Leopard Gecko Skin Tumors Traced to Cancer Gene
The leopard gecko’s name was Mr. Frosty, and he was hard to miss. Yellow bands striped his back, and uncommonly white skin peeked out from…
A Molecule That Shouldn’t Exist – “The Biggest Scientific Shock of My Life”
Some RNA Molecules Have Unexpected Sugar Coating Sugars attach to certain RNA molecules on the outside membrane of the cell. The newly discovered “glycoRNAs” may…
First Major Discoveries Reported From Project to Read Complete Genetic Sequences of All 70,000 Vertebrate Species
A bold project to read the complete genetic sequences of every known vertebrate species reaches its first milestone by publishing new methods and the first…
Discovery of How Teeth Sense Cold Explains Age-Old Home Remedy for Toothaches
For people with tooth decay, drinking a cold beverage can be agony. “It’s a unique kind of pain,” says David Clapham, vice president and chief scientific…
COVID-19 Virus Needs Cholesterol to Invade Cells – What This Means for People Taking Statins
People taking cholesterol-lowering drugs may fare better than others if they catch the novel coronavirus. A new study hints at why: the virus relies on…
Real Time Spying on the Symphony of Cellular Signals That Drive Biology
A new imaging technology lets scientists spy on the flurry of messages passed within cells as they do . . . potentially everything. Until now,…
World’s Deadliest Animal: Mosquitoes’ Taste for Blood Traced to Four Types of Neurons
It’s one of the world’s deadliest animals, and it has a taste for human blood: the mosquito. Mosquitoes spread diseases like malaria, dengue, and yellow…
Tomato’s Hidden DNA Mutations Revealed in Genetic Study of 100 Varieties
Human appetites have transformed the tomato — DNA and all. After centuries of breeding, what was once a South American berry roughly the size of…
Alpha Blockers to Ease Severe COVID-19 Symptoms by Preventing ‘Cytokine Storm’
For some COVID-19 patients, the body’s immune response may be as destructive as the virus that causes the disease. The persistent high fevers, severe respiratory…
Clues to COVID-19 Treatment From DNA of Patients With Severe Forms of Coronavirus Disease
A new international project aims to enroll 500 COVID-19 patients to search for genetic mutations that make some people more vulnerable to severe infection. Howard…
Helping Save Pumas From Inbreeding With Whole Genome Sequencing
The first complete genetic sequences of individual mountain lions point the way to better conservation strategies for saving threatened populations of the wild animals. When…
Incredible Imaging Shows How Neural Circuits Form in a Developing Embryo [Video]
Cells that eventually become neurons (red, orange, and yellow spheres) migrate during embryonic development. The migrating baby neurons that build the spinal cord are color-coded…
