proteins

A Common Link Between Several Neurodegenerative Diseases Might Finally Be Identified

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There’s a hallmark of incurable neurodegenerative diseases – misfolded proteins that clump together to form sticky plaques or tangles called fibrils. Now, new research has discovered that a protein normally tasked with clearing cells of molecular debris might be a common feature of a cluster of common and rare neurodegenerative diseases, including two distinct forms … Read more

Huge Study Finds Blood Proteins That Could Increase Risk of Severe COVID

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Multiple factors play a role in complex diseases like COVID, and knowing what they are is important for predicting how different people will be affected. Early on in the pandemic, being older, overweight, or smoking were identified as increasing your risk of developing severe COVID. This then informed public health decisions – the elderly were … Read more

We Just Got Closer to Finding a Link Between Alzheimer’s And Circadian Rhythms

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Long before Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed, once-trusty proteins start to knot together in the brain in a process that may be hastened by poor sleep. Now, scientists have uncovered a possible mechanism linking disruptions in circadian rhythms and the build-up of proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease, by studying the rhythmic operation of immune cells and … Read more

Study Finds Protein Structures That Could Be Responsible For The Origins of Life

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The question of how life first sparked into existence on our planet is one we haven’t yet fully answered, but science is getting closer all the time – and a new study identifies the structures of the proteins that may well have made it happen.   To begin with, the team behind the study decided … Read more

Scientists Built The World’s Tiniest Antenna, And It’s Made Out of DNA

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Scientists have built the tiniest antenna ever made – just five nanometers in length. Unlike its much larger counterparts we’re all familiar with, this minuscule thing isn’t made to transmit radio waves, but to glean the secrets of ever-changing proteins.   The nanoantenna is made from DNA, the molecules carrying genetic instructions that are around … Read more

Bacterial Builders Churn Out Lengthy Muscle Proteins

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Bacteria may soon be muscling in on new kinds of manufacturing. Researchers have developed a technique that uses the common bacterium Escherichia coli to synthetically produce a muscle protein called titin, which could someday build tough and pliable fibers. Uses could range from medical sutures to impact-resistant or biodegradable fabrics. The titin is dozens of … Read more

New ‘Anti-Aging’ Vaccine Has Increased Mouse Life Spans. Would It Work in Humans?

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An experimental vaccine successfully eliminated aging cells from the bodies of mice, helping to prolong the rodents’ lives and reverse some signs of age-related disease. The researchers say the experiment is a step on the road to a similar vaccine for humans, but could it really work?    “I think the data was extremely strong… I think … Read more