Cells

Scientists investigating regenerative treatments for hearing loss have made an important advance, demonstrating how a single protein can determine whether embryonic hair cells mature into adult hair cells, or follow a different path entirely.

Gold has shown promise in fighting cancer in many studies, and now researchers have found a way to grow gold nanoparticles inside cancer cells within 30 minutes. From there, the gold can help with imaging and even be heated up to kill the tumors.

The brain may be a new drug target for longer term control of diabetes. Two new studies on rodents have investigated how a certain peptide works to induce remission for animals with diabetes, which could lead to new breakthroughs in human treatments.

Liver cells are quick to regenerate, and now researchers have discovered just how persistent those cells can be. In tests in pigs with severe liver damage, functional new backup livers were found to grow in the animals’ lymph nodes.

Goosebumps are a weird quirk of our bodies that science doesn’t fully understand. Now, researchers at Harvard have uncovered a biological reason for the reaction: it’s our bodies’ way of stimulating stem cells to drive new hair growth.

Researchers looking for biomarkers to predict rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups have discovered a never-before-seen type of cell. Dubbed PRIME cells, they accumulate in the bloodstream seven days before a flare, but strangely disappear during the flare.

Strokes can leave lifelong lingering issues, as neurons are damaged and die. But now, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have identified a new drug that could help prevent damage even after a stroke, with tests in mice showing promise.

By triggering receptors on a fast-burning form of fat, researchers were able to give older mice less fat and more muscle, making them as healthy as much younger mice. And better yet, humans seem to have a similar pathway.

Tens of billions of cells in your body die everyday. It’s a natural process, important for keeping the body healthy. Now, in a world first, researchers have directly imaged the death of neurons in mice, and as how the body clears them out afterwards.

Immunotherapy is a promising treatment for cancer, but it still has its problems. Now researchers have identified a “jamming signal” that cancer uses to hide from the immune system, and engineered a synthetic immune cell that can fight back.

Researchers have created synthetic red blood cells that have all of the useful properties of the real thing, plus a few new tricks. These new cells could be put to work carrying oxygen or drugs through the body, sensing toxins, and other tasks.

Of all the superpowers in the animal kingdom, the squid’s ability to turn invisible is one of the coolest. And now scientists at UC Irvine have managed to recreate that in human cells for the first time, granting them tuneable transparency.