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Max Stammnitz
Tasmanian Devils Face Threats from Rapidly Evolving Facial Cancers 
A genetic study tracked the evolution of two transmissible cancers currently ravaging populations of Tasmanian devils.
Tasmanian Devils Face Threats from Rapidly Evolving Facial Cancers 
Tasmanian Devils Face Threats from Rapidly Evolving Facial Cancers 

A genetic study tracked the evolution of two transmissible cancers currently ravaging populations of Tasmanian devils.

A genetic study tracked the evolution of two transmissible cancers currently ravaging populations of Tasmanian devils.

medicine

Glowing red DNA on bluish background
Redesigning Medicine Using Synthetic Biology
Alison Halliday, PhD, Technology Networks | Jun 21, 2023 | 5 min read
Drawing inspiration from nature, synthetic biology offers exciting opportunities to transform the future of medicine.
fMRI scan of two brains
New Brain Network Connecting Mind and Body Discovered
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Apr 19, 2023 | 4 min read
A new brain network responsible for complex movements may upend what we know about neural maps in primary motor areas
Green and brown illustration of cancer cells in front of a peach and yellow background.
Bacterial Tractor Beams Bring Radiation to Tumors
Rachael Moeller Gorman | Apr 17, 2023 | 3 min read
Colonizing tumors with engineered bacteria may allow researchers to target sites currently inaccessible to radionuclide therapy.
Bear paw dusted in snow
Hibernating Bears Provide Clue to Preventing Serious Clots in Humans
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Apr 13, 2023 | 3 min read
Low levels of the clotting factor HSP47 protect the sleeping giants from blood clots, and the same may be possible for humans and other mammals.
Histological stain of in blue, red, and green of tumor
Self-Charging Battery Battles Tumors in Mice
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Apr 4, 2023 | 3 min read
A battery that charges itself in salty fluids starves tumors of oxygen, helping improve some drugs treat cancer, a study finds.
Education anatomy and Histological sample Striated (Skeletal) muscle of mammal Tissue under the microscope.
Mechanical Implant Stirs Wasting Muscle Back into Action
Holly Barker, PhD | Apr 3, 2023 | 3 min read
An implantable device stimulates muscle contraction and prevents muscular atrophy in mice.
Illustration showing an experimental device called MAGENTA and how it works
Infographic: Tissue Implant Gets Muscles Moving, Prevents Atrophy
Holly Barker, PhD | Apr 3, 2023 | 1 min read
The experimental device, known as MAGENTA, forces muscles to contract, simulating natural movement. 
electron micrograph of grey cancer cell, with two red T cells stuck to the side
Translation of “Jumping Genes” Creates Cancer Therapy Targets
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Mar 29, 2023 | 4 min read
Researchers find many tumor-specific antigens form when cancer genes and transposable elements link up.
T regulatory cell in red sandwiching an antigen presenting cell in blue
Gut Bacteria Help T Cells Heal Muscle: Study
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Mar 14, 2023 | 4 min read
Regulatory T cells in the colon travel to muscles to promote wound healing in mice, raising questions about how antibiotics may impact injury recovery.
neuron surrounded by immune cells
Meningitis Bacteria Trigger Headaches, Then Sneak Into the Brain
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Mar 6, 2023 | 3 min read
Researchers find that bacteria stimulate a headache-causing pain pathway to suppress the immune system and infect the brain. 
White mouse at the edge of a desk
The Heart Can Directly Influence Our Emotions
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Mar 1, 2023 | 4 min read
Researchers find that an increased heart rate can induce anxiety in mice, given the right context.
Illustration of woman looking at floating cells through a telescope
Opinion: New Diabetes Drug Signals Shift to Preventing Autoimmunity
Jane Buckner, MD and Carla Greenbaum, MD | Mar 1, 2023 | 4 min read
A therapy for type 1 diabetes is the first to treat patients before symptoms appear, paving the way toward preventing this and other autoimmune diseases.
In urban bathhouses in Germany and the surrounding low countries, bathhouse proprietors, known as baders, provided visitors with basic medical care. To draw blood, baders would scratch the skin before placing a heated cupping glass over the incision to extract blood and purge the body. Other tools associated with baders, including dental forceps and an amputation saw, hint at further services they provided.
Bathing Through the Ages: 1300–1848
Clare Watson | Mar 1, 2023 | 2 min read
Public bathing, ubiquitous around the world and through the ages, plays an often-unappreciated role in public health.
Dead shark on concrete
Researchers Make Alternatives to Shark-Sourced Vaccine Ingredient
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Feb 22, 2023 | 3 min read
Synthetic variations of squalene, which is used to boost immune responses, could make vaccines more effective while reducing fisheries for struggling sharks.
Red T cell
Jumping Genes Put a Target on Cancerous Cells
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Feb 14, 2023 | 4 min read
Two studies find that tumor-specific antigens are often peptides that result from a splicing event between exons and transposable elements.
Fluorescence image in purple and green of lymph node
Targeting Antigen “Sanctuary” in Lymph Nodes Could Make Vaccines Better
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Feb 10, 2023 | 3 min read
Researchers find that small sacks inside lymph nodes contain low proteolytic activity and act as safe havens for antigens.
Microscopy view of cancerous human cervix cells stained violet.
Why Some HPV Infections Carry More Cervical Cancer Risk
Dan Robitzski | Feb 2, 2023 | 5 min read
Where and how human papillomavirus integrates itself into the human genome steers the infection’s clinical outcomes, finds a large, multifaceted study.
An artist’s rendering of a DNA-based virus trap, represented as gray rods in a short cone-shaped arrangement. One is coated with blue molecules, likely antibodies, that adhere to a virus target. Another image shows to traps coming together to capture a red coronavirus.
“Origami” DNA Traps Could Keep Large Viruses From Infecting Cells
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Jan 18, 2023 | 4 min read
By engineering structures out of DNA, scientists could potentially prevent larger viruses, like coronaviruses and influenza viruses, from interacting with cells.
A collection of images from prior stories, including illustrations of DNA, chromosomes, and various cells, microscopy images of cancer cells, and a photo of a mouse on a treadmill.
Our Favorite Cancer Stories of 2022
Dan Robitzski | Dec 27, 2022 | 4 min read
This year, cancer researchers uncovered a variety of ways that tumors can survive and spread, ranging from damaging their own DNA to exploiting the nearby microenvironment for nutrients.
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