energy metabolism

An endoplasmic reticulum associated protein holds mitochondria in place in dendrites. This spatial stabilization possibly provides a local energy source for synaptic plasticity. 

The simple act of chewing gum can raise the body’s metabolic rate by as much as 15 percent, a study finds.

Head and neck cancer cells lacking the peptide involved in energy production were less likely to metastasize in mice.

Sea otters are born with a supercharged metabolism that helps them stay warm in chilly waters.

A study of 19 postmenopausal women found that eating a bar of chocolate in the morning affected their bodies differently than eating it at night, but neither led to weight gain.

As dinosaurs got smaller, their metabolism increased, paving the way for bird evolution.

In long-distance, physically taxing events, the amount of energy athletes can expend appears to peak at about 2.5 times their metabolic resting rate—a maximum likely dictated by how many calories they can digest.

The finding could lead to a new way of producing “green” alternatives to fossil fuels.

The newest life-science products making waves in labs and clinics

Why do some obese people actually experience health benefits?

Research reveals how the brain changes as we age and hints at ways to slow the decline.

Microorganisms continually challenge our assumptions of what life can achieve.

Extremophiles should not be viewed through an anthropocentric lens; what’s extreme for us may be a perfectly comfortable environment for a microbe.

Meet some of the people featured in the February 2015 issue of The Scientist.

A multitasking plasma membrane protein coordinates cell division and energy metabolism in healthy—and perhaps also cancerous—Drosophila cells.

Exercise-induced muscle metabolites protect the brain from stress-induced depression in a mouse model. 

György Hajnóczky uncovers the chemical and physical strategies by which mitochondria communicate and function within a cell.