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A giant panda sitting on a tree.
Stem Cells Could Save the Giant Panda
Scientists have perfected the recipe to convert giant panda skin cells into stem cells to study the animal’s biology and aid its conservation. 
Stem Cells Could Save the Giant Panda
Stem Cells Could Save the Giant Panda

Scientists have perfected the recipe to convert giant panda skin cells into stem cells to study the animal’s biology and aid its conservation. 

Scientists have perfected the recipe to convert giant panda skin cells into stem cells to study the animal’s biology and aid its conservation. 

microRNA

A photo of a newborn baby’s feet with a hospital bracelet.
Tiny Biomarkers for Small Patients with Brain Injuries
Charlene Lancaster, PhD | Jul 24, 2024 | 5 min read
Scientists identify potential microRNA-based diagnostic and predictive biomarkers of neonatal encephalopathy.
An image of cells on a black background, with some cells stained red and some others stained green. 
Deleting a MicroRNA Cluster Reversed Biological Sex in Mice 
Sneha Khedkar | Jul 10, 2024 | 4 min read
Removing microRNA that caused conversion of male mice embryos into female sheds light on key noncoding elements in sex determination.
Red DNA in a blue test tube.
DNA and RNA Biomarkers: Why Scientists Need to Use Them
Thermo Fisher Scientific | 1 min read
Nucleic acid detection techniques lead the charge for researchers seeking biomarkers in health and disease.
A woman looks shocked as a radioactive waste container leaks onto the floor in front of the exit door.
When the Floor is Radioactive
Laura Tran, PhD | Apr 1, 2024 | 2 min read
During her routine tasks in the laboratory, Mallory Havens suddenly found herself navigating a toxic terrain. 
A microRNA Family Drives the T Cell Response in Cancer
Niki Spahich, PhD | Nov 11, 2023 | 4 min read
When their in vitro and in vivo results conflicted, researchers took a deep dive into microRNAs’ influence on T cell memory formation.
Harnessing microRNAs for Cancer Therapeutics
Harnessing microRNAs for Cancer Therapeutics
The Scientist | 1 min read
Andrea Kasinski and Masako Harada will discuss the role of microRNAs in cancer, as well as the potential and challenges of using microRNAs for cancer therapeutics.
The image shows a brain section of the mouse amygdala. Using fluorescent markers, the expression of synapses is shown in purple, while neurons are shown as red dots and the microRNA miR-483-5p is shown as green dots.
A Brain MicroRNA Curbs Anxiety
Mariella Bodemeier Loayza Careaga, PhD | Aug 1, 2023 | 2 min read
Upregulation of a specific microRNA in the brain lessened anxiety and reduced the expression of stress-related genes in mice. 
Cells with miRNA activity reporter glowing
MicroRNAs Can Boost Gene Expression: Study
Holly Barker, PhD | Nov 15, 2022 | 3 min read
The tiny strings of RNA promote translation of a protein implicated in cancer, a hint they could regulate gene expression in more ways than previously thought.
Illustration from the epigenetics and the genome infographic
Infographic: How Epigenetic Marks Can Change the Genome
Katarina Zimmer | Nov 1, 2022 | 2 min read
Although epigenetic changes were long thought to largely act on the genome, rather than as part of it, research is now showing that these patterns can, directly or indirectly, change the genetic code.
Cellular DNA and epigenetics
Do Epigenetic Changes Influence Evolution?
Katarina Zimmer | Nov 1, 2022 | 10+ min read
Evidence is mounting that epigenetic marks on DNA can influence future generations in a variety of ways. But how such phenomena might affect large-scale evolutionary processes is hotly debated.
Conceptual image showing molecules making up a brain shape
The Noncoding Regulators of the Brain
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Sep 12, 2022 | 10+ min read
Noncoding RNAs are proving to be critical players in the evolution of brain anatomy and cognitive complexity.
Illustration of RNAs
Infographic: Noncoding RNA in the Brain
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Sep 12, 2022 | 4 min read
Neurologically important noncoding RNAs come in many shapes and sizes.
Ribonucleic acid strands consisting of nucleotides important for protein bio-synthesis
Katharina Höfer Probes the Machinery of Bacterial Gene Expression
Hannah Thomasy, PhD | Jun 13, 2022 | 3 min read
The molecular biologist studies how chemical modifications to RNA building blocks change the way RNA regulates complex cellular processes.
Bisrat Debeb Models How Cancer Spreads to the Brain
Catherine Offord | Apr 1, 2021 | 3 min read
From his student days in veterinary medicine in Ethiopia to running a lab on metastasis at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Debeb has a passion for understanding how living things work.
rugby, concussion, brain injury, concussion, trauma, saliva, spit, test, noninvasive, diagnostic, microRNA, small noncoding RNA, PCR, RNA
Simple Spit Test Could Diagnose Concussions
Asher Jones | Mar 24, 2021 | 2 min read
A noninvasive saliva test accurately identified concussions in a study of hundreds of rugby players.
a woman sitting on a bed with her head in her arms
Blood MicroRNA Patterns Linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Katarina Zimmer | Nov 30, 2020 | 5 min read
A finding of distinct patterns of gene-regulating RNA snippets in the blood of ME/CFS patients in response to a stress test could pave the way for a diagnostic tool for the condition and help untangle its underlying mechanisms.
Q&A: How Animals Change in Space
Jef Akst | Nov 25, 2020 | 4 min read
Weill Cornell Medicine geneticist Christopher Mason speaks with The Scientist about a bolus of new work on the physiological, cellular, and molecular effects of leaving Earth.
the knees of a woman sitting on grass outside
Adult Humans Can Regenerate Cartilage: Study
Shawna Williams | Oct 10, 2019 | 2 min read
Collagen inside ankles has more turnover than that in hips, thanks to the action of microRNAs.
small-molecule therapeutics treat cancer and other diseases
Scientists Take Aim at Disease-Causing RNAs Using Small-Molecule Drugs
Claire Asher | Apr 1, 2019 | 9 min read
Renewed interest from the biotech industry sparks hope for drugging the nucleic acid to treat cancer and other conditions.
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