Bio and Medicine

Scientists at Caltech and Princeton University have discovered that bacterial cells growing in a solution of polymers, such as mucus, form long cables that buckle and twist on each other, building a kind of “living Jell-O.”

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, primarily characterized by motor dysfunction. Its pathological hallmark is the abnormal aggregation of α-synuclein (α-syn) into insoluble fibrils and Lewy bodies, leading to the degeneration and death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain.

A new twist on a decades-old anticancer strategy has shown powerful effects against multiple cancer types in a preclinical study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The experimental approach, which uses tiny capsules called small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), could offer an innovative new type of immunotherapy treatment and is poised to move toward more advanced development and testing.

Scientists have revealed the secret to the structural integrity of tiny particles that transport cargo from cell to cell through blood vessels and bodily fluids: special proteins that keep their membranes intact as they negotiate shifting electrical impulses in different biological environments.

Scientists have built an artificial motor capable of mimicking the natural mechanisms that power life. Just like the proteins in our muscles, which convert chemical energy into power to allow us to perform daily tasks, these tiny rotary motors use chemical energy to generate force, store energy, and perform tasks in a similar way.