363 articles from THURSDAY 9.7.2020

A 'regime shift' is happening in the Arctic Ocean, scientists say

Scientists at Stanford University have discovered a surprising shift in the Arctic Ocean. Exploding blooms of phytoplankton, the tiny algae at the base of a food web topped by whales and polar bears, have drastically altered the Arctic's ability to transform atmospheric carbon into living matter. Over the past decade, the surge has replaced sea ice loss as the biggest driver of changes in uptake...

Safer CRISPR gene editing with fewer off-target hits

The CRISPR system is a powerful tool for the targeted editing of genomes, with significant therapeutic potential, but runs the risk of inappropriately editing "off-target" sites. However, a new study publishing July 9, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Feng Gu of Wenzhou Medical University, China, and colleagues, shows that mutating the enzyme at the heart of the CRISPR gene editing...

What happens when food first touches your tongue

A new study might explain why humans register some tastes more quickly than others, potentially due to each flavor's molecular size. The research also provided explanation as to why humans register taste more quickly when food or drink moves over their tongues quickly, as compared to when they are held in their mouth steadily.

Gene yields insights into the causes of neurodegeneration

Cornell researchers including Fenghua Hu, associate professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and member of the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, are taking a closer look at the factors that cause Alzheimer's, FTLD and similar diseases. Hu's latest study, ''A role of the frontotemporal lobar degeneration risk factor TMEM106B in myelination,'' was published June 23...

A new look at deep-sea microbes

Microbes found deeper in the ocean are believed to have slow population turnover rates and low amounts of available energy. But a new examination of microbial communities found deeper in seafloor sediments and around hydrocarbon seepage sites has found they have more energy available and a higher population turnover. The deeper sediments in the seepages are most likely heavily impacted by the...

Biological functions of lymphatic vessels

The general functions of lymphatic vessels in fluid transport and immunosurveillance are well recognized. However, accumulating evidence indicates that lymphatic vessels play active and versatile roles in a tissue- and organ-specific manner during homeostasis and in multiple disease processes. This Review discusses recent advances to understand previously unidentified functions of adult mammalian...

Blood factors transfer beneficial effects of exercise on neurogenesis and cognition to the aged brain

Reversing brain aging may be possible through systemic interventions such as exercise. We found that administration of circulating blood factors in plasma from exercised aged mice transferred the effects of exercise on adult neurogenesis and cognition to sedentary aged mice. Plasma concentrations of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)–specific phospholipase D1 (Gpld1), a GPI-degrading enzyme...

Changes in phytoplankton concentration now drive increased Arctic Ocean primary production

Historically, sea ice loss in the Arctic Ocean has promoted increased phytoplankton primary production because of the greater open water area and a longer growing season. However, debate remains about whether primary production will continue to rise should sea ice decline further. Using an ocean color algorithm parameterized for the Arctic Ocean, we show that primary production increased by 57%...