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Genetics

This shows the outline of a teen, a clock and a brain.

·February 18, 2025·5 min read

How the Body’s Clock Influences Eating and Weight Gain in Teens

A new study reveals that the body’s internal clock plays a key role in eating behavior, influencing when and how much adolescents eat. Researchers found that teens with overweight or obesity consumed significantly more calories later in the day compared to those with a healthy weight. By isolating circadian influences from environmental and behavioral factors, they confirmed that food intake peaks in the late afternoon and evening regardless of sleep duration or external time cues.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·February 18, 2025·4 min read

Prenatal Stress Hormones Alter Brain Development

Environmental factors like stress and medication exposure during pregnancy can shape brain development, but the mechanisms remain unclear. Researchers used brain organoids to study the effects of synthetic glucocorticoids, commonly given to prevent complications in premature births.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·February 18, 2025·5 min read

Nanoparticles Deliver mRNA to the Brain, Bypassing Blood-Brain Barrier

Scientists have developed a lipid nanoparticle system that enables mRNA to cross the blood-brain barrier, a long-standing challenge in neuroscience. In studies using mice and human brain tissue, these nanoparticles successfully delivered therapeutic mRNA, opening doors for potential treatments for neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, ALS, and brain cancer.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·February 8, 2025·7 min read

Mitochondria’s Role in Social Memory May Offer Clues to Brain Disorder

Researchers have identified a unique mitochondrial process in CA2 neurons that supports learning, memory, and social recognition. Mitochondria in different parts of these neurons vary in structure and function, with those at the outermost synapses relying on the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) for plasticity. Deleting the MCU gene disrupted this plasticity, highlighting its crucial role in maintaining neural connectivity.

This shows an AI representation of stem cells.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·February 8, 2025·5 min read

Stem Cells in the Brain Use Childlike Signals to Trigger Regeneration

Scientists have discovered that neural stem cells (NSCs) receive constant feedback from their daughter cells, influencing whether they remain dormant or activate to form new neurons and glia. This parent-child relationship helps regulate brain regeneration and repair.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·January 31, 2025·7 min read

Genetics, Not Maternal Sickness, Drives Autism Risk

A large study analyzing over 1.1 million pregnancies found no strong evidence that maternal health conditions during pregnancy cause autism. Instead, nearly all previously reported associations between maternal diagnoses and autism could be explained by genetic or environmental factors.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·January 30, 2025·5 min read

Unhealthy Diet Linked to Faster Biological Aging in Young Adults

Diets high in processed meat, fast food, and sugary drinks accelerate biological aging, even in young adults. Researchers measured biological age using epigenetic clocks, which track gene regulation changes over time. Participants with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables showed slower aging, suggesting dietary choices influence how quickly the body ages.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·January 28, 2025·5 min read

Mouse With Two Male Parents Survives to Adulthood

Researchers have successfully engineered bi-paternal mice, born from two male parents, that survived to adulthood using embryonic stem cell techniques. By modifying 20 key imprinting genes, they overcame the developmental barriers that previously limited unisexual reproduction in mammals.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·January 22, 2025·7 min read

Maternal X Chromosome Accelerates Brain Aging

New research shows that female mice expressing only a maternal X chromosome experience faster brain aging and cognitive decline compared to those expressing both maternal and paternal X chromosomes. The maternal X accelerates aging in the hippocampus, a key region for memory and learning, and silences certain genes essential for brain health.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·January 21, 2025·5 min read

Mutations Drive Aging and Shape Epigenetic Clock

A new study has uncovered a direct link between somatic mutations and epigenetic modifications, challenging established views on aging. Researchers found that random genetic mutations drive predictable changes in DNA methylation, offering new insights into the relationship between mutation accumulation and epigenetic clocks.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·January 17, 2025·7 min read

Mapping IL-1’s Role in Mood, Memory, and Sensory Circuits

A comprehensive study mapped neuronal IL-1R1 (nIL-1R1) expression in the mouse brain, highlighting its role in sensory processing, mood, and memory regulation. Researchers found that neurons expressing IL-1R1 integrate immune and neural signals, revealing connections between inflammation and brain disorders like depression and anxiety.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·January 10, 2025·3 min read

How Fiber Fuels Anti-Cancer Gene Activity

Fiber digestion produces short-chain fatty acids like propionate and butyrate, which directly alter gene expression with anti-cancer effects, according to new research. The study found that these fatty acids influence genes involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis, key processes that control tumor growth. Researchers demonstrated these epigenetic changes in human cells and mouse models, highlighting fiber's systemic impact on health.