Mice News

April 26, 2024

Top Headlines

Brainless Memory Makes the Spinal Cord Smarter Than Previously Thought

Apr. 11, 2024 — Researchers have discovered the neural circuitry in the spinal cord that allows brain-independent motor learning. The study found two critical groups of spinal cord neurons, one necessary for new adaptive learning, and another for recalling ...

Food in Sight? The Liver Is Ready!

Apr. 25, 2024 — What happens in the body when we are hungry and see and smell food? A team of researchers has now been able to show in mice that adaptations in the liver mitochondria take place after only a few minutes. Stimulated by the activation of a group of ...

After Spinal Cord Injury, Neurons Wreak Havoc on Metabolism

Apr. 24, 2024 — Conditions such as diabetes, heart attack and vascular diseases commonly diagnosed in people with spinal cord injuries can be traced to abnormal post-injury neuronal activity that causes abdominal fat tissue compounds to leak and pool in the liver ...

With Hybrid Brains, These Mice Smell Like a Rat

Apr. 25, 2024 — Mice lacking an olfactory system have had their sense of smell restored with neurons from rats, the first time scientists have successfully integrated the sensory apparatus of one species into ...

Latest Headlines

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How Immune Cells Communicate to Fight Viruses

Apr. 25, 2024 — Chemokines are signalling proteins that orchestrate the interaction of immune cells against pathogens and tumors. To understand this complex network, various techniques have been developed to ...

Breakthrough Rice Bran Nanoparticles Show Promise as Affordable and Targeted Anticancer Agent

Apr. 22, 2024 — Plant-derived nanoparticles have demonstrated significant anticancer effects. Researchers recently developed rice bran-derived nanoparticles (rbNPs) ...

Metabolic Health Before Vaccination Determines Effectiveness of Anti-Flu Response

Apr. 18, 2024 — The annual influenza vaccine has become less effective on average over time. One reason may be reduced vaccine efficacy in people with obesity than ...

When Thoughts Flow in One Direction

Apr. 18, 2024 — Contrary to previous assumptions, nerve cells in the human neocortex are wired differently than in mice. The study found that human neurons communicate in one direction, while in mice, signals tend ...

Study Finds Iron-Rich Enamel Protects, but Doesn't Color, Rodents' Orange-Brown Incisors

Apr. 17, 2024 — Chattering squirrels, charming coypus, and tail-slapping beavers -- along with some other rodents -- have orange-brown front teeth. Researchers have ...

Research Explores How a Father's Diet Could Shape the Health of His Offspring

Apr. 17, 2024 — A mice study suggests a father's diet may shape the anxiety of his sons and the metabolic health of his daughters before they are even ...

Carbon Beads Help Restore Healthy Gut Microbiome and Reduce Liver Disease Progression

Apr. 15, 2024 — Innovative carbon beads reduce bad bacteria and inflammation in animal models, which are linked to liver cirrhosis and other serious health ...

Connecting the Dots to Shape Growth Forces

Mar. 28, 2024 — Branching patterns are prevalent in our natural environment and the human body, such as in the lungs and kidneys. For example, specific genes that express growth factor proteins are known to ...

Cell's 'Garbage Disposal' May Have Another Role: Helping Neurons Near Skin Sense the Environment

Apr. 12, 2024 — The typical job of the proteasome, the garbage disposal of the cell, is to grind down proteins into smaller bits and recycle some of those bits and ...

Geobiology: New Placozoan Habitat Discovered

Apr. 11, 2024 — Traces of DNA in the stomachs of predatory snails give a team og geobiologists new insights into the ecology of ...

Scientists Grow 'Mini Kidneys,' Revealing New Insights Into Metabolic Defects and Potential Therapy for Polycystic Kidney Disease

Apr. 8, 2024 — Scientists have successfully grown 'mini kidneys' in the lab and grafted them into live mice, revealing new insights into the metabolic defects and a potential therapy for polycystic kidney ...

Prairie Voles Display Signs of Human-Like Depression

Apr. 4, 2024 — Researchers make the case that prairie voles, small rodents that are found throughout the central United States and Canada, can be effectively used as animal models to further the study of clinical ...

New Antibiotic Class Effective Against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria

Apr. 1, 2024 — Scientists have discovered a new class of antibiotics with potent activity against multi-drug resistant bacteria, and have shown that it cures bloodstream infections in mice. Two publicly-funded ...

How the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Enters Our Cells

Mar. 28, 2024 — Researchers have identified how the tick-borne Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus enters our cells. The results are an important step in the development of drugs against the deadly ...

New Imaging Method Illuminates Oxygen's Journey in the Brain

Mar. 28, 2024 — A new bioluminescence imaging technique has created highly detailed, and visually striking, images of the movement of oxygen in the brains of mice. The method, which can be easily replicated by other ...

Synaptic Protein Change During Development Offers Clues on Evolution and Disease

Mar. 28, 2024 — An analysis of how synaptic proteins change during early development reveals differences between mice and marmosets but also what's different in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The ...

Old Immune Systems Revitalized in Mouse Study, Improving Vaccine Response

Mar. 27, 2024 — Those with aging immune systems struggle to fight off novel viruses and respond weakly to vaccination. Researchers were able to revitalize the immune system in ...

Research Finds a Direct Communication Path Between the Lungs and the Brain

Mar. 21, 2024 — New research finds a direct communication path between the lungs and the brain which may change the way we treat respiratory infections and chronic conditions. The lungs are using the same sensors ...

Fiber, Genes and the Gut Microbiome: Study Reveals Possible Triggers for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Mar. 20, 2024 — A new study finds a complex interplay between diet, genes, and the gut microbiota that could explain why IBD ...

Craving Snacks After a Meal? It Might Be Food-Seeking Neurons, Not an Overactive Appetite

Mar. 20, 2024 — Psychologists have discovered a circuit in the brain of mice that makes them crave food and seek it out, even when they are not hungry. When stimulated, this cluster of cells propels mice to forage ...

Keto Diet Prevents Early Memory Decline in Mice

Mar. 20, 2024 — A new study shows the keto diet prevents early memory decline in mice. A molecule in the diet plays a key role in slowing Alzheimer's ...

Empty 'Backpacks' Activate the Immune System Against Cancer

Mar. 19, 2024 — Researchers have discovered that the mere act of attaching their microparticle 'backpacks' to neutrophils is enough to activate them against cancer -- no drugs needed. In experiments, ...

A Protein Found in Human Sweat May Protect Against Lyme Disease

Mar. 19, 2024 — Human sweat contains a protein that may protect against Lyme disease. About one-third of the population carries a genetic variant of this protein that is associated with Lyme disease in genome-wide ...

Newborn Piglets Serve as a Model for Studying Influenza

Mar. 18, 2024 — Although prevention and treatment strategies are available for influenza, they are not sufficient for vulnerable populations such as young children and newborns. A team of researchers has studied ...

Gut Bacteria Make Neurotransmitters to Shape the Newborn Immune System

Mar. 15, 2024 — Investigators discovered that unique bacteria colonize the gut shortly after birth and make the neurotransmitter serotonin to educate gut immune cells. This prevents allergic reactions to food and ...

DNA Origami-Based Vaccines Toward Safe and Highly-Effective Precision Cancer Immunotherapy

Mar. 15, 2024 — Researchers have created a DNA origami platform called DoriVac, whose core component is a self-assembling square block-shaped nanostructure. DoriVac vaccines enabled tumor-bearing mice to better ...

Tryptophan in Diet, Gut Bacteria Protect Against E. Coli Infection

Mar. 13, 2024 — Gut bacteria and a diet rich in the amino acid tryptophan can play a protective role against pathogenic E. coli, which can cause severe stomach upset, cramps, fever, intestinal bleeding and renal ...

Study Shows Important Role Gut Microbes Play in Airway Health in Persons With Cystic Fibrosis

Mar. 13, 2024 — Findings from a new study reflect the important role that the gut microbiome (communities of bacteria) plays in the airway health of persons with cystic ...

Scientists Find Weak Points on Epstein-Barr Virus

Mar. 12, 2024 — Studies of interactions between two lab-generated monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and an essential Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) protein have uncovered targets that could be exploited in designing treatments ...

Maternal Obesity May Promote Liver Cancer

Mar. 12, 2024 — Obesity, which could reach 50% of the population in certain developed countries by 2030, is a major public health concern. It not only affects the health of those who suffer from it, but could also ...