4+ day, 23+ hour ago   (580+ words) As an embryo develops from a small cluster of stem cells, those once “blank slate” cells begin to take on more specialized roles like brain, liver, or muscle cells, and organize themselves into three-dimensional structures such as tissues and organs....

1+ week, 4+ day ago   (515+ words) But how can one chemical messenger perform so many functions? Scientists have long suspected that a different set of neurons using the same neuromodulator may be specialized to a specific process, but they lacked the tools to study them separately....

2+ week, 5+ day ago   (449+ words) Scientists can engineer living cells to perform useful tasks, from producing medicines and sustainable chemicals to detecting disease. Unlike traditional engineered systems, living cells are constantly changing as they grow, making their behavior difficult to predict and control. Dr. Chelsea…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago   (436+ words) The researchers grew human neurons in three-dimensional scaffolds that mimic some of the structure of brain tissue. This allowed them to study infection in a setting that more closely resembles the human brain than traditional cell cultures grown on flat…...

3+ week, 2+ day ago   (776+ words) Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that, according to the CDC, currently impacts around 35,000 Americans-with 5,000 more diagnosed each year. Risk climbs with age, and treatments only slow progression. With no cure and an aging population, scientists are urgently…...