Colonial legacies continue to shape competitive outcomes in international football. A research team led by the University of Zurich has used about 1,500 simulations of the upcoming World Cup to show that former colonial powers benefit from access to a broader pool of talent, while formerly colonized nations face lower chances of success.
Inside every human cell, a tiny structure called a lysosome acts like a recycling center, breaking down toxic waste, clearing damaged proteins and helping keep the cell functioning properly. When that recycling center stops working because the lysosome loses the acidic conditions it needs to function, the consequences ripple outward. Waste builds up, proteins accumulate and eventually the cell's internal systems begin to break down. This type of dysfunction is commonly associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's.
New findings, published in Nature, help answer the riddle of how vertebrates evolved the diverse array of brain cells that distinguishes them from other animals. It appears that a dramatic expansion of the genetic toolkit more than 450 million years ago enabled the emergence of different kinds of brain cells. These cellular innovations are shared across vertebrates—from primitive fish to mammals—and form the basis of the sophisticated brains seen today.
RNA therapeutics have emerged as one of the most promising new classes of medicines. Eight small interfering RNA (siRNA) drugs have already been approved worldwide for the treatment of genetic diseases, yet scientists have not fully understood one of the most fundamental steps underlying their function: how Argonaute, the core protein responsible for gene silencing, becomes activated.
The Southern Patagonian Icefield is the largest expanse of ice in the Southern Hemisphere outside Antarctica. The mass of glacial ice extends hundreds of kilometers along the spine of the Andes, feeding dozens of dynamic outlet glaciers that grind their way down from higher elevations. Many of these rivers of ice terminate in the sea or in proglacial lakes.
The number of icebergs in the Arctic has increased sharply since the 2000s. This is due to the destabilization of large glaciers in northeast Greenland and parts of the Russian Arctic, as well as the increasing mobility of sea ice. The result: Stones rain down from the melting icebergs, forming new hard-substrate habitats for marine life on the soft seafloor.
Whale falls form when whale carcasses sink to the seafloor, creating localized concentrations of biodiversity in the deep ocean. Besides playing a role in long-term carbon sequestration, whale falls help scientists understand the evolution and dispersal of deep-sea life, as well as provide an unprecedented fossil record of whales and deep-sea ecosystems.
The deep sea is a unique "evolutionary engine," with one of the richest and most unexplored sources of genetic diversity on Earth, according to a major new study that assessed its potential to transform biotechnology and DNA sequencing technologies.
All cells in animals, plants, fungi, and protists share a fundamental characteristic: they are eukaryotic cells—complex cells with specialized internal compartments. The cells that make up our bodies are no exception.
A new study from the Tufts University Center for Cellular Agriculture (TUCCA), recently published in Food Quality & Preference, explores how terminology influences consumer perceptions of cultivated meat products in the United States and Germany.
