Category archives: Science

Increased density of synapses in autism spectrum disorders

Increased density of synapses in autism spectrum disorders

NeurobiologyNeuroscience

By José Ramón Alonso

At a synapse, the plasma membrane of the neuron transmitting the information (the presynaptic neuron) is in close proximity to the membrane of the target cell (postsynaptic) and the two are separated by a space known as the synaptic cleft. Both the presynaptic and postsynaptic sites contain extensive assemblies of molecular machinery that link the […]

Invasive species are threatening Antarctica’s fragile ecosystems

Invasive species are threatening Antarctica’s fragile ecosystems

BiologyEcology

By Invited Researcher

We tend to think Antarctica is isolated and far away – biologically speaking, this is true. But the continent is busier than you probably imagine, with many national programs and tourist operators crisscrossing the globe to get there. And each vessel, each cargo item, and each person could be harbouring non-native species, hitchhiking their way […]

MI weekly selection #442

MI weekly selection #442

ScienceWeekly Selection

By César Tomé

Carbon generated by sea-dwelling microbes Microbes living deep in the ocean have been found to produce amorphous carbon, according to findings detailed in Science Advances. Scientists collected and cultured microbes over a number of years, noticing the production of black specks that turned out to be pure carbon. The Scientist Black hole’s plasma jets revealed […]

A forgotten mangrove forest around remote inland lagoons in Mexico’s Yucatan tells a story of rising seas

A forgotten mangrove forest around remote inland lagoons in Mexico’s Yucatan tells a story of rising seas

BiologyEcologyGeosciencesPlant biology

By Invited Researcher

The San Pedro River winds from rainforests in Guatemala through the Yucatan Peninsula in eastern Mexico. There, this peaceful river widens into a series of slow-flowing lakes. Along a remote 50-mile (80-kilometer) stretch, thousands of red mangroves – trees commonly found along tropical coastlines – line the river’s banks and gentle waterfalls. Unlike mangroves elsewhere […]

My Ph.D. supervisor just won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for designing a safer, cheaper and faster way to build molecules and make medicine

My Ph.D. supervisor just won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for designing a safer, cheaper and faster way to build molecules and make medicine

Chemistry

By Invited Researcher

  The reason that ibuprofen treats headaches and ice cream tastes sweet is that their chemical components fit perfectly into certain receptors in your body. The better a drug or flavor molecule fits with its matching receptor, the more effective the medicine or tastier the treat. But an interesting quirk of nature is that many […]

New gene variants associated with increased COVID-19 risk

New gene variants associated with increased COVID-19 risk

BiomedicineGenetics

By Rosa García-Verdugo

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were hints at particular genes which increased some people’s susceptibility to get infected and the severity of illness once infected. Now, an international study (nearly 3500 researchers from 25 countries) on more than 45000 people infected with SARS-CoV-2, showed a link between 13 genetic variants and the […]

Mutations in the non-coding genome contribute to autism

Mutations in the non-coding genome contribute to autism

GeneticsNeurobiology

By José Ramón Alonso

A significant portion of an organism’s genome is non-coding; that is, it does not carry information to make proteins. Part of the non-coding DNA is transcribed into functional non-coding RNA molecules (e.g., transfer RNA, ribosomal RNA and regulatory RNA). Other functions of non-coding DNA include transcriptional and translational regulation of protein coding sequences, nuclear scaffold […]