The Human Cell Atlas aims to map the location, identity, and function of every cell in the human body by 2026.
Scientists with the Human Cell Atlas have profiled 100 million cells from over 10,000 people worldwide, aiming to map the human body down to the cellular level.
DNA can be damaged by normal cellular processes as well as external factors such as UV radiation and chemicals. Such damage can lead to breaks in the DNA strand. If DNA damage is not properly repaired, mutations can occur, which may result in diseases like cancer. Cells use repair systems to fix this damage, with specialized proteins locating and binding to the damaged regions. Now, researchers from the Kind Group at the Hubrecht Institute have mapped the activity of repair proteins in individual human cells. The study demonstrates how these proteins collaborate in so-called “hubs” to repair DNA damage. These findings may lead to new cancer therapies and other treatments where DNA repair is essential.
The researchers published their findings in Nature Communications in an article titled, “Genome-wide profiling of DNA repair proteins in single cells.”
“Accurate repair of DNA damage is critical for maintenance of genomic integrity and cellular viability,” the researchers wrote. “Because damage occurs non-uniformly across the genome, single-cell resolution is required for proper interrogation, but sensitive detection has remained challenging. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of repair protein localization in single human cells using DamID and ChIC sequencing techniques.”
This age-related deterioration affects both innate and adaptive immunity, compromising immune function and leading to chronic inflammation that accelerates aging. Immunosenescence is characterized by alterations in immune cell populations and impaired functionality, resulting in increased susceptibility to infections, diminished vaccine efficacy, and higher prevalence of age-related diseases. Chronic low-grade inflammation further exacerbates these issues, contributing to a decline in overall health and resilience. This review delves into the characteristics of immunosenescence and examines the various intrinsic and extrinsic factors contributing to immune aging and how the hallmarks of aging and cell fates can play a crucial role in this process. Additionally, it discusses the impact of sex, age, social determinants, and gut microbiota health on immune aging, illustrating the complex interplay of these factors in altering immune function. Furthermore, the concept of immune resilience is explored, focusing on the metrics for assessing immune health and identifying strategies to enhance immune function. These strategies include lifestyle interventions such as diet, regular physical activity, stress management, and the use of gerotherapeutics and other approaches. Understanding and mitigating the effects of immunosenescence are crucial for developing interventions that support robust immune responses in aged individuals.
The immune system plays a crucial role in protecting our bodies from harmful pathogens. It is divided into two segments: innate immunity and adaptive immunity. The innate immune system acts as an immediate but non-specific first responder to defend against pathogens, composed of phagocytic and natural killer cells. Besides innate immune cells, another important component of the innate system includes physical barriers like skin and mucous membranes. Meanwhile, adaptive immunity is more specialized and requires time to mount a high-affinity and specific response, relying on anticipatory receptors that recognize pathogen-specific antigens. The adaptive immune response is centered around B and T lymphocytes, which are produced in the bone marrow and thymus, respectively (Farber, 2020; Lam et al., 2024). With age, the ability of our immune system to mount productive and timely responses to pathogens diminishes.
Returning to those Red Monsters, the new JWST data showed that these galaxies produce stars at about two to three times more efficiently than galaxies in the later universe.
The stellar masses of these three galaxies are so large that they require a stellar-mass conversion efficiency of about 50%, higher than the typical efficiency observed in galaxies today. For example, most galaxies at later times convert only about 20% of their available gas into stars. These findings suggest that the early universe may have had a different set of conditions that allowed for much faster and more efficient galaxy growth.
“Our research is transforming our understanding of early galaxy formation,” Mengyuan Xiao, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the UNIGE Faculty of Science, said in the statement.
Unitary collapse of Schrödinger’s cat state https://journals.aps.org/pra/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevA.110.L030202
Schrödinger’s cat, that iconic thought experiment where a cat in a box is both alive and dead until someone peeks.
The authors study a system composed of a single qubit coupled to a soft-mode quantum oscillator. They show that spontaneous unitary evolution of this system create a Schr\ odinger-cat-like state of the oscillator, which is subsequently lost in a sudden process strongly resembling the measurement-induced collapse of wave function.
Developers from Amazon, Meta, and more discuss how AI adoption is changing the industry and which skills developers will need to stay competitive.
OpenScholar, an innovative AI system by Allen Institute for AI and University of Washington, revolutionizes scientific research by processing 45 million papers instantly, offering researchers citation-backed answers and challenging proprietary AI systems.
Dr. Anirban Maitra is a Professor of Pathology and Translational Molecular Pathology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. His research focuses on the early detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Originally studying pediatric pathology, Dr. Maitra’s career trajectory changed upon attending a seminar on pancreatic cancer, which motivated him to address knowledge gaps in the disease’s biology. He wanted to explore the molecular and clinical aspects of the disease for the sake of improving patient prognosis. “This is a disease where there’s an opportunity to make a huge difference,” said Dr. Maitra.
Later, Dr. Maitra’s lab developed a pancreatic cancer liquid biopsy method, which is a non-invasive blood test that detects the presence of tumors. “There’s still a long way to go, but now we know what to look for and who to look in,” said Dr. Maitra regarding the future direction of pancreatic cancer detection.
A new durable, biodegradable plastic breaks down in seawater, offering a potential solution to microplastic pollution.
This material, based on supramolecular structures, can be tailored for different uses and is fully recyclable, enhancing its environmental benefits.
New Sustainable Plastic
Scientists at Washington State University and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have discovered a way to make ions move more than ten times faster in mixed organic ion-electronic conductors. These conductors combine the advantages of the ion signaling used by many biological systems, including the human body, with the electron signaling used by computers.
The new development, detailed in the journal Advanced Materials, speeds up ion movement in these conductors by using molecules that attract and concentrate ions into a separate nanochannel creating a type of tiny “ion superhighway.”
