Collaborate Disseminate
Researchers have identified how Lactobacillus, a member of our guts’ microbiome community, affects a critical immune system protein, influencing stress levels and mental health. The findings could lead to new ways to prevent and treat depression and an… Continue reading Study uncovers how specific gut bacteria may improve mental health
A team of scientists led by University of Virginia professor Patrick Hopkins is developing a plasma “freeze ray” that will be less interesting to super villains than to engineers looking for ways to cool electronics in the vacuum of space.Continue Read… Continue reading Plasma pulses promise real-life ‘freeze ray’
Traditionally, doctors have linked fat around the waist to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. New research says that our waist size is only part of the equation though, and that some of the same genes that make us store belly fat may also protect us… Continue reading Belly fat could protect – rather than cause – diabetes in some, says study
Many of us are resigned to the fact that we’ll naturally lose some of our hearing as we age, but there may be a way to slow that down. Scientists at the University of Virginia (UVA) have identified a mechanism that lets hair cells repair themselves, wh… Continue reading Hair cell repair protein could lead to new hearing loss treatments
As with many autoimmune diseases, chronic inflammation is linked to the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), a condition that attacks the sheaths around nerves and can lead to muscle weakness and spasms, difficulty walking or moving, stiffness, pain… Continue reading Reprogramming mouse microbiomes leads to recovery from MS
When endangered sea turtles lay and bury eggs in a nest on a beach, that beach is often closed to the public until those eggs hatch. A nest-monitoring sensor – which looks like an egg – has been created to help predict when such beaches can be reopened… Continue reading Egg-shaped sensor relays vital data on endangered sea turtle nests
In the event of blood loss, the human body has defense mechanisms that kick into gear to protect it from the worst outcomes, but they can only keep up the fight for so long. Scientists have pinpointed a set of neurons that regulate this process, which … Continue reading Body alarm for blood loss can be reset to stop cardiovascular collapse
In the ongoing search for new treatments for obesity and its related conditions, scientists are turning considerable attention to the role our genes might play. The hope is that drugs could one day be developed to switch key genes on or off in at-risk … Continue reading Gene discoveries present new drug targets for treating obesity
Given that they’re such naturally proficient swimmers, the physical structure of fish is increasingly being copied in the design of underwater robots. Scientists have now discovered that by adjusting the stiffness of their tails, those bots can swim mu… Continue reading Robotic tuna uses variable-stiffness tail for more efficient swimming
Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered a population of natural barometers that monitor and maintain our blood pressure. The cellular sensors have long been presumed to be located in a certain type of cell in the ki… Continue reading Blood pressure “barometer” cells discovered in the kidney