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Category: biotech/medical – Page 136

Golden lancehead genome reveals how genes responsible for venom toxins evolved

A research team led by scientists at the Butantan Institute in São Paulo, Brazil, has completed the most extensive genetic sequencing of a jararaca viper to date. The focus of the study was the genome of the golden lancehead (Bothrops insularis), particularly its venom genes. Since the species shares most of its genes with the other 48 species in the genus, the data serve as a reference for broader studies on the evolution of jararaca vipers and their toxins. The study is published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution.

The golden lancehead was described in 1921 as a different species from the one known on the mainland, simply called jararaca (Bothrops jararaca). Isolated on Queimada Grande Island, off the coast of São Paulo, about 100,000 years ago, the population differed from its mainland counterparts to the point of separating into a new species.

In addition to having yellow skin, the golden lancehead is semi-arboreal and feeds on birds as an adult. Jararacas on the mainland, on the other hand, are dark in color and usually hunt small mammals, such as rats, on the ground. In 2021, B. jararaca became the first Brazilian snake to have its genome sequenced.

Neuronal VIP shapes intestinal stem cell activity and mucosal immunity

Intestinal homeostasis and regeneration rely on intestinal stem cells (ISCs). Li et al. identified neuronal vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) as a brake on ISCs through VIPR1 to limit regeneration. In Nature Immunology, Jakob et al. and Pirzgalska et al. further showed that VIP-VIPR1 signaling restrains secretory lineage expansion and balances immune responses.

Dolphin mass strandings in Patagonia linked to killer whales

In 2021 and 2023, hundreds of dolphins were stranded in shallow waters in San Antonio Bay in northern Patagonia. Some died, but many were returned safely to the sea. But what remained a mystery until now was how they ended up stuck on sandbanks in the first place. Now, a new study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science suggests that orcas may be to blame.

Mass strandings of common dolphins are rare and poorly understood in the southwestern Atlantic. Explanations for why they occur in other parts of the world include everything from disease and disorientation to human activities and being trapped by tides.

To discover what happened at San Antonio Bay, researchers from Argentina conducted necropsies (animal autopsies) on 38 dolphins from the 2021 event and gathered evidence from local community members. This included video footage from drones and tourist vessels uploaded to the eWHALE science platform, as well as interviews with fishermen and residents.

Open 3D Human Organ Atlas lets users explore anatomy in unprecedented detail

An international team of scientists and clinicians has announced the launch of a new open-access 3D portal that allows users to explore intact human organs in unprecedented detail—from the whole organ down to individual cells locally. The Human Organ Atlas, created using a powerful synchrotron imaging method, brings together some of the most detailed 3D images of human organs ever produced. It enables scientists, doctors, educators, students and the wider public to interactively “fly through” organs such as the brain, heart, lungs, kidney and liver, providing a new way of understanding human anatomy and human diseases.

Building on an initial release, the Human Organ Atlas (HOA) is now available in a greatly expanded form and can be accessed directly through a standard web browser, without specialized software. The technology is published in the journal Science Advances.

The Atlas is powered by an advanced imaging method called Hierarchical Phase-Contrast Tomography (HiP-CT), developed at the European Synchrotron (ESRF) in Grenoble, France, by an international team led by University College London (UCL), UK. HiP-CT uses the ESRF’s Extremely Brilliant Source—a new generation of synchrotron source—which is up to 100 billion times brighter than conventional hospital CT scanners.

Artificial kinetochores take the pressure off aging chromosomes during meiosis

For sexual reproduction to yield healthy offspring, newly generated oocytes—immature egg cells—must receive the correct amount of DNA after cell division. This process of segregating chromosomes becomes more prone to failure as we age. Now, RIKEN researchers have identified a strategy that could help to prevent such errors and restore healthy production of oocytes.

Oocytes are produced by a cell-division process known as meiosis, during which every chromosome is duplicated. These replicates form X-shaped structures in which the chromosomes are joined via structures called centromeres, where a protein called cohesin locks chromosome copies together.

As division proceeds, protein fibers called microtubules spread from opposite poles of the dividing cell, attaching to each chromosome. These microtubules eventually pull the two apart, so that each newly formed cell receives one copy of each chromosome.

Fiber setup compresses mid-infrared pulses to 187 femtoseconds using just 80 watts

Ultrashort mid-infrared (mid-IR) laser pulses are essential for applications such as molecular spectroscopy, nonlinear microscopy, and biomedical imaging, but their generation often relies on complex and power-intensive systems that are difficult to implement outside of specialized laboratories. These systems usually require high pump powers, elaborate optical setups, and precise alignment, which can limit their widespread adoption and practical use in everyday research and clinical settings.

In a paper published in the IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, a team of researchers from SASTRA Deemed University, Thanjavur, report a compact, fiber-based method for generating clean ultrashort mid-IR pulses at significantly reduced input power.

The study demonstrates that high-quality pulse compression can be achieved using a holmium-doped ZBLAN photonic crystal fiber integrated into a nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM), offering a simpler and more energy-efficient alternative to conventional systems.

Simulations suggest a breakthrough in understanding how turbulence develops

A new study revisits a century-old question about how turbulence starts. The findings could potentially influence not only aircraft engineering but even the design of mechanical heart valves, and treatment of heart disease. The study is published in Scientific Reports.

Computer simulations at Stockholm’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology indicate that very small vortices may create increasingly larger swirls of flow—the opposite of the traditional view of how energy is transferred in turbulence.

Often seen in nature, from whirlpools to the shape of galaxies, vortices are one of the main flow structures that drive turbulence. The dominant idea over the last 100 years is that large swirling motions in a fluid break apart into smaller and smaller swirls, passing energy down the chain until it finally disappears—a process known as the forward cascade.

Breakthrough to Strengthen Bones Could Reverse Osteoporosis

Research points to a key bone-strengthening mechanism at work in the body, which could be targeted to treat the bone-weakening disease, osteoporosis.

Led by scientists from the University of Leipzig in Germany and Shandong University in China, the 2025 study identified the cell receptor GPR133 (also known as ADGRD1) as being crucial to bone density, via bone-building cells called osteoblasts.

Variations in the GPR133 gene had previously been linked to bone density, leading researchers to turn their attention to the protein it encoded.

Clinical Reasoning: A 49-Year-Old Man With Meningoencephalitis and Persistent Altered Mental Status

Cannabis use is common among those with mental health conditions, and many people report using cannabis to manage mental health symptoms.

It is important for clinicians to understand the lack of clear benefits of cannabis for mental health conditions and the potential for substantial adverse effects.

📌 This Review summarizes the current evidence on the effects of cannabis on commonly encountered mental health conditions and provides clinicians with basic information about cannabis pharmacology and biology.

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