Researchers at West Virginia University have identified a set of diagnostic metabolic biomarkers that can help them develop artificial intelligence tools to detect Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages, as well as determine risk factors and treatment interventions.

By studying how CRISPR-Cas works, scientists can predict and design where these tools modify DNA. However, these predictions often fail because there is large variation in genome structure and composition among different organisms. To address this problem, researchers used artificial intelligence and quantum chemistry to better predict the tool’s behavior.

A West Virginia University mechanical engineer has developed a way to predict the neuron and muscle patterns controlling locomotion for animals of any size, moving at any speed. 

Studying how rattlesnakes regulate their venom gives us important insight into how their genes are controlled. It also highlights the challenges in treating snakebites, according to new peer-reviewed research in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution.

“The research has broad ramifications for improving global treatment of snakebites, with potential to impact millions globally,” said Todd Castoe, lead author of the study and a professor of biology at The University of Texas at Arlington. “How new traits arise, how genomic mechanisms control turning genes on and off, and how genomic changes modify gene regulation are fundamental questions for understanding the mechanisms that control the expression of genes.”

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) has marked its global significance with annual production of approximately 186 million tons in 2020.

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project (AIP) in Japan have used a "big data" multi-omics analysis to examine changes in gene expression as cells from human fallopian tubes become cancerous. After identifying dysregulation in several biological signaling pathways, they were able to both predict an effective treatment and test it, with promising results. The study was published in the scientific journal Experimental & Molecular Medicine.

Microplastic particles can travel long distances in oceans and are known to carry with them harmful and persistent organic pollutants like benzo[α]pyrene (BaP), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. Now, scientists from Korea have studied the individual and synergistic impact of microplastic and BaP exposure on Carassius auratus, a type of goldfish found in freshwater ecosystems. Their findings reveal heightened stress responses, increased DNA damage, and liver abnormalities in goldfish, highlighting a serious consequence of environmental pollution.

On August 17, 2023, a new editorial was published in Oncoscience, entitled, “Lipiodol: from intrusion until exile from the tumor microenvironment.”

Researchers at the California Academy of Sciences described 153 new animal, plant, and fungi species in 2023, enriching our understanding of Earth’s biodiversity and strengthening our ability to regenerate the natural world.