A recent study from the USC Stem Cell lab has uncovered the surprising evolutionary origin of the mammalian outer ear, linking it to the gills of ancient fish and marine invertebrates. Led by Gage Crump, the research reveals that both structures are composed of elastic cartilage and shares gene control elements that hint at their connection. This finding sheds new light on the evolution of the mammalian ear, highlighting how structures can transform over time to serve new functions.

The way cricket frogs move across the surface of water has long been thought to resemble walking on water, but researchers in the College of Engineering have discovered a different reality.

On the Pic du Midi in the Pyrenees, ETH Zurich researchers have analysed particulate matter, clouds and rainwater for traces of arsenic. Using newly developed measurement methods, they have elucidated the transport pathways of the environmental toxin in the atmosphere.

Stroke, a leading cause of global mortality, poses significant challenges due to limited therapeutic options and devastating impact on brain health. This review delves into the role of efferocytosis, a vital cellular process responsible for clearing apoptotic cells, in both neurodevelopment and ischemic stroke recovery. By examining its molecular mechanisms and therapeutic potential, the study offers critical insights into innovative strategies aimed at mitigating ischemic brain damage and improving patient outcomes.

A recent study published on December 19, 2024, in the ExRNA journal highlights research from the Novosibirsk Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, in collaboration with the E.N. Meshalkin National Medical Research Center. The researchers demonstrated that measuring microRNA levels in urinary extracellular vesicles serves as a promising biomarker for diagnosing and stratifying the prognosis of prostate cancer. This method can also evaluate the efficacy of treatments such as radiotherapy and monitors disease progression.

By enabling early diagnosis and detecting cancer relapse after treatment, this approach holds the potential to significantly enhance patient survival outcomes.

A new method, described Dec. 31 in Cell and devised by a multidisciplinary team at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub San Francisco (CZ Biohub SF), captures spatial organization across the entire cell at an unprecedented level of detail. Their approach maps the majority of a human cell’s roughly 10,000 kinds of proteins according to the organelles and other compartments containing them, providing a crucial reference to understand how our cells are built. The team also applied their method to characterize how a portion of these proteins relocate during viral infection.