Why does COVID-19 affect old people more than young people?
As we age, our lung tissue becomes stiffer—and this is a phenomenon that SARS-CoV-2 may be exploiting. Caroline Uhler and G. V. Shivashankar outline their hypothesis.
Apr 28, 2020
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As we age, our lung tissue becomes stiffer—and this is a phenomenon that SARS-CoV-2 may be exploiting. Caroline Uhler and G. V. Shivashankar outline their hypothesis.
Apr 28, 2020
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472
Nate Silver and Richard Feynman walk into a bar and bump into a biologist... While this may sound like the setup to some late-night nerd sketch, researchers have taken this premise and applied it to an increasingly cumbersome ...
Nov 2, 2014
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EPFL scientists have developed an injectable gel that can attach to various kinds of soft internal tissues and repair tears resulting from an accident or trauma.
Apr 14, 2021
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For any athlete, be it a marathon runner or a volleyball player, improving one's performance is paramount. In fact, a major area of research in sports science is dedicated towards understanding how different muscle factors—size, ...
Aug 3, 2022
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Researchers of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in collaboration with the ALBA Synchrotron have studied the side effects of typical tooth whitening treatments based on oxidation compared to a new treatment developed ...
Mar 31, 2022
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High fat diets cause damage to blood vessels earlier than previously thought, and these structural and mechanical changes may be the first step in the development of high blood pressure. These findings in mice, by Marie Billaud ...
Apr 3, 2012
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Using a new recipe for growing blood vessels from living lung tissue in the lab, a University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science research team has developed an analytical tool that could lead to a cure ...
Sep 30, 2023
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Researchers are learning more about what leads to traumatic brain injury, though they have to be creative to work around limited access to the brain.
Aug 7, 2023
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The debate over how one of the most popular osteoarthritis treatments should be federally regulated could change, thanks to a Cornell University study and a new device that provides a better understanding of the science behind ...
Jun 4, 2019
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Extracted human teeth have long been used in conducting dental research, such as evaluating dental ceramic materials as a crown restoration on tooth. It is an inexpensive and straightforward process that simulates clinical ...
Feb 27, 2023
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DNA structure shows a variety of forms, both double-stranded and single-stranded. The mechanical properties of DNA, which are directly related to its structure, are a significant problem for cells. Every process which binds or reads DNA is able to use or modify the mechanical properties of DNA for purposes of recognition, packaging and modification. The extreme length (a chromosome may contain a 10 cm long DNA strand), relative rigidity and helical structure of DNA has led to the evolution of histones and of enzymes such as topoisomerases and helicases to manage a cell's DNA. The properties of DNA are closely related to its molecular structure and sequence, particularly the weakness of the hydrogen bonds and electronic interactions that hold strands of DNA together compared to the strength of the bonds within each strand.
Experimental techniques which can directly measure the mechanical properties of DNA are relatively new, and high-resolution visualization in solution is often difficult. Nevertheless, scientists have uncovered large amount of data on the mechanical properties of this polymer, and the implications of DNA's mechanical properties on cellular processes is a topic of active current research.
It is important to note the DNA found in many cells can be macroscopic in length - a few centimetres long for each human chromosome. Consequently, cells must compact or "package" DNA to carry it within them. In eukaryotes this is carried by spool-like proteins known as histones, around which DNA winds. It is the further compaction of this DNA-protein complex which produces the well known mitotic eukaryotic chromosomes.
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