Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Why are animal-to-human diseases on the rise?

From COVID-19 to monkey pox, Mers, Ebola, avian flu, Zika and HIV, diseases transmitted from animals to humans have multiplied in recent years, raising fears of new pandemics.

Medical research

Molecule prevents fat combustion

ETH Zurich researchers have found a new role for a well-known signalling molecule, Hif1: the molecule suppresses the burning of fat, which may possibly promote obesity in humans.

Neuroscience

'Eating with the eyes' is hard-wired in the brain

Have you ever wondered why looking at food can make you hungry? By visualizing neuronal activity in specific areas of the zebrafish brain, scientists at the National Institute of Genetics (NIG) in Japan have revealed a direct ...

Immunology

A worm's-eye view of immunity

In 1998, scientists published the first complete genome of a multicellular organism—the worm Caenorhabditis elegans. At the same time, new technologies were emerging to help researchers manipulate genes and learn more about ...

Genetics

A molecule that directs neurons

The habenula is a small region at the centre of the brain, but is crucial for people's lives. It is made up of groups of nerve cells that control the "neurotransmitters" of the brain, that is to say substances like dopamine, ...

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