Medical research

Researchers rethink how 'beige' fat cells burn calories

It has been known for decades that low temperatures can trigger specialized fat cells to burn energy to produce heat, but in a new study, UC San Francisco researchers have discovered a new heat-producing pathway in fat cells ...

Medical research

Scorpion venom yields clues for developing better pharmaceuticals

Normally, people consider scorpions to be dangerous because of their venomous sting, but an international group of researchers recently discovered that a particular family of toxins, the calcins, found in some venom, might ...

Medical research

The ryanodine receptor—calcium channel in muscle cells

Whenever muscles contract, so-called ryanodine receptors come into play. Calcium ions, which are ultimately responsible for the contraction of muscle cells, are released from storage organs and flow through these ion channels. ...

Medical research

Exercise in a pill may protect against extreme heat sensitivity

We've all seen the story in the news before. Whether it's the death of a physically fit high school athlete at football training camp in August, or of an elderly woman gardening in the middle of the day in July, heat stroke ...