Genes News

July 21, 2026

Top Headlines

New Molecular Map Reveals How the Flu Virus Hijacks Human Cells

July 21, 2026 Scientists uncovered how influenza A commandeers human cells, including a surprising strategy that dissolves tiny structures in the nucleus and releases proteins the virus may use to reproduce. The detailed molecular map could reveal new drug ...

Alzheimer’s Breakthrough: Scientists Restore Two Hours of Sleep Without Clearing Brain Plaques

July 20, 2026 Researchers have uncovered a surprising culprit behind sleep loss in Alzheimer’s disease: the brain’s own immune cells. In mice with amyloid plaques, overactive microglia triggered inflammation ...

Scientists Discover a Protein That Protects the Brain from Alzheimer’s Damage

July 20, 2026 A protein called SORLA may act as a powerful defense against the toxic tau tangles involved in Alzheimer’s disease. Mice with extra SORLA had less tau accumulation, less brain atrophy, and ...

Mediterranean Diet May Activate Tiny Proteins That Protect the Heart and Brain

July 17, 2026 The Mediterranean diet may influence aging through tiny proteins produced inside the cell’s mitochondria. Older adults who followed the diet most closely had higher levels of humanin and SHMOOSE, ...

Scientists Tested 39 Sweeteners and Found Unexpected Gut Effects

July 17, 2026 A large laboratory study found that many commonly used sweeteners can directly change the growth of gut bacteria. Researchers identified more than 100 cases in which sweeteners behaved differently when combined with medications, caffeine, or ...

New Alzheimer's Drug Repairs DNA Damage and Reduces Brain Inflammation

July 17, 2026 A drug originally developed for spinal cord injury may offer a fresh approach to treating Alzheimer’s disease. In mouse studies, KCL-286 repaired dangerous DNA damage, reduced inflammation, and targeted multiple disease-related pathways instead of ...

Scientists Finally Solved How a Common Gut Bacterium Triggers Colon Cancer

July 16, 2026 Researchers solved a long-standing mystery behind how a bacterial toxin associated with colorectal cancer damages the colon. The toxin first binds to a receptor called claudin-4, giving it access to attack the cells' protective barrier. After ...

The Hidden Skeleton “Gatekeeper” Inside Brain Cells Could Help Fight Alzheimer's

July 15, 2026 Researchers have discovered that a microscopic skeleton inside neurons does much more than hold cells together. It acts as a gatekeeper that controls what brain cells absorb and when they absorb it. ...

Scientists Finally Solved Why Some Frogs Survive a Deadly Fungus

July 14, 2026 A deadly fungus has wiped out amphibian populations around the globe, yet some mysteriously recover. Researchers discovered that survivors develop powerful immune defenses while they are still tadpoles, giving them a head start before the fungus can ...

This Ultrasound Treatment May Help Stop Arthritis Before It Starts

July 12, 2026 A simple, non-invasive ultrasound treatment could one day help injured joints heal instead of remaining trapped in a cycle of damaging inflammation. Researchers at The University of Alabama in Huntsville found that continuous low-intensity ...

Columbia Scientists Discover Surprising Link Between Serotonin and Heart Valve Disease

July 11, 2026 Scientists have uncovered evidence that serotonin, the chemical best known for regulating mood, may also speed the progression of a common heart valve disease in some people. The research suggests ...

Common Blood Pressure Drug Could Make Cancer Therapy Far More Powerful

July 11, 2026 Researchers found that the common blood pressure drug telmisartan can significantly improve the performance of the cancer drug olaparib, potentially expanding its benefits beyond patients with BRCA-related tumors. The combination is already being ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:07am EDT

Scientists Found a Longevity Diet That Helped Mice Eat More and Lose Fat

July 9, 2026 Scientists found that a modified Mediterranean-style diet with low protein and just enough methionine helped mice live healthier lives while reducing body fat and frailty. Human data also linked ...

A Vitamin A Discovery Is Changing What Scientists Know About Vision

July 9, 2026 A surprising discovery is reshaping scientists' understanding of how humans develop sharp central vision before birth. Instead of blue cone cells migrating away from the retina's center, the study ...

Harvard Scientists Turn a Silicon Chip Into a DNA Writing Machine

July 8, 2026 Scientists have created a silicon chip that can write dozens of DNA sequences simultaneously using electricity and water-based enzymes, offering a cleaner alternative to conventional DNA ...

Tiny Silica Particles Wiped out Aggressive Prostate Cancer in Mice

July 8, 2026 Tiny silica nanoparticles engineered to seek out prostate cancer caused tumor cells to self-destruct and supercharged the immune system in preclinical mouse studies. Combined with immunotherapy, the ...

Scientists Found a Surprising Cancer Fighter Hiding Inside Tumors

July 7, 2026 Scientists at the University of Illinois Chicago have turned an unlikely source into a potential new weapon against cancer: bacteria that naturally live inside tumors. They developed a peptide called ...

Textbooks Were Wrong: Scientists Reveal How Human Hair Really Grows

July 7, 2026 A new study suggests human hair grows in a way scientists never expected. Researchers found that hair is pulled upward by coordinated cell movements inside the follicle rather than simply being ...

Scientists Discover How Colon Cancer Cells Change Identity to Spread

July 7, 2026 Scientists have identified a molecular switch that may help explain how colorectal cancer becomes deadly. When levels of a gene-regulating factor called GATA6 drop, cancer cells can shed their normal ...

Scientists Discover Why Exercise Reverses Muscle Aging

July 6, 2026 Researchers have uncovered a molecular “switch” that helps explain why exercise keeps aging muscles healthy. By reducing levels of a gene called DEAF1, physical activity allows older muscles to ...

Old Muscle Stem Cells Can Act Young Again but There’s a Catch

July 3, 2026 Scientists at UCLA discovered a surprising reason aging muscles heal more slowly. In older muscle stem cells, a protein called NDRG1 builds up and acts like a brake, slowing the cells’ ability to ...

Scientists Discover a Protein Switch That Burns Fat and Blocks New Fat Cells

July 2, 2026 A protein called “Mitch” may hold the key to a new generation of obesity treatments. Researchers found that disabling it in human cells boosts ...

Scientists May Have Finally Found How Alzheimer's Spreads Through the Brain

June 30, 2026 A common brain protein may be giving Alzheimer’s disease an unexpected way to spread, carrying toxic Tau proteins from damaged neurons into healthy ones. By blocking these harmful protein packages ...

USC Scientists Just Unlocked an Endless Supply of Cancer-Fighting Immune Cells

June 29, 2026 A new stem-cell-inspired technique allows scientists to grow vast numbers of immune-cell progenitors that can be engineered to hunt cancer and strengthen immune responses. In animal studies, the ...

Scientists Discover Neurons Must Break Their DNA to Build the Brain

June 21, 2026 As newborn neurons make their way through the developing brain, they must squeeze through incredibly tight spaces to reach their final destinations. Researchers discovered that this physical journey ...

New Procedure Delivers Lasting Knee Arthritis Pain Relief Without Surgery

June 17, 2026 A minimally invasive treatment that blocks inflammation-driving blood vessels in the knee provided significant pain relief and improved function for osteoarthritis patients, with benefits lasting at ...

Long-Lived Families Reveal a Rare Genetic Clue to Healthy Aging

June 21, 2026 A study of long-lived families has identified rare genetic variants that may help people stay healthier for much longer as they age. One standout mutation appears to temper inflammation, potentially ...

This Common Vitamin Deficiency Can Mimic Normal Aging

June 25, 2026 Vitamin B12 is needed in microscopic amounts, but a shortage can have major effects on health and energy. The vitamin was first linked to a lifesaving liver treatment for pernicious anemia nearly 100 ...

Butter and Margarine Look Similar but Their Chemistry Changes Everything

June 26, 2026 The battle between butter and margarine comes down to chemistry. Butter’s naturally occurring fats create rich flavors, golden browning, and flaky baked goods, while margarine’s modified plant ...

Scientists Found a New Alzheimer’s Trigger and a Drug That Stops It

June 8, 2026 Researchers have identified a new Alzheimer’s target and created an experimental compound that blocks a damaging process inside brain cells. In mice, the treatment slowed nerve cell loss, reduced ...

Sleep Apnea’s Hidden Heart Disease Trigger Found in the Gut

June 9, 2026 A surprising gut-heart connection may help explain why sleep apnea increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. In mice, disabling a bile acid receptor called FXR sharply reduced plaque buildup, ...

Scientists Finally Crack an “undruggable” Pancreatic Cancer Target and Nearly Double Survival

June 4, 2026 For decades, pancreatic cancer has been one of the most lethal cancers, with few effective treatment options. A new drug, daraxonrasib, targets the KRAS mutation that fuels most pancreatic ...

Human Organoids Reveal How to Reverse “irreversible” Nerve Damage

May 28, 2026 Cambridge researchers created miniature brain-and-spinal-cord systems in the lab that can send signals and even trigger tiny muscle contractions. They discovered that human neurons gradually lose ...

The Tea in Your Kombucha Changes More Than Just the Taste

June 23, 2026 Scientists discovered that kombucha’s flavor, chemistry, and antioxidant activity vary dramatically depending on the tea used to make it. Green and oolong tea kombuchas emerged as the most ...

These Fat-Filled Brain Cells May Be Making Multiple Sclerosis Worse

June 29, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a surprising clue that may help explain why multiple sclerosis (MS) progresses rapidly in some people but not others. In brain tissue from patients with severe MS, ...

Scientists Discover Hidden Gut-Brain Circuit That Triggers Protein Cravings

May 28, 2026 When the body runs low on protein, the gut sends powerful signals to the brain that reshape cravings and push animals to seek essential amino acids instead of sugar. Researchers say this newly ...

This DNA Repair Gene Went Rogue and Exposed a Cancer Weakness

June 20, 2026 Scientists have discovered that a gene normally considered a DNA-protecting "good guy" can become dangerous when cells make too much of it. The gene, EXO1, acts like molecular scissors that ...

Scientists Discover a Hidden Cause of Aging Cells That Can Be Reversed

June 11, 2026 Researchers discovered that declining levels of phosphatidylcholine may be a major cause of age-related mitochondrial dysfunction and loss of cellular energy. Remarkably, boosting this nutrient ...

A Single Protein May Be Holding Back CAR T Cancer Therapy

June 2, 2026 A newly identified protein may be one of the biggest obstacles holding CAR T-cell therapy back. Researchers found that NFIL3 causes these engineered immune cells to become exhausted and lose their ...

“Zombie Cells” Aren’t Always Bad and That Could Transform Anti-Aging Medicine

May 22, 2026 Scientists are uncovering a surprising truth about aging cells: some may damage the body, while others help protect it. The discovery is fueling a new wave of precision anti-aging therapies aimed at ...

Scientists Discover Why Some Cancers Survive Chemotherapy

May 17, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a surprising new trick used by one of cancer’s most notorious proteins. MYC, already infamous for fueling runaway tumor growth, also appears to help cancer cells survive ...

Researchers Block Key Protein That Helps Parkinson’s Spread Through the Brain

May 28, 2026 A newly identified protein called GPNMB may play a major role in helping Parkinson’s disease spread through the brain. Researchers discovered that immune cells release the protein in response to ...