A team of biologists has uncovered a mechanism that determines faithful inheritance of short chromosomes during the reproductive process. The discovery, reported in the journal Nature Communications, elucidates a key aspect of inheritance—deviation from which can lead to infertility, miscarriages, or birth defects such as Down syndrome. The research centers on how short chromosomes can…
Details
A new way to create proteins that can sneak through HIV’s protective coating may be a step toward understanding the key components needed for developing a vaccine for the virus, according to researchers. Using computational modeling, a team of researchers led by Penn State designed and created proteins that mimicked different surface features of HIV.…
Details
Amsterdam, NL, February 27, 2019 — A pioneering clinical trials program that delivered an experimental treatment directly to the brain offers hope that it may be possible to restore the cells damaged in Parkinson’s disease. The study investigated whether boosting the levels of a naturally-occurring growth factor, Glial Cell Line Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF), can…
Details
Teen-agers and young adults who intentionally hurt themselves engage in such behavior based, in part, on how they experience pain and their emotional distress, according to a Rutgers study. The study, which examines physical pain in non-suicidal self-injuries, appeared online ahead of in print in the March 2019 issue of the journal Clinical Psychological Science.…
Details
The actress Selma Blair appeared at the Vanity Fair Oscar party on Sunday evening wearing a diaphanous Ralph & Russo gown and carrying a custom-made cane covered in black patent leather. It was her first public event since she announced in October her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, a chronic and often disabling disease affecting the…
Details
The latest battle in the nation’s continuing war over abortion involves a federal bill called the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Senate Democrats this week blocked the bill from reaching a vote, and President Trump responded with an angry tweet. Senate Democrats just voted against legislation to prevent the killing of newborn infant children. The…
Details
Image CreditClaire Merchlinsky Welcome to In Her Words, where women rule the headlines. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Let me know what you think at dearmaya@nytimes.com. “If they want to call you crazy, fine. Show them what crazy can do.” — Serena Williams, in a new Nike ad about women…
DetailsDoctors start calculating pregnancy from the first day of the woman’s last menstrual period. For this reason, women are not actually pregnant in the first week of pregnancy, and they may not be pregnant during the second week either. Instead, in the first 2 weeks of pregnancy, the body is preparing for possible conception. Often,…
Details
Senator Amy Klobuchar’s nascent campaign is fending off a stream of stories from former staffers that she was a volatile, highhanded boss who often demeaned and humiliated people who worked for her. She has one of the highest rates of turnover in the Senate. “Am I a tough boss sometimes? Yes,” she said in a…
Details
Wingwoman Captures Cockatoo On holiday in America, I became pen pals with a guy who loves Aussie wildlife. Back in Sydney, I told my 85-year-old grandmother I wanted to send him photos of native birds. Weeks later, I received a voice mail message from her, saying, “I took my first photo! It’s a cockatoo for…
Details