Summary: Researchers have identified an active botulinum neurotoxin in a non-Clostridium bacterium, a discovery that could expand both pathogen monitoring and the development of new protein therapeutics. Source: University of Waterloo. Canadian and American researchers have discovered a previously unrecognized source of an active botulinum neurotoxin in Enterococcus faecium, a species of gut bacteria. This … Read more

AU School of Public Affairs assistant professor Taryn Morrissey led a study linking parental depression to increased safety risks for young children. Her article, “Parents’ Depressive Symptoms and Gun, Fire, and Motor Vehicle Safety Practices,” was published online in the Maternal and Child Health Journal on January 5, 2016. Morrissey analyzed data from the Early … Read more

Summary: A University of Warwick study reports that modestly raising blood sugar can boost memory, mood, and motivation in adults over 60. Source: University of Warwick Glucose boosts memory and motivation in older adults, new study finds Researchers at the University of Warwick report that a small increase in blood glucose can enhance memory performance … Read more

Summary: Researchers have engineered bi-paternal mice—animals derived from two male parents—using embryonic stem cell engineering and targeted edits to imprinting genes. By altering 20 critical imprinted loci, the team overcame major developmental barriers that previously prevented unisexual reproduction in mammals, producing some offspring that survived to adulthood. Although only 11.8% of manipulated embryos developed to … Read more

Summary: A study of Millennials links specific social media behaviors to major depressive disorder (MDD). Those who met criteria for MDD reported greater social media addiction, more frequent upward social comparisons, increased distress about unflattering tags, fewer followers, and were less likely to post photos featuring themselves with other people. Source: Wiley Certain social media … Read more

New research from the University of Utah and Intermountain Healthcare finds that people who use methamphetamine face a significantly higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease than those who do not use illicit drugs. Analyzing more than 40,000 de-identified medical records from the Utah Population Database (UPDB) and statewide healthcare systems, researchers found that methamphetamine users … Read more

Summary: Researchers report that a repeated DNA sequence in the C9orf72 gene produces toxic protein when cells are exposed to starvation, environmental toxins, viral infection or other stresses. Source: University of Michigan University of Michigan-led team advances understanding of how stress-driven translation of repeat sequences may contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and frontotemporal … Read more

McGill research reveals how motor networks help us know whether we’ve previously heard a tune. Researchers at McGill University report that the brain’s motor network helps people recognize music they have performed more effectively than music they have only heard. The study, led by Prof. Caroline Palmer of McGill’s Department of Psychology, offers new evidence … Read more

When it comes to the core molecular biology of aging, mammals and the tiny worm Caenorhabditis elegans share many similarities. Researchers often favor these worms because they are simple and easy to study, but one important difference — their ability to reproduce asexually and generate genetically identical offspring — has unintentionally introduced conflicting results across … Read more

Summary: Oxytocin, often called the “love hormone,” helps shape how young male zebra finches learn to sing by guiding which adult tutors they pay attention to and ultimately imitate. This research sheds light on the neurochemical mechanisms behind social vocal learning and offers parallels to human language acquisition. The findings may also inform studies of … Read more