Aided by stem cells, a lizard regenerates a perfect tail for first time in more than 250 million years

Lizards can regrow severed tails, making them the closest relative to humans that can regenerate a lost appendage. But in lieu of the original tail that includes a spinal column and nerves, the replacement structure is an imperfect cartilage tube. Now, a study describes how stem cells can help lizards regenerate better tails.

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Metabolic restoration in HIV-infected patients as a therapeutic approach

Medical researchers have shown that optimizing the energy metabolism of key cells enables people with HIV-1 to better defend themselves against the virus.

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In neurodegenerative diseases, brain immune cells have a 'ravenous appetite' for sugar

At the beginning of neurodegenerative disease, the immune cells of the brain -- the 'microglia' -- take up glucose, a sugar molecule, to a much greater extent than hitherto assumed. These results are of great significance for the interpretation of brain scans depicting the distribution of glucose in the brain. Furthermore, such image-based data could potentially serve as a biomarker to non-invasively capture the response of microglia to therapeutic interventions in people with dementia.

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Mutations in liver cells linked to liver disease and fat metabolism

Mutations linking liver disease with obesity and diabetes have been identified, leading to new understanding about how systemic diseases interact.

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Mutated cells drive out early tumors from the esophagus

Normal human esophagus carries a high number of mutations, but tumors are rare, due to mutant cells eliminating early tumors.

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The planet does not fall far from the star

A compositional link between planets and their respective host star has long been assumed in astronomy. Scientists now deliver empirical evidence to support the assumption -- and partly contradict it at the same time.

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Early modern human from Southeast Asia adapted to a rainforest environment

Although there has been evidence of our species living in rainforest regions in Southeast Asia from at least 70,000 years ago, the poor preservation of organic material in these regions limits how much we know about their diet and ecological adaptations to these habitats. An international team of scientists has now applied a new method to investigate the diet of fossil humans: the analysis of stable zinc isotopes from tooth enamel. This method proves particularly helpful to learn whether prehistoric humans and animals were primarily eating meat or plants.

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