Light-activated molecular machines get cells 'talking'

One of the main ways cells "talk" to each other to coordinate essential biological activities such as muscle contraction, hormone release, neuronal firing, digestion and immune activation is through calcium signaling.

'Love hormone' is revealed to have heart healing properties

The neurohormone oxytocin is well-known for promoting social bonds and generating pleasurable feelings, for example from art, exercise, or sex. But the hormone has many other functions, such as the regulation of lactation ...

A heart that beats (almost) like our own

The fruit fly, long the organism of choice for scientists studying genetics and basic biological processes, still harbors some secrets of its own.

Receptor location in heart plays a key role in their function

In the heart there are two different subtypes of beta-adrenergic receptors—beta1 and beta2—which are activated by the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline. They both trigger the strongest stimulation of the heart ...

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