Low-cost smartphone fluorescence microscope developed

A device that can convert a smartphone or tablet into a fluorescence microscope for less than US $50 is presented in a proof-of-principle study in Scientific Reports. The authors suggest that the device—which they have ...

Precursor of spine and brain forms passively

Researchers at ETH Zurich have conducted a detailed study of neurulation—how the neural tube forms during embryonic development. They conclude that this happens less actively than previously thought. This also has implications ...

Unraveling the origins of the human spine

The spinal column is the central supporting structure of the skeleton in all vertebrates. Not only does it provide a place for muscles to attach, it also protects the spinal cord and nerve roots. Defects in its development ...

Unexpected functions of the spinal locomotor network

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Columbia University Irving Medical Center have found an unexpected link between spinal locomotor network activity and adult ...

How stem cells synchronize to repair the spinal cord in axolotls

The spinal cord is an important component of our central nervous system: it connects the brain with the rest of the body and plays a crucial part in coordinating our sensations with our actions. Falls, violence, disease—various ...

Gene required for jumping identified in rabbits

Rabbits and other hopping animals require a functional RORB gene to move around by jumping, according to a new study by Miguel Carneiro of the Universidade do Porto and Leif Andersson of Uppsala University published March ...

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