Endocrinology is the scientific discipline that investigates the endocrine system, focusing on the synthesis, secretion, regulation, and actions of hormones and related signaling molecules. It encompasses the study of classical endocrine glands (such as pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, pancreatic islets, and gonads), dispersed neuroendocrine cells, and hormone receptors and downstream signaling pathways at cellular and molecular levels. Endocrinology integrates physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and genetics to elucidate mechanisms of hormonal homeostasis, feedback regulation, and inter-organ communication, and provides the foundational science for understanding endocrine pathophysiology, including disorders of growth, metabolism, reproduction, calcium balance, and stress responses.
In vertebrates, calcium is stored in bones, and its release is tightly regulated. Now, using fruit flies as a model organism, researchers at University of Tsukuba have shown that even animals without bones possess specialized ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 24, 2025
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23
The thyroid, a vital endocrine organ in vertebrates, plays a key role in regulating metabolism and supporting growth. The first gland of both the nervous system and endocrine system to mature during an embryo's development, ...
Evolution
Aug 7, 2025
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65
Researchers examine how the use of animal testing to identify endocrine-disrupting substances in the EU can be reduced. Although it is, in principle, possible to identify such substances without using animals, non-animal ...
Biotechnology
Jul 2, 2025
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18
Sexual behavior and sex preference in animals and humans are shaped by complex interactions between the brain and hormones during early development. One critical factor is exposure to androgens (male sex hormones) during ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 2, 2025
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19
In 1977, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Roger Guillemin and Andrew Schally for their discovery and synthesis of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), a key regulator of reproductive function. Today, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 24, 2025
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20
A small team of biologists at Stanford University has found evidence that approximately one-third of all vertebrate scavengers are threatened or decreasing in abundance. In their study, published in the Proceedings of the ...
As the aging population around the world grows, metabolic diseases like osteoporosis are becoming more prevalent and placing a greater burden on health care systems. Rising to this challenge, a research team led by Prof. ...
Bio & Medicine
Nov 15, 2023
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93
The sex hormone commonly known as estrogen plays an important role in multiple aspects of women's health and fertility. High levels of estrogen in the body are associated with breast and ovarian cancers, while low levels ...
Bio & Medicine
Sep 28, 2023
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189
The imbalance between dietary intake and output that results from metabolic disorders like obesity disrupts energy homeostasis. Despite significant advances in understanding the pathogenesis of these metabolic disorders, ...
Bio & Medicine
Mar 1, 2023
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92
A research team from LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) has developed thyroid hormone (TH)–encapsulated nanoparticles modified with an adipose-homing peptide, which selectively transports TH to ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 17, 2023
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