Mutant stem cells defy rules of development

Imagine you're baking a cake, but you run out of salt. Even with the missing ingredient, the batter still looks like cake batter, so you stick it in the oven and cross your fingers, expecting to end up with something pretty ...

How you mix cells changes the brain

Brain organoids are models of the brain made from growing stem cells like iPS cells into three-dimensional structures. They are used to study all sorts of brain-related phenomenon, including neural networks and disease development. ...

What makes us human? The answer may be found in overlooked DNA

Our DNA is very similar to that of the chimpanzee, which in evolutionary terms is our closest living relative. Stem cell researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now found a previously overlooked part of our DNA, so-called ...

3D printing stem cells to transform neuroscience

3D printing, also called additive manufacturing, has become widespread in recent years. By building successive layers of raw material such as metals, plastics, and ceramics, it has the key advantage of being able to produce ...

New technique reveals genes underlying human evolution

One of the best ways to study human evolution is by comparing us with nonhuman species that, evolutionarily speaking, are closely related to us. That closeness can help scientists narrow down precisely what makes us human, ...

New-found molecular signature keeps key genes ready for action

During development, scores of molecular signals prod cells to take on specialized identities and functions. In response to some of these signals, the cellular machinery awakens specific genes called 'immediate early genes' ...

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