News by Subject Biology

Obesity in expectant mothers may hinder the development of the babies' brains as early as the second trimester, a new study finds.

Biological sex is typically understood in binary terms: male and female. However, there are many examples of animals that are able to modify sex-typical biological and behavioral features and even change sex. A new study, which appears in the journal Current Biology, identifies a genetic switch in brain cells that can toggle between sex-specific states when necessary, findings that question the idea of sex as a fixed property.

Research published in EPJ B revisits the Turing instability mechanism; proving mathematically how the instabilities which give rise to patterns can occur through simple reactions, and in widely varied environmental conditions.

When it comes to training neural circuits for tissue engineering or biomedical applications, a new study suggests a key parameter: Train them young. Training of engineered neurons has many applications in bioengineering and regenerative medicine. Techniques usually involve training cells after they have fully matured. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign researchers found that training them throughout early cell development and network formation led to lasting improvements in the connections, responsivity and gene expression of the resulting neural network.

A new analysis of sibling records from more than 300,000 individuals suggests that some parents continue to reproduce until they have children of both sexes.

New research published today in The Journal of Physiology shows that giving sildenafil (Viagra), which cause blood vessels to dilate, impairs the fetus' ability to redirect blood flow to essential organs in response to low levels of oxygen, impeding fetal growth. This study was conducted in an animal model of growth restriction where placental blood flow is restricted.