News by Subject Biology

A first-of-its kind study, next generation sequencing is brought to bear to investigate a culprit in the path to Alzheimer's disease: the presence of viruses in the brain.

Researchers have developed a new method for correcting the errors that creep into DNA barcodes -- labels used in a wide range of biological experiments -- yielding far more accurate results and paving the way for more ambitious medical research in the future.

In recent articles, scientists optimize experimental design for understanding potential chemotherapeutic agents, delve into crop responses to salt-water stress, and present a better way to ensure consistency in long-term proteomics studies.

To understand the biology of diseased organs researchers can use different types of molecular data. One of the biggest computational challenges at the moment is integrating these multiple data types. A new computational method jointly analyses different types of molecular data and disentangles the sources of disease variability to guide personalised treatment.

A study led by researchers in Switzerland has revealed a new cell type that resides in the body's fat depots where it can actively suppress fat cell formation. This discovery was made using single-cell transcriptomics and opens entirely new avenues to combat obesity and related diseases such as diabetes.

While 2018 marks the centenary of the death of the last captive Carolina parakeet -- North America's only native parrot, a team of researchers have shed new light on the previously known geographical range of the species. Their data paper, published in the open access Biodiversity Data Journal, is the most comprehensive occurrence dataset for the species ever produced.