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Research from the University of Kent has led to the development of the MeshCODE theory, a revolutionary new theory for understanding brain and memory function. This discovery may be the beginning of a new understanding of brain function and in treating brain diseases such as Alzheimer s.
In a paper published by
Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, Dr Ben Goult from Kent s School of Biosciences describes how his new theory views the brain as an organic supercomputer running a complex binary code with neuronal cells working as a mechanical computer. He explains how a vast network of information-storing memory molecules operating as switches is built into each and every synapse of the brain, representing a complex binary code. This identifies a physical location for data storage in the brain and suggests memories are written in the shape of molecules in the synaptic scaffolds.
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IMAGE: 3D reconstructions showing the precursors of the large bacterial ribosomal subunit and the bound helper proteins. view more
Credit: Nikolay/Charité.
Ribosome formation is viewed as a promising potential target for new antibacterial agents. Researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have gained new insights into this multifaceted process. The formation of ribosomal components involves multiple helper proteins which, much like instruments in an orchestra, interact in a coordinated way. One of these helper proteins - protein ObgE - acts as the conductor, guiding the entire process. The research, which produced the first-ever image-based reconstruction of this process, has been published in
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IMAGE: Cell membranes contain channels that selectively permit ions to move into or out of the cell. In a recently published paper, researchers from the University of Fukui and Kanazawa University. view more
Credit: University of Fukui
The cell membranes of all organisms contain ion channels that permit ions to pass into or out of the cell, and these channels play extremely important roles in fundamental physiological processes such as heartbeats and the rapid conduction of signals along neurons. An important property of these ion channels is their selective conductivity they selectively permit the passage of particular ions. For example, potassium channels more readily permit the passage of potassium ions than the passage of sodium ions, despite the fact that potassium ions are larger.
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IMAGE: The amyloid beta protein that tangles to form the hallmark Alzheimer s brain plaques, cling to ultra-small bowls, called nanobowls, scientists find. They can use these nanobowls to remove the toxic. view more
Credit: Illustration courtesy of Vrinda Sant.
ROCKVILLE, MD - Scientists are still a long way from being able to treat Alzheimer s Disease, in part because the protein aggregates that can become brain plaques, a hallmark of the disease, are hard to study. The plaques are caused by the amyloid beta protein, which gets misshapen and tangled in the brain. To study these protein aggregates in tissue samples, researchers often have to use techniques that can further disrupt them, making it difficult to figure out what s going on. But new research by Vrinda Sant, a graduate student, and Madhura Som, a recent PhD graduate, in the lab of Ratnesh Lal at the University of California, San Diego, provides a new technique for studying amyloid beta and could be
CRISPR can precisely locate specific genes, says Lacramioara Bintu, an assistant professor of bioengineering at Stanford. What we did was attach CRISPR to nanobodies to help it perform specific actions when it reached the right spot on DNA.