Did you know that pollen grains need a strong wall to be fertile? This wall is built with the help of a special tissue called the tapetum. Scientists have found that two proteins, PP2A B'α and B'β, play a crucial role in this process. When these proteins are missing, the pollen grains have sticky re
You know how some brain cells, called dopamine neurons, send signals by releasing dopamine? Well, these neurons have two main types of activity: regular, low-frequency signals (tonic) that they produce on their own, and quick bursts (phasic) that happen when they get inputs from other cells. Scienti
Imagine a place where the future of space exploration is shaped—the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). This hub, funded by NASA and managed by Caltech, has dodged the wrath of the wildfires plaguing Los Angeles. The Eaton fire, ravaging areas like Altadena near the San Gabriel Mountains, has fortunate
You know Mercury as the closest planet to the Sun, but what lies hidden on its surface? The tandem spacecraft BepiColombo, a collaboration between Europe and Japan, just flew by Mercury for the last time before settling into orbit. It's like visiting a mysterious place and taking a good look around
Did you know that astrocytes, often seen as the support crew in the brain, have a surprising role in neuronal injury? In Uruguay, research on these glial cells has a long history, dating back almost to the birth of the Uruguayan Society for Neuroscience. Astrocytes, traditionally known for their sup
Imagine trying to follow a map with no roads blocked off. It's tough, right? That's what happens in our cells when transcription factors (TFs) try to regulate genes without chromatin's help. TFs can stick to the wrong spots, leading to mistakes. Chromatin, like a helpful traffic cop, blocks off area
Let's explore a fascinating problem: how do marriages and divorces happen around the world? We're using a unique method called agent-based modeling to figure this out. Imagine a group of people (agents) with different attributes and preferences. They're constantly changing partners or getting marrie
Imagine you're trying to understand how things work together in a complex world, like how many friends you have influences your grades. This sounds like a puzzle best solved with statistics. Now, instead of just counting friends (that's like a two-dimensional problem), think of all the factors that
Imagine two groups of people climbing a high mountain. One group is from the lowlands, and the other is from the highlands of Tibet. Both groups are going to the same height of 4, 300 meters. Scientists wanted to see how their bodies adjust to the thin air. Lowlanders, or people from the lowlands,
Have you ever thought about how Pluto got its giant moon, Charon? Scientists now believe that Pluto and Charon were once two separate objects that collided and briefly stuck together. This isn't like how Earth's moon was formed from a giant impact. Pluto and Charon are more like ice and rocks, so th
