La Jolla, CA---- One of the big mysteries in biology is why cells age. Now scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies report that they have discovered a weakness in a component of brain cells that may explain how the aging process occurs in the brain.

An international collaboration of European research teams has just published an important study which directly attributes changes in mountain vegetation to climate change across the European continent.

Researchers at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) have created the world’s first chimeric monkeys, which may contain as many as six distinct genomes. Named Roku, Hex, and Chimero, these rhesus monkeys were produced by successfully aggregating multiple embryos and implanting the mixed embryo into a surrogate mother.

University of Pittsburgh researchers have recently published a study suggesting that a certain type of stem cell transplantation may help rescue some of the cellular deficiencies which occur as part of the normal aging process.

Fossil evidence of an ancient sauropod, the classification which contains some of the largest animals to ever walk the earth, has recently been uncovered on the Antarctic continent by an Argentinian research team.

New insights into the evolution of quadrupedal movement in pre-tetrapodal species have been recently developed through behavioral and morphological analyses of a species of African lungfish.

Numerous studies are beginning to suggest that excessive exposure to white light emitting diodes (LEDs), especially at night, may have adverse effects on our brain’s circadian rhythms. Specifically, these perturbations to our biological clocks can disrupt sleep patterns and reduce the production of hormones such as melatonin, an antioxidant compound that protects DNA from damage, by as much as 25% according to model-based calculations headed by Mark Rea, director of the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.

Sunbathers may soon be closer to hitting the beach or pool without having to lather up with sunblock thanks to a team of researchers led by Dr. Paul Long at King’s College London who recently discovered how natural sunscreen compounds are made by coral. The goal of the research is to understand the genetic and biochemical basis on how natural sunscreens are made with the vision of developing non-topical commercial sun protection products, potentially in the form of tablets. This would eliminate the oily mess that’s made using topical lotions and also reduce the struggle to apply to hard-to-reach places like one’s back. The discovery could also prompt efforts to bioengineer crop plants to be more UV-tolerant, especially in sunlight-intense areas of the world.

Researchers from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences have concluded a study which demonstrates that regular exercise modifies the brain environment, and could help prevent damage associated with diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Coming to a grocery store near you: transgenic salmon? That’s been on AquaBounty Technologies' wishlist since the company genetically engineered a salmon for human consumption more than 15 year ago.

A formal application for the so-called AquAdvantage (AA) salmon was first submitted in 1995 to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an investigative new animal drug. AA salmon contain a transgene that encodes for a Chinook salmon growth hormone which results in faster fish growth and consequently increases food production. However, the FDA approval process to market the genetically engineered salmon has been log-jammed over safety and efficacy issues.