How do skin cells make regularly spaced hairs in mammals and feathers in birds? Scientists had two opposing theories, but new research at the University …
Category: Cellular & Microbiology
Zika’s effect on developing cranial neural crest cells shown by new Stanford study
By now it is well known that infection by the mosquito-spread Zika virus can cause devastating birth defects. Most notably, affected infants can have abnormally small …
The Good Gut: Discussing the stomach’s world of disease-fighting microbes
Is your gut a doorway into good health? Microbiologist Justin Sonnenburg, PhD, and his wife and fellow researcher, Erica Sonnenburg, PhD, believe so. They've written …
On mentorship, and how to pay it forward
When emeritus professor of microbiology and immunology Stanley Falkow, PhD, received the National Medal of Science in May, the White House didn't just laud his scholarship, …
The die-off within us: Are our low-fiber diets ruining our descendants’ lives?
Members of the Hadza, a 300-person remnant of an all-but-vanished Tanzanian hunter-gatherer society, consume 150 grams of fiber per day on average. That's a clump of indigestible …
Stanford researchers discover new bacteria in dolphins
A team of researchers co-led by David Relman, MD, professor of medicine and of microbiology and immunology, has discovered previously unknown species of bacteria in …
Stanford microbiome research offers new clues to the mystery of preterm birth
Premature birth affects 450,000 U.S. babies each year and is the leading cause of newborn deaths. But in about half of cases, doctors never figure …
Tiny balloon-like vesicles carry cellular chatter with remarkable specificity, say Stanford researchers
"BRUSH YOUR TEETH," I bellowed up the stairs last night at my (seemingly deaf and clueless) children for what seemed like the one-millionth time since …
The end of antibiotics? Researchers warn of critical shortages
Bacteria spark infection. Antibiotic kills most bacteria. Remaining bacteria evolve resistance. Second antibiotic wipes out all bacteria. Repeat. Repeat until, that is, there are no …
New "decoy" protein blocks cancer from spreading
Cancer becomes most deadly when it's on the move - jumping from the breast to the brain or the pancreas to the liver and then …
A computer kit could lead to better way to design synthetic molecules
Slipping something small into cells to regulate gene expression has long been a goal of biomedical researchers. And there have been many efforts to do …
Malnourished children have young guts
Children who grow up malnourished lag behind healthy kids in terms of their height and weight. But a new study finds that they also fall …
Stanford microbiologist's secret sauce for disease detection
Last week, John Boothroyd, PhD, kicked off Stanford's first Disease Detective lecture series with a fascinating tale about how his lab invented a simple biochemical …
Microbes in your mouth could be a distinguishing characteristic
Oral hygiene still matters (keep your floss handy), but did you know that your mouth's microbial signature may also play a role in your dental …
Could "breathprints" one day be used to diagnose disease?
Your "breathprint," the chemical composition of each exhale, may hold potential as a new medical diagnostic tool, according to research recently published in PLOS ONE. …
Touring the microscopic worlds of the human body
Scientific illustrator Dee Breger specializes in creating images using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), which has an incredible level of magnification. In this recently posted …