The skin is the largest organ of the human body with a primary function of providing a physical barrier to potentially harmful pathogens and toxic substances. Since the skin acts as an interface with the environment, it is, consequently, colonized with a diverse community of microbes. The types of microbes present are determined by the
Scientists have uncovered new details about human ribosome production, pinpointing more than 100 regulators from a variety of cellular pathways with unexpected control over ribosome creation. The research team, from Yale University, hopes these findings can lead to a better understanding of the connection between ribosomes and human diseases such as cancer. The study was
Scientists from the University of Utah Health are using animals’ unique traits to identify regions of the human genome that might affect our own health and disease. Their study was recently published in the journal Cell Reports. The research team focused on the noncoding region that compromises 98% of the mammalian genome, but whose role
Viruses such as Zika and dengue are transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. When the insect bites an infected human host for a blood meal, the virus initially infects the epithelium lining the insect’s midgut and then continues to replicate in multiple tissue types. Eventually the virus is found in the mosquito’s salivary glands and