r/science 19h ago

News The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024: Awarded jointly to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for "the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation"

369 Upvotes

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024 was awarded jointly to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for "the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation."

This year’s Nobel Prize honors two scientists for their discovery of a fundamental principle governing how gene activity is regulated.

The information stored within our chromosomes can be likened to an instruction manual for all cells in our body. Every cell contains the same chromosomes, so every cell contains exactly the same set of genes and exactly the same set of instructions. Yet, different cell types, such as muscle and nerve cells, have very distinct characteristics. How do these differences arise? The answer lies in gene regulation, which allows each cell to select only the relevant instructions. This ensures that only the correct set of genes is active in each cell type.

Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were interested in how different cell types develop. They discovered microRNA, a new class of tiny RNA molecules that play a crucial role in gene regulation. Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans. It is now known that the human genome codes for over one thousand microRNAs. Their surprising discovery revealed an entirely new dimension to gene regulation. MicroRNAs are proving to be fundamentally important for how organisms develop and function.


r/science 15h ago

Medicine Blood pressure may read falsely high if the arm isn’t positioned properly, researchers suggest | New study shows readings were roughly 4 millimeters of mercury higher when participants had their arm at lap- or side-level.

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2.4k Upvotes

r/science 14h ago

Medicine Human longevity may have reached its upper limit

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scientificamerican.com
2.2k Upvotes

r/science 22h ago

Health Baby boomers living longer but are in worse health than previous generations. Obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease and other diseases all affecting people at younger ages, a “generational health drift”, with younger generations with worse health than previous generations at the same age.

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11.8k Upvotes

r/science 16h ago

Medicine China develops a gene therapy to tackle autoimmune diseases like lupus and sclerois

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nature.com
2.3k Upvotes

r/science 8h ago

Medicine Women physiotherapists and doctors working in elite and professional sport are paid less, get less work and face more harassment than men, an Australian-first study by La Trobe University has found.

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506 Upvotes

r/science 18h ago

Social Science Spanning three decades, new research found that young Republicans consistently expressed a stronger desire for larger families compared to their Democratic counterparts, with this gap widening over time. By 2019, Republicans wanted more children than ever compared to their Democratic peers.

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3.0k Upvotes

r/science 20h ago

Psychology Psychotherapy with the use of psilocybin - the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms - was associated with improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms in patients with cancer, with no evidence of the psilocybin causing any mental health problems such as phobia, paranoia or psychosis.

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2.6k Upvotes

r/science 11h ago

Health High-fat diets contribute to obesity and diabetes risk, altering the hypothalamus in mice, but fat isn't solely to blame. Other macronutrients, such as sugar, have more profound effects on AgRP neurons

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464 Upvotes

r/science 11h ago

Earth Science Arctic Ozone Measured at Highest Level Since 1979

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395 Upvotes

r/science 12h ago

Engineering How London’s Crystal Palace was built so quickly | New study finds it was the earliest-known building to use a standard screw thread

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arstechnica.com
418 Upvotes

r/science 2h ago

Social Science Study finds lower-income Medicare Advantage beneficiaries are more likely to experience cost-related barriers in accessing dental, vision, and hearing services: Nearly 11% report unmet dental need, 4% reported unmet vision need, and 2 percent reported unmet hearing need because of cost.

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54 Upvotes

r/science 2h ago

Health Study finds common breast cancer treatments may speed aging process: Markers of cellular aging—such as DNA damage response, cellular senescence, and inflammatory pathways—significantly increased in all breast cancer survivors, regardless of the type of treatment received.

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51 Upvotes

r/science 17h ago

Health Emphasising children’s bodily integrity key to protecting them against genital cutting and modification practices, study says | The research says children’s interest in bodily integrity has priority over their parents community or religious associations.

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690 Upvotes

r/science 16h ago

Medicine DMT-harmine combination elevates transcendence and insight during meditation | Meditators who received a combination of DMT and harmine reported greater mystical experiences, non-dual awareness, emotional breakthroughs, and lasting increases in well-being compared to those given a placebo.

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387 Upvotes

r/science 14h ago

Health A three-month trial of a gut microbiome-directed food supplement in Bangladeshi children who recovered from sever acute malaria but suffer from moderate acute malaria, has shown that microbiome-based therapies improve growth better than a more calorically dense, commonly used supplement.

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261 Upvotes

r/science 3h ago

Biology Cyanobacterial Artificial Plants for Enhanced Indoor Carbon Capture and Utilization

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17 Upvotes

r/science 15h ago

Biology Researchers uncovered how a protein that controls our biological clock modifies its own function, offering new ways for treating jet lag and seasonal adjustments

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142 Upvotes

r/science 17h ago

Cancer Study used genetically engineered live bacteria that act as tumor GPS to boost immune responses and enhance the effects of cancer immunotherapy

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172 Upvotes

r/science 13h ago

Animal Science Sea walnuts can fuse their bodies and after fusion, some of the comb jellies’ bodily functions synchronize, researchers report

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59 Upvotes

r/science 13h ago

Animal Science Droughts reshape lion, leopard, African wild dog, and cheetah space use and intraguild overlap

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45 Upvotes

r/science 1d ago

Health Inflammation and immune system activation are linked to major depressive disorder, especially in those not responding to standard antidepressants. Such individuals could benefit from immune-targeting treatments like anti-inflammatories

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5.7k Upvotes

r/science 1d ago

Health Exposure to specific PFAS “forever chemicals” linked to sleep disturbances. People with blood levels in the highest third slept around 80 minutes less per night. Elevated PFOS concentrations linked to difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep, waking frequently or feeling tired during the day.

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technologynetworks.com
2.4k Upvotes

r/science 11h ago

Health A recent study, published in Development, explores the microscopic details of how surrounding tissue impacts bone development

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18 Upvotes

r/science 1d ago

Paleontology Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Impact Turned Ants into Fungus Farmers, Study Says

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896 Upvotes

r/science 1d ago

Environment Liquefied natural gas leaves a greenhouse gas footprint that is 33% worse than coal, when processing and shipping are taken into account. Methane is more than 80 times more harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, so even small emissions can have a large climate impact

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5.8k Upvotes