Brain aging frequently underlies cognitive decline and is a major risk factor for neurodegenerative conditions. The exact molecular mechanisms underlying brain aging, however, remain unknown. Whole transcriptome sequencing provides unparalleled depth and sensitivity in gene expression profiling. It also allows non-coding RNA and splice variant detection/comparison across phenotypes. Using RNA-seq to sequence the cerebral cortex transcriptome in 6-, 12- and 28-month-old rats, age-related changes were studied. This study demonstrates dynamic changes in RNA with age at various genomic levels, which may reflect changes in regulation of transcriptional networks and provides non-coding RNA gene candidates for further studies.

Full article at: http://www.springerlink.com/content/05r343n43qx84406/?MUD=MP

It was a bittersweet discovery: a drug that extends life but at the cost of causing diabetes. Now the drug’s dual nature has been teased apart, raising the prospect of a new life-prolonging drug without the harmful side effects.

Rapamycin is regularly given to prevent transplant rejection…

geneticist:

Osmia Avosetta are solitary bees that build their nests by biting petals off of flowers, flying them back one by one, and gluing them together often using nectar as glue. Each nest is a papermache work of art that houses a single bee egg. (via)

Summary of my current and past research.

ohyeahdevelopmentalbiology:

ohyeahdevelopmentalbiology:

what do you call a fish without eyes?

Follicle-stimulating hormone

Still funny

ohyeahdevelopmentalbiology:

mothernaturenetwork:

Why women choose motherhood over science, maths careers
Researchers point to outdated university policies that in effect penalize women who want to have children.

Watch a killer T cell in action as it attacks a cancerous cell 

Source: geek.com