Tag Archive for 'Skin'

Crawford et al demonstrated that squid genes can be efficiently disrupted using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Image credit: Crawford et al, doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.099.

Scientists Create Transparent Squid Using CRISPR-Cas9 Technology

Aug 3, 2020 by News Staff

A team of researchers from the Marine Biological Laboratory, Harvard University and St. Mary’s College of Maryland has demonstrated efficient gene knockout...

Overview of bacterial biotransformation of the odorless physiological malodor precursor Cys-Gly-3M3SH, which is secreted onto the surface of skin by underarm apocrine glands, subcutaneously located in the hypodermis. In Staphylococcus hominis, Cys-Gly-3M3SH is actively transported by the di-/tri-peptide transporter (DtpT) along with the movement of protons (1). Once inside the cell the terminal glycine is cleaved by a dipeptidase (PepA) to release Cys-3M3SH (2), which is metabolized by a C-S β-lyase liberating volatile 3M3SH (3), which diffuses or is exported out of the cell (4). The catabolism of Cys-Gly-3M3SH provides carbon and nitrogen as nutritional incentive in the form of glycine, ammonia and pyruvate. Image credit: Rudden et al, doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-68860-z.

Key Enzyme behind Human Underarm Malodor Identified

Jul 28, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

A team of researchers from the University of York, the University of St Andrews and Unilever R&D has discovered a unique enzyme responsible for the...

Conceptual illustrations of drawing on-skin electronics on paper using a 9B sketching pencil. Image credit: Xu et al, doi: 10.1073/pnas.2008422117.

Researchers Use Pencil to Draw Bioelectronic Devices on Human Skin

Jul 26, 2020 by News Staff

Scientists from the University of Missouri, the University of Illinois and Yale University have demonstrated that a combination of pencils and paper could...

This deep-sea dragonfish Idiacanthus sp. has ultra-black skin capable of absorbing the bioluminescent light that might blow its cover. Image credit: Karen Osborn, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

Biologists Identify 16 Deep-Sea Fish Species with Ultra-Black Camouflage

Jul 16, 2020 by News Staff

In a paper published today in the journal Current Biology, a team of marine biologists from the United States and the United Kingdom investigated the distribution...

A hair-bearing skin organoid. Image credit: Indiana University School of Medicine.

Scientists Create Hair-Bearing Human Skin from Pluripotent Stem Cells

Jun 5, 2020 by News Staff

A team of researchers from several U.S. institutions has created an organoid culture system that generates complex skin from human pluripotent stem cells. A...

Left: squid reflectin protein nanostructures in human cells (dark regions, with some indicated by white arrows). Right: associated pathlength for light traveling through a given area (red corresponds to longer pathlengths and blue corresponds to shorter pathlengths). Image credit: Atouli Chatterjee / University of California, Irvine.

Researchers Create Human Cells with Tunable Optical Properties

Jun 4, 2020 by News Staff

By drawing inspiration from the structures and functionalities of squid skin cells, a team of researchers designed and engineered human cells that contain...

Anava et al used ancient DNA extraction from Dead Sea Scroll fragments made of animal skin to determine fragment origin and show unification of scrolls from distinct geological locations, highlighting the potential for genetics to illuminate the history of archaeological objects. Image credit: Anava et al, doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.04.046.

Scientists Unravel Genetic Mysteries of Dead Sea Scrolls

Jun 3, 2020 by News Staff

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls had an incomparable impact on the historical understanding of Judaism and Christianity. ‘Piecing together’ scroll...

Suffering from skin damage from face masks? Gefen et al offer remedies to health staff and the general public. Image credit: Leo2014.

COVID-19: Suffering from Skin Damage from Protective Masks? Researchers Offer Remedies to Heal

Apr 7, 2020 by News Staff

Healthcare professionals on the COVID-19 frontline are spending many hours a day wearing face masks, and many members of the general public are doing the...

The red brittle star (Ophiocoma wendtii). Image credit: Kent Miller / CC BY-ND 4.0.

Red Brittle Stars See with Light-Sensitive Skin Cells, Study Shows

Jan 6, 2020 by News Staff

The red brittle star (Ophiocoma wendtii), a relative of starfish that inhabits coral reefs from Bermuda to Brazil, first captured scientific attention...

Beta-carophyllene, a compound included in essential oils, improves the healing process in mice when it is topically applied to a skin wound. Image credit: Marina Pershina.

Bioactive Compound in Essential Oils Enhances Wound Healing: Study

Dec 31, 2019 by Enrico de Lazaro

Beta-carophyllene, a bicyclic sesquiterpene found in lavender, rosemary and ylang ylang, as well as various herbs and spices, has the capability to improve...

An artist’s reconstruction of Lola, a woman who chewed the Syltholm birch pitch. Image credit: Tom Björklund.

Researchers Extract and Sequence Human DNA from 5,700-Year-Old ‘Chewing Gum’

Dec 18, 2019 by Sergio Prostak

An international team of scientists has successfully sequenced ancient DNA extracted from a 5,700-year-old piece of chewed birch pitch from southern Denmark....

Model of dynamic interactions between the skin immune system (SIS) and its microbial/chemical milieu in human facial skin: (A) infancy -- before the development of stabilized microbial communities, an early tolerogenic interaction between the maturing SIS and the microbiota is prevalent; (B) after this initial period, a homeostatic crosstalk evolves between the developed SIS and a childhood-type stable microbiota; (C) adolescence -- enhanced sebum secretion and shift in the microbiota composition (and probably other uncovered events, e.g., barrier breach) might contribute to a dynamic change in the communication between the SIS and the microbiota in the skin, leading to inflammatory interactions; cytokines associated with a homeostatic dialog may become highly increased in acne lesions (relative to non-lesions), promoting inflammation together with newly secreted proinflammatory mediators produced by keratinocytes, dendritic cells (DCs), and subsequently, infiltrating inflammatory T helper (Th)1 and Th17(23) (for IL-23) cells, neutrophils, and macrophages; these mediators initiate follicular hyperkeratinization, closure of the follicular infundibulum, comedone formation, and the development of acne papules, pustules, and nodules; the extent and time course of inflammation can vary across a wide spectrum among teenagers; (D) following the resolution of acne, in adult SGR skin, under steady-state, SIS and region-specific microbes carry on a homeostatic dialog with the microbiota again, mediated by the controlled production of innate immune-cell-derived factors, including complement components, AMPs, IL-1, TSLP, and IL-7; hair follicles may play a pivotal role in this crosstalk, supporting the residency and recruitment of LCs, Tregs, ILCs, as well as nonpathogenic Th17(β) cells to maintain homeostasis; upward arrows depict increases (expression, concentrations, and ratios). Propionibacterium acnes (Propionibacteriaceae) = Cutibacterium acnes. Other relevant bacterial genera are noted in the schematic. Abbreviations: AMP - antimicrobial peptide, IL – interleukin, ILC - innate lymphoid cell, LC - Langerhans cell, mDC - myeloid dendritic cell, RORγt - RAR-related orphan receptor γt, SGR - sebaceous gland rich, SIS - skin immune system, TGF - transforming growth factor, Th - T helper, Treg - regulatory T cell, TSLP - thymic stromal lymphopoietin. Image credit: Szegedi et al, doi: 10.1016/j.it.2019.08.006.

Adolescent Acne Vulgaris is Naturally Developing, Transient Inflammatory State, Researchers Say

Oct 1, 2019 by News Staff

Acne vulgaris, which occurs in 44-95% of teenagers of varying ethnicities, represents a natural, transient inflammatory interaction of adolescent facial...

Abdo et al discovered a meshlike organ covering the skin that senses dangerous environmental stimuli. Image credit: Tarkan K.

Researchers Discover New Pain Organ in Human Skin

Aug 19, 2019 by News Staff

A team of scientists at Karolinska Institutet has discovered a previously unknown meshlike organ in the skin that is sensitive to painful mechanical damage,...

Green biofluorescence in swell sharks (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum). Image credit: Park et al, doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.07.019.

New Form of Biofluorescence Discovered

Aug 13, 2019 by News Staff

A team of U.S. researchers has discovered a previously undescribed group of small molecule metabolites responsible for the green biofluorescence in two...

Pavement burns account for significant burn-related injuries in the Southwestern United States and other hot climates with nearly continuous sunlight and daily maximum temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). Image credit: Johannes Plenio.

Study: In Hot Climates, Pavements Can Be Hot Enough to Cause Second-Degree Burns within Seconds

Aug 1, 2019 by News Staff

In a study published recently in the Journal of Burn Care & Research, a team of researchers reviewed all pavement burn injury admissions into a Las...

Swimming in Ocean Alters Diversity and Composition of Human Skin Microbiome, Study Shows

Jun 25, 2019 by News Staff

A new study by University of California, Irvine researchers has found that recreational ocean water exposure changes the human skin microbiome, and waterborne...

Minisauripus: natural impression (A) and cast (B) of track TL 2 showing area enlarged in frame F; note skin traces in hypex area between digits II and III; (C) natural cast of track TR1, showing area enlarged in frame E; note narrow, digit II intersecting raindrop impressions; (D) isolated track t; note skin traces in hypex area between digits II and III; E and F details of skin trace ornament in 2.0 x 2.0 mm areas of digits IV and II respectively from tracks TL2 and TR1; casts show in frames B-F are essentially replicas of the living foot. Image credit: Kim et al, doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-38633-4.

Paleontologists Find Exquisitely-Preserved Dinosaur Skin Traces

Apr 15, 2019 by News Staff

Several footprints and exquisitely-preserved skin impressions made by a small theropod dinosaur approximately 120 million years ago (Aptian age of the...

Two large iguanodontian footprints with skin and claw impressions from the Lee Ness Sandstone of the Ashdown Formation. Image credit: Neil Davies.

Early Cretaceous Dinosaur Footprints Discovered in Southern England

Dec 19, 2018 by News Staff

Paleontologists in southern England have uncovered a set of well-preserved footprints made by at least seven different dinosaur species about 140 million...

Stenopterygius ichthyosaur’s fossilized skin forming the trailing edge of the right pelvic fin. Image credit: Johan Lindgren.

Early Jurassic Ichthyosaur Was Warm-Blooded, Had Blubber and Camouflage, Well-Preserved Soft Tissues Show

Dec 10, 2018 by News Staff

An international team of paleontologists has found the exceptionally preserved remains of a Stenopterygius ichthyosaur that lived 180 million years ago...

Increased caffeine intake from coffee was inversely associated with the risk of incident rosacea. Image credit: Couleur.

Caffeinated Coffee Consumption Lowers Risk of Rosacea: Study

Oct 23, 2018 by Enrico de Lazaro

Consuming caffeine from coffee but not from other foods is associated with a lower risk of rosacea, a common chronic inflammatory skin disease, according...

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