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Methylated DNA
Stress Increases Biological Age, But Recovery Can Revert It
A new study relying on DNA methylation clocks suggests that the biological age of mouse and human cells can fluctuate in response to stressful events.
Stress Increases Biological Age, But Recovery Can Revert It
Stress Increases Biological Age, But Recovery Can Revert It

A new study relying on DNA methylation clocks suggests that the biological age of mouse and human cells can fluctuate in response to stressful events.

A new study relying on DNA methylation clocks suggests that the biological age of mouse and human cells can fluctuate in response to stressful events.

stress

A colorful image of a tumor
Opinion: Stopping the Cancer Cells that Thrive on Chemotherapy
Chengsheng Wu, David Cheresh, and Sara Weis; The Conversation | Jan 17, 2023 | 5 min read
Research into how pancreatic tumors adapt to stress could lead to a new treatment approach.
A male and female lizard sit together on a fence post with grass in the foreground
Climate Change Prematurely Ages Lizards Before They’re Born
Amanda Heidt | Aug 9, 2022 | 2 min read
Lizards born to parents that experienced persistent heat had shortened telomeres, a genetic weathering that typically happens with age but can also be exacerbated by stress.
Artist’s rendering of aquamarine T cells in front of a blue and green background.
Study Links Stress to a Faster-Aging Immune System
Margaret Osborne | Jun 21, 2022 | 4 min read
Health data from 5,744 adults over the age of 50 reveals an association between stressors such as discrimination and a relatively small proportion of younger infection-fighting immune cells.
mouse nose peeking out from between two yellow objects
Not-so-Mellow Yellow: Pregnant Mice’s Urine Stresses Out Males
Sophie Fessl, PhD | Jun 20, 2022 | 3 min read
An odorant found in the pee of pregnant mice—and in bananas—induces stress but also relieves pain in male mice, a study shows.
Drosophila melanogaster on cactus leaf
Fruit Flies Evolve in Time with the Seasons: Study
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Mar 17, 2022 | 5 min read
Researchers find that evolution can operate on extraordinarily fast timescales.
Black and white photo of Rechtschaffen looking at the camera
Pioneering Sleep Researcher Allan Rechtschaffen Dies at 93
Lisa Winter | Dec 22, 2021 | 2 min read
Rechtschaffen sought to understand the evolutionary purpose of shut-eye.
babies
Sex Ratios at Birth Linked to Pollutants
Chloe Tenn | Dec 3, 2021 | 2 min read
A large, long-term study across the US and Sweden finds potential correlations between specific pollutants and the proportions of male and female babies born.
False color image of two Caenorhabditis elegans roundworms; blue on a black background
Mitochondrial Stress Is Passed Between Generations
Amanda Heidt | Dec 1, 2021 | 3 min read
Researchers identified a novel mechanism by which chemically induced stress is “remembered” by the mitochondria of worms more than 50 generations after the original trigger.
How C. elegans Transmit Stress Signals to Offspring
Infographic: How C. elegans Transmit Stress Signals to Offspring
Amanda Heidt | Dec 1, 2021 | 1 min read
Neurons stressed with chemicals produce Wnt, which in turn triggers changes in the germline.
Rounded red and green fluorescent cells are visible on a light and dark gray background
Neurons Firing Together Generate Spontaneous Pain
Abby Olena, PhD | Nov 10, 2021 | 4 min read
Abnormal sympathetic neuron growth leads to simultaneous activation of clusters of sensory neurons, causing the difficult-to-treat sensation.
Stress Paralyzes Immune Cells
Emma Yasinski | Jul 1, 2021 | 2 min read
Scientists show that an influx of noradrenaline can halt immune cells in mice.
An illustration of a woman in bed unable to sleep. The bedside clock reads 2:30. Her brain and heart are glowing.
Infographic: Pathways from Noise to Cardiovascular Damage
Thomas Münzel and Omar Hahad | Jun 1, 2021 | 2 min read
Research in mice and humans points to oxidative stress and inflammation as likely drivers of noise-induced health effects such as hypertension and heart disease.
Broken Heart Syndrome Linked to the Brain
Amanda Heidt | Jun 1, 2021 | 2 min read
A chronically stressed amygdala can prime the heart to overreact to acute stress events, a new study shows.
Clip art of a crane, car, and plane flying over a city outside the window of two people in bed not sleeping, with a starry night background
How Environmental Noise Harms the Cardiovascular System
Thomas Münzel and Omar Hahad | Jun 1, 2021 | 10+ min read
Sound from cars, aircraft, trains, and other man-made machines is more than just annoying. It increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
two tomato plants in pots viewed from the top, one scraggly with yellow leaves and one healthier-looking
Stress-Response Compound Widespread in Animals Is Found in Plants
Shawna Williams | May 22, 2021 | 4 min read
TMAO appears to both stabilize other plant proteins and influence the expression of stress-response genes, researchers report.
High Stress Hormone Levels Halt Mouse Fur Growth
Jef Akst | Apr 1, 2021 | 4 min read
Corticosterone interferes with signaling in the skin that normally activates hair follicle stem cells, possibly explaining the link between stress and hair loss.
Ten Minute Sabbatical
Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon | Apr 1, 2021 | 4 min read
Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse.
early-life stress, histone, chromatin, epigenetics, epigenetic modification, methylation, DNA, protein, stress, adversity, mice, genetics, genomics
Early-Life Stress Exerts Long-Lasting Effects Via Epigenome
Asher Jones | Mar 18, 2021 | 5 min read
In mice, epigenetic marks made on histones during infancy influence depression-like behavior during adulthood. A drug that reverses the genomic tags appears to undo the damage.
Contributors
The Scientist Staff | Jul 13, 2020 | 3 min read
Meet some of the people featured in the July/August 2020 issue of The Scientist.
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