The temporal structure of speech rhythms resembles that of the communication signals of numerous animal species. This is shown by a recent study conducted by a research team from the Leibniz Centre for General Linguistics (ZAS) in Berlin, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, the University of Regensburg and the Institute for Advanced Studies at Aix-Marseille University. For the study, speech recordings from 48 languages across all inhabited continents were analysed and compared with rhythmic data from animal species such as fish, seals and birds. The aim was to determine whether the rhythm of human speech is unique, and if not, how…

Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen team examines human migrations from the past 3,000 years that shaped diversity of Remote Oceania Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Team des Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment an der Universität Tübingen untersucht Wanderungen der Menschen der vergangenen 3.000 Jahre im Südpazifik Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

An EU-funded research project coordinated by the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) has uncovered how the pancreas develops, adapts, and changes in disease. The study has now been published in Cell Metabolism. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Researchers from the Universities of Hildesheim, Bonn, and Freiburg have now uncovered how human skeletal muscle responds to resistance exercise at the molecular level. Their findings provide new insights that could help optimize training programs for athletes, improve rehabilitation strategies, and counteract age-related muscle loss. Resistance training is essential for maintaining healthy skeletal muscle throughout life. The World Health Organization now recommends moderate muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week, even for older adults, to help prevent the loss of muscle strength. The new study is published in the latest issue of Nature Communications. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Eine heute in „Nature Communications“ veröffentlichte Studie legt nahe, dass zwei der bekanntesten Trends der menschlichen Evolution – das Wachstum des Gehirns sowie die Verkleinerung von Gesicht und Kiefer – möglicherweise weit weniger auf gezielte natürliche Selektion zurückgehen, als Wissenschaftler*innen lange angenommen haben. Die Ergebnisse von Forschenden der University of Tennessee – Knoxville und des Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (SHEP) an der Universität Tübingen deuten stattdessen auf einen langsameren und vermutlich stärker eingeschränkten Evolutionsprozess hin, als es die traditionelle Lehrbuchdarstellung nahelegt. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Renate Schweizer and her team receive the Replication Prize from the Organization for Human Brain Mapping Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

A global analysis of fish biodiversity using environmental DNA (eDNA) reveals how human activity and climate influence biodiversity patterns in river ecosystems. An international research team led by the University of Zurich, Eawag and Yunnan University has found that in warmer climates biodiversity accumulation is more pronounced as river catchment size increases, while human activities weaken this relationship. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Human health risks associated with the natural environment and the human activities therein are interconnected, comprise a wide range of spatial scales and are temporally dynamic and changing. It has been recognized that the health of our natural environment and human health are inextricably linked. Our planet is changing in an unprecedented rate and new challenges emerge from climate and environmental change, globalization, urbanization, and lifestyle changes. Quelle: IDW Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

It is only recently that scientists have been able to observe tiny viruses and their behavior. Bacteria are a thousand times larger than viruses, and our human cells are a thousand times larger than bacteria. We still don’t know what viruses are and how they can have such a complex lifestyle while consisting of just […] Quelle: John Lieff, M.D

Muhammad A Shah, Emily L Denton, Cheryl H Arrowsmith, Mathieu Lupien and Matthieu Schapira Abstract Background The notion that epigenetic mechanisms may be central to cancer initiation and progression is supported by recent next-generation sequencing efforts revealing that genes involved in chromatin-mediated signaling are recurrently mutated in cancer patients. Results Here, we analyze mutational and transcriptional profiles from TCGA and the ICGC across a collection 441 chromatin factors and histones. Chromatin factors essential for rapid replication are frequently overexpressed, and those that maintain genome stability frequently mutated. We identify novel mutation hotspots such as K36M in histone H3.1, and uncover…

Daniel Smeets, Yolanda Markaki, Volker J Schmid, Felix Kraus, Anna Tattermusch, Andrea Cerase, Michael Sterr, Susanne Fiedler, Justin Demmerle, Jens Popken, Heinrich Leonhardt, Neil Brockdorff, Thomas Cremer1, Lothar Schermelleh and Marion Cremer Abstract Background A Xist RNA decorated Barr body is the structural hallmark of the compacted inactive X territory in female mammals. Using super-resolution three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy (3D-SIM) and quantitative image analysis, we compared its ultrastructure with active chromosome territories (CTs) in human and mouse somatic cells, and explored the spatio-temporal process of Barr body formation at onset of inactivation in early differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs)….

Susanne Rittinghausen, Anja Hackbarth, Otto Creutzenberg, Heinrich Ernst, Uwe Heinrich, Albrecht Leonhardt and Dirk Schaudien Abstract Background Biological effects of tailor-made multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) without functionalization were investigated in vivo in a two-year carcinogenicity study. In the past, intraperitoneal carcinogenicity studies in rats using biopersistent granular dusts had always been negative, whereas a number of such studies with different asbestos fibers had shown tumor induction. The aim of this study was to identify possible carcinogenic effects of MWCNTs. We compared induced tumors with asbestos-induced mesotheliomas and evaluated their relevance for humans by immunohistochemical methods. Methods A total of 500…