Exploring how neurons in human skin affect pigmentation

Your skin forms the physical boundary between you and the outside world, yet it still holds a surprising number of secrets. Now, researchers from Japan have discovered that sensory nerve cells in the skin do more than just ...

Fruit flies: Summer pests or scientific marvel?

Fly-swatting season is here. No sooner will you place your fresh strawberries on the kitchen counter than will the first fruit fly arrive. It won't take long for a platoon of Drosophila buddies to be hovering about the spoils.

How cells navigate in messy environments

Your cells need to get around. For example, immune cells must roam around your body to locate sites of infection, and neurons must migrate to specific positions in the brain during development. But cells do not have eyes ...

How taste cells can control a whole animal's foraging strategy

Neuroscientists have developed a computer model to explain how a nematode worm searches for food, revealing that single brain cells can both sense the environment and control a whole animal's foraging strategy.   

A common ancestor for cells involved in hearing and touch

The sensory cells in the inner ear and the touch receptors in the skin actually have a lot in common, according to a new study from the USC Stem Cell laboratory of Neil Segil published in the Proceedings of the National Academy ...

page 2 from 7