Sarah Lempriere

The cat diaspora out of Africa Ancient DNA illuminates the origin and spread of the domestic cat

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Platform-independent experiments on social media Changing algorithms with artificial intelligence tools can influence partisan animosity

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

"Whereas cocaine’s 165-year history is marked by health risks and social disruption, the use of coca leaf has played a positive role in Andean and Amazonian societies …" White et al.

In a new #SciencePolicyForum, researchers argue that international drug policy must distinguish between the coca leaf—a sacred plant long cultivated in South America—and its purified chemical derivative, cocaine. https://scim.ag/3WNrR9j

Dissecting the genetic and proteomic risk factors for delirium - Nature Aging Delirium is a sudden change in mental function that is common in hospitalized older adults. To better understand this serious condition, Raptis et al. analyze large-scale genetic and proteomic dataset...

APOE gene raises delirium risk even without dementia, global analysis reveals www.nature.com/articles/s43...

#delirium #dementia #genetics #geriatrics #GeriSky #neurology #NeuroSkyence

Lab-grown models of human brains are advancing rapidly. Can ethics keep pace? Whether neural organoids feel pain or should be placed in animals are among the questions swirling around biology’s hot new technology

Lab-grown models of human brains are advancing rapidly. Can ethics keep pace? | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

A bacterial toxin disarms gut defenses against inflammation Macrophage-toxic bacteria from patients with ulcerative colitis worsen gut inflammation in mice

New discovery in ulcerative colitis: a bacterial toxin that kills macrophages and increases inflammation, which could be the foundation for a new treatment
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@science.org

The retina’s rhythm Calcium waves facilitate the emergence of sight

Check out my Perspective article “The Retina’s Rhythm” which accompanies an exciting paper by Claude Desplan in Science. I highlight his discovery that waves of calcium are required to finalize the honeycomb-like structure of the Drosophila retina.

www.science.org/doi/epdf/10....

CRISPR-Cas–mediated heritable chromosome fusions in Arabidopsis The genome of Arabidopsis thaliana consists of 10 chromosomes. By inducing CRISPR-Cas–mediated breaks at subcentromeric and subtelomeric sequences, we fused entire chromosome arms, obtaining two eight...

And now we have Arabidopsis plants with 8 chromosomes instead of 10 and no obvious phenotypic differences, this week in @science.org
#PlantScience
Paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Perspective here:
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Sponging away phylogenomic incongruence Genes with strong and consistent signals favor sponges as humans’ most distant animal relatives

Using an integrative phylogenomic approach, new research in Science reveals unprecedented phylogenomic support for sponges as the sister lineage to all other animals.

Learn more in a new #SciencePerspective: https://scim.ag/4r7SLqm

Programmable DNA insertion in native gut bacteria A gene-editing approach enables modification of bacteria within the mouse gut

also, an excellent perspective by @dbikard.bsky.social summarizing the work! 🙏
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I just finished my 2nd reading of this perspective. It is so great. The article captures a great deal about the sponge/ctenophore and is measured in its assessment of what the true tree is.

I absolutely share this position
bsky.app/profile/jlst...

Perimenopause: An understudied transition for the brain We know little about the mechanisms underlying well-known perimenopause symptoms in the brain. More research—in animals and humans—is essential.

www.thetransmitter.org/sex-hormones...

The neural circuits and signalling pathways of opioid use disorder - Nature Reviews Neuroscience In many parts of the world, opioid use disorder presents a growing challenge to public health, reinforcing the need to decipher its underlying mechanisms. Mathis et al. provide an overview of our curr...

The neural circuits and signalling pathways of opioid use disorder — a Review by Victor P. Mathis, Aliza T. Ehrlich & Emmanuel Darcq

#neuroscience #neuroskyence

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

This week on the @science.org podcast: A 3-decade partnership between archaeologists and the Kuikuro people offers a model of collaboration—and documents the complexity of early Amazonian societies.

LISTEN HERE 🎧 www.science.org/content/podc...

Lipid droplet growth is orchestrated by the seipin complex, which provides a structural platform for droplet nucleation and expansion. The microprotein adipogenin fine-tunes seipin’s conformation, remodeling its architecture to regulate lipid storage capacity. This modulation results in the formation of fewer but larger lipid droplets, revealing a key mechanism in lipid homeostasis.

Fat storage in the body relies on specialized structures called lipid droplets. In a new Science study, researchers identified the microprotein adipogenin as a regulator of adipocyte lipid droplet size, revealing a key mechanism in lipid homeostasis.

Learn more this week: https://scim.ag/4nFEGO7

How mRNA Vaccines Can Help Fight Cancer Turning "cold" tumors "hot"

How do mRNA vaccines help fight cancer?
A @nature.com paper today tells the story, one with big implications, as reviewed here
erictopol.substack.com/p/how-mrna-v...

How common cuckoos adapt to multiple hosts Genomic data reveal the complexity of egg mimicry evolution in cuckoos

Some beautiful images in this Perspective piece, and the science is fascinating too! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

End-Cretaceous asteroid impact

Also check out the great summary perspectives in @science.org by Lindsay Zanno featuring @nataliajagielska.bsky.social’s incredible illustration of the end-Cretaceous asteroid impact: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Cell-type- and locus-specific epigenetic editing of memory expression - Nature Genetics CRISPR-based epigenetic editing is used in a cell-type-specific, locus-restricted and temporally controllable manner in the adult mouse brain to modulate memory expression.

🚨The paper from my postdoc in @graeffjohannes.bsky.social’s lab at @epfl-brainmind.bsky.social is out! We show that memories can be switched on and off by simply changing the « packaging » of DNA in neurons through epigenetic editing. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Urban pests traveled with ancient humans Population genomics reveals the pre-urban origins of a common mosquito

There is a form of mosquito that lives in subways and tube tunnels across the world - did it evolve recently to take advantage of this urban environment or has it been around for much longer? www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The paradox of kin avoidance in parasitic plants Parasitic plants use glucosylation to avoid kin parasitism

Parasitic plants attach to host plants to siphon off water and nutrients, but how do they avoid parasitizing their own kind? www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Diving in with Nachum Ulanovsky With an eye toward realism, the neuroscientist, who has a new study about bats out today, creates microcosms of the natural world to understand animal behavior.

Naturalistic approaches such as Ulanovsky’s open up “potential opportunities to really reveal why the brain is structured in the way it’s structured,” says Iain Couzin.

By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social

#neuroskyence

www.thetransmitter.org/neuroetholog...

Kiss, shrink, run A unified mechanism directs synaptic vesicle release

Kiss, Shrink, Run ⛹🏻‍♀️ New Perspective in @science.org about one of my favourite topics: how synapses and their tiny vesicles communicate in the brain. Chang-Lu Tao and colleagues reveal a previously unknown pathway for vesicle release. Read more here: doi.org/10.1126/scie... @istaresearch.bsky.social

UK Glia 2026 UK Glia 2026 meeting will highlight the pivotal role of glia in brain physiology, offering invaluable insights for those investigating glia function in both health and disease. Find out more about the...

📢 June 8th-9th 2026 Bristol University 📢

We have partnered with @physoc.bsky.social to organise the 2nd meeting Bristol. It is a privilege to announce Professor Baljit Khakh, FRS will join us in the UK.

Check out the exciting programme here:
www.physoc.org/events/uk-gl...

#neuroskyence #glia

Kiss, shrink, run A unified mechanism directs synaptic vesicle release

Kiss, shrink, run | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Neural compass in the sky Head-direction neurons maintain stable directional signals during large-scale navigation in the wild

Neural compass in the sky | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

YouTube video by Weizmann Institute of Science Bat Island: The New Era of Science

Neuroscience projects last several years, and you are usually a bit jaded by the time you wrap it up. Not this one– spending several months on an island in the middle of nowhere, away from all the craziness of the world reminds you how beautiful the world really is.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=46sv...

Natural directed evolution in gut microbiota Bacteria undergo rapid genetic changes that are selected by alterations in the human gut environment

Bacteria undergo rapid genetic changes that are selected by alterations in the human gut environment.

Learn more in a new #SciencePerspective: https://scim.ag/4qaRWNh

Wonderful to see this beautiful image on the cover of Science this week highlighting a paper that uses high resolution imaging to show the spatial patterns of bacterial attraction to glutamine from roots.
Paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Perspective here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Longevity steps on the cGAS A DNA repair function in a cytosolic sensor demonstrates a potential role in naked mole-rat longevity

A DNA repair function in a cytosolic sensor demonstrates a potential role in naked mole-rat longevity
@science.org
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