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Scientists at the FBM-UNIL have identified a new role for the locus coeruleus in sleep and sleep disorders. This brain region enables the transition between sleep states and the maintenance of essential unconscious vigilance. Stress disrupts its functions and impacts sleep quality. Sleep disorders affect a growing number of people, with potentially serious consequences for their health.

Chimpanzees are known for their remarkable intelligence and use of tools, but could their cultures also evolve over time like human cultures? A new, multidisciplinary study led by the University of Zurich suggests that some of their most advanced behaviors may have been passed down and refined through generations.

Researchers at the Friedrich Miescher Institute (FMI) have developed an innovative tool that maps how proteases—enzymes that process proteins—interact with their targets. This tool sheds light on the highly selective nature of proteases, which were previously thought to be indiscriminate in their function.

A study by the University of Fribourg suggests that turtles' shells are a major hindrance to their evolutionary development, which would explain the low number of species compared with other animal groups .

The Aztec skull whistle produces a piercing, scream-like sound. According to a study by the University of Zurich, this sound has a strong frightening effect on the human brain. It is assumed that the Aztecs used this effect specifically in their sacrificial rituals in order to influence the participants emotionally.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have discovered a mechanism behind the yo-yo effect: fat cells have a memory that is based on epigenetics. Anyone who has ever tried to get rid of a few extra kilos knows the frustration: the weight drops initially, only to be back within a matter of weeks - the yo-yo effect has struck.

A UNIGE study has uncovered an unexpected mechanism used by the protein interleukin-38 to form condensates, major drivers of skin renewal. The mechanisms underlying skin renewal are still poorly understood. Interleukin-38 (IL-38), a protein involved in regulating inflammatory responses, could be a game changer.

Researchers at ETH Zurich are utilising artificial intelligence to analyse the behaviour of laboratory mice more efficiently and reduce the number of animals in experiments. There is one specific task that stress researchers who conduct animal experiments need to be particularly skilled at. This also applies to researchers who want to improve the conditions in which laboratory animals are kept.

Scientists at EPFL have advanced their NeuroMechFly model, simulating fruit fly movement in the real world. With integrated vision and smell, it helps us understand brain-body coordination, setting a path for neuroengineering's role in robotics and AI. All animals, large or small, have to move at an incredible precision to interact with the world.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have combined two gene editing methods. This enables them to quickly investigate the significance of many genetic mutations involved in the development and treatment of cancer. In recent years, scientists have created a range of new methods based on CRISPR-Cas technology for precisely editing the genetic material of living organisms.

Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) contributes to research on sleep and related issues through the work and publications of Prof. Emiliano Albanese, Full Professor at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at USI, and Prof. Mauro Manconi, Full Professor of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at USI.

Researchers at the University of Bern, in collaboration with international partners, have discovered that a 'gene desert' section of the genome plays an important role in the development of the embryo and the heart in both mice and humans. The study provides further evidence for the significance of gene-free DNA segments in gene regulation and offers approaches for early detection of cardiac diseases.

The CRISPR tool is capable of repairing the genetic defect responsible for the immune disease chronic granulomatous disease. However, researchers at the University of Zurich have now shown that there is a risk of inadvertently introducing other defects. The CRISPR molecular scissors have the potential to revolutionize the treatment of genetic diseases.

Disfigured faces, impressively deformed. Wrinkles, swellings, parts of the lips that are no longer there, mouths and noses that have almost disappeared. These are the slow but inexorable effects of cocaine. Professor Matteo Trimarchi, Professor of Otorhinolaryngology at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences of Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and Head of Otorhinolaryngology Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC ), spoke about these severe effects, even among the youngest, in an interview with La Domenica.

The hepatitis E virus affects the liver. But infected liver cells secrete a viral protein that reacts with antibodies in the blood and may form complexes that can damage the filter structure of the kidneys, as researchers from the University of Zurich and the University Hospital Zurich have proven for the first time.

Researchers have combined virtual reality, non-invasive brain stimulation and advanced brain imaging techniques to improve spatial navigation in healthy participants. The study is a first step in addressing dementia in an aging population without medication or surgery. As we age, it becomes more difficult to remember where things are-whether it's recalling where we left the keys or where we parked the car.

In common marmosets, the brain regions that process social interactions develop very slowly, extending until early adulthood, like in humans.

In dementia diseases such as Alzheimer's, incorrectly folded proteins accumulate in the brain. researchers have now resolved a particularly active species of protein fibrils with unprecedented precision. The formation of potentially toxic molecules on the surface of protein fibrils was studied from early to late stages spanning over a period of hours.

A new study by EPFL reveals that the notorious bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa must balance between effectively colonizing human airways and developing antibiotic tolerance to survive. Imagine trying to settle into a new home while constantly being attacked. That's what the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa faces when it infects the lungs, and it can't both spread and protect itself from antibiotics at the same time.

According to a new study, chimpanzees, like humans, must contend with a confined bony birth canal when giving birth. In humans, the problem was exacerbated by our unique form of upright walking since this led to a twisting of the bony birth canal, while the fetal head got larger. The "obstetrical dilemma" therefore evolved gradually over the course of primate evolution rather than suddenly in humans as originally argued.