Free Republic

A mouse study has found the sugar 2-deoxy-D-ribose stimulates hair regrowth. Put down the rosemary oil and pause the red light therapy, research suggests the secret to curing male pattern baldness could lie in a sugar that occurs naturally in our bodies. In a mouse model of testosterone-driven hair loss, the sugar, called 2-deoxy-D-ribose, stimulated hair regrowth just as effectively as existing treatment minoxidil – the active ingredient in Rogaine. Though commonly referred to as male pattern baldness, the condition, also known as hereditary-patterned baldness or androgenetic alopecia, affects women too. In fact, up to 40 percent of people experience...

For the first time, mice born to two fathers have grown up and produced offspring, scientists in China have revealed. The researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University managed to insert two sperm cells - one from each father - into a mouse egg whose nucleus had been removed. A gene editing technique was then used to reprogram parts of the sperm DNA to allow an embryo to develop – a process called androgenesis. The embryo, featuring the genetic material from two fathers, was transferred to a female womb and allowed to grow to term. Finally, the resulting offspring (male) managed...

A new study led by Prof. Omry Koren has unveiled significant evidence connecting the gut microbiome to aggressive behavior in mice. The research explores how disruptions in the microbiome, particularly due to antibiotic use in early life, can lead to increased aggression. The study builds on previous findings that demonstrated a correlation between antibiotic exposure and heightened aggression in fruit flies. By utilizing a mouse model, the researchers have taken this investigation a step further, examining behavioral, biochemical, and neurological changes in response to microbiome alterations. The team also transplanted a microbiome derived from infants who had received antibiotics shortly...