New York (LabNews Media LLC) – Colon cancer cells can change their identity to spread to the liver and form new tumors there. This is shown by a study by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The focus is on the transcription factor GATA6. Normally, it ensures that the cells of the intestinal lining maintain their stable identity. In colon cancer cells, however, the loss of GATA6 leads them to transition to a more primitive, flexible state. They adopt fetal gene programs and switch from LGR5-positive to LGR5-negative cells, which are particularly capable of forming liver metastases. In mouse models, the genetic knockout of GATA6 led to a significant increase in liver metastases without significantly affecting the growth of the primary tumor. Conversely, restoring GATA6 reduced the cancer cells' ability to metastasize. The study suggests that… 

Baltimore (LabNews Media LLC) – An international research team has identified more than 600 previously unknown genes associated with schizophrenia using a novel gene network approach. The study was published in the journal Nature Genetics. Previous genetic studies have mostly focused on variants located near genes. The team led by Dr. Giulio Pergola from the Lieber Institute for Brain Development has now, for the first time, systematically considered long-range regulatory relationships between genes as well as gene co-expression networks in the brain. The analysis was based on genetic data from over 102,000 individuals and brain tissue samples from several brain regions. The researchers identified a total of 641 new genes associated with schizophrenia. The affected biological processes include, among others, glutamate signaling pathways, communication between brain cells, immune processes, and brain development. "Most genetic studies have only looked under the streetlight, focusing on genes near disease variants… 

Baltimore (LabNews Media LLC) – Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have discovered neurons in a very evolutionarily old part of the brain that play a key role in controlling attention. The inhibitory nerve cells, located in the brainstem, suppress distractions, thereby enabling selective spatial attention – in all vertebrates, from fish and birds to mammals. Previously, it was assumed that attention processes were mainly controlled by the highly developed prefrontal cortex. However, the new findings show that a much older brainstem circuit performs this function. When the researchers temporarily deactivated the corresponding neurons in mice, the animals became highly distractible. Even weak disruptive stimuli diverted their attention. The next day, when the neurons were reactivated, the mice were again able to successfully suppress distractions. "A hallmark of ADHD is that even weak distractions pull attention away – and that's exactly what we see here when...

Imagine a living cell whose genetic blueprint was never shaped by eons of trial-and-error evolution on Earth. Instead, it emerges from silicon-based intelligence running generative algorithms on vast oceans of sequence data. This cell divides, metabolizes, and interacts with its environment according to parameters chosen by code. Such scenarios are no longer distant speculation—they represent the accelerating frontier where artificial intelligence meets synthetic biology. This convergence marks a profound shift in humanity’s relationship with life itself. For the first time, non-biological minds are positioned to originate novel biological entities, moving beyond mere modification of existing organisms toward genuine creation. The implications ripple through science, philosophy, ethics, and our understanding of existence. This essay examines the evidence, the disruptions, and the deeper questions this development raises, offering an original perspective on what it means when intelligence becomes the architect of life.…