Summary: We have known for a long time that alcohol changes the way the brain works, but new research has discovered a surprising direct mechanism: alcohol does not only affect brain chemistry – its breakdown products (metabolites) directly control genes. The study shows that these epigenetic “rewrites” occur throughout the entire brain after long-term exposure, … Read more
The transition from water to land is a question that still puzzles scientists. Those ancient organisms would need to adapt to the many new challenges of life outside of water. So, how did they do that? In the 2025 study, my colleagues and I tried to understand the genetic basis of adaptation to life on … Read more
For thousands of years, people living high in the Andes of Argentina have relied on drinking water that could make many people sick. There, arsenic naturally occurring in the volcanic rocks seeps into the groundwater, contaminating local water supplies with levels of the toxic metalloid that can pose serious health risks to many people. But … Read more