Fingerprint of sleep habits as warning sign for heart disease

Chronic short sleep is associated with increased risk of clogged arteries, heart disease, and thus increased morbidity and mortality. New research in Experimental Physiology may have figured out why lack of sleep increases susceptibility to heart disease, and allowing doctors to identify the patients who might need to change their habits before they develop disease.

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Study identifies viral peptides critical to natural HIV control

Investigators at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard have used a novel approach to identify specific amino acids in the protein structure of HIV that appear critical to the ability of the virus to function and replicate. They also have found that the immune systems of individuals naturally able to control HIV infection target these amino acids with pathogen-killing CD8 T cells, an ability seen even in controllers who do not carry versions of the HLA-B protein previously associated with HIV control. The report appears in the May 3 issue of Science and could guide the development of broadly protective vaccines to prevent and suppress HIV infection.

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Sculpting super-fast light pulses: Nanopillars shape light precisely for practical applications

Imagine being able to shape a pulse of light in any conceivable manner—compressing it, stretching it, splitting it in two, changing its intensity or altering the direction of its electric field.

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Synthetic biology used to target cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue, study reports

Synthetic proteins engineered to recognize overly active biological pathways can kill cancer cells while sparing their healthy peers, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

* This article was originally published here