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• Researchers found that infectious bacteria in diabetic mice rapidly evolved resistance to antibiotics.
• Controlling blood sugar in the mice via insulin significantly reduced the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria.

• Scientists found that, when deprived of amino acids, cancer cells cooperated to extract and share them from their environment.
• Blocking a protein called CNDP2 shut down this cooperative survival strategy, suggesting a new potential target for cancer treatment.

Experiments in tiny freshwater animals suggest that certain tumors manipulate their host’s body to increase the likelihood of being transmitted to the next generation.

Using social robots is a promising approach for supporting senior citizens in the context of super-aging societies. The essential design factors for achieving socially acceptable robots include effective emotional expressions and cuteness. Past studies have reported the effectiveness of robot-initiated touching behaviors toward interacting partners on these two factors in the context of interaction with adults, although the effects of such touch behaviors on them are unknown in seniors. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of robot-initiated touch behaviors on perceived emotions (valence and arousal) and the feeling of kawaii, a common Japanese adjective for expressing cute, lovely, or adorable. In experiments with Japanese participants (adults: 21–49, seniors: 65–79) using a baby-type robot, our results showed that the robot’s touch significantly increased the perceived valence regardless of the expressed emotions and the ages of the participants. Our results also showed that the robot’s touch was effective in adults in the context of arousal and the feeling of kawaii, but not in seniors. We discussed the differential effects of robot-initiated touch between adults and seniors by focusing on emotional processing in the latter. The findings of this study have implications for designing social robots that have the capability of physical interaction with seniors.

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), a devastating pathogen of tomato crops, is vectored by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, yet the mechanisms underlying TYLVC epidemics are poorly understood. We found that TYLCV triggers the up-regulation of two β-myrcene biosynthesis genes in tomato, leading to the attraction of nonviruliferous B. tabaci. We also identified BtMEDOR6 as a key whitefly olfactory receptor of β-myrcene involved in the distinct preference of B. tabaci MED for TYLCV-infected plants. TYLCV inhibits the expression of BtMEDOR6, canceling this preference and thereby facilitating TYLCV transmission to uninfected plants. Greenhouse experiments corroborated the role of β-myrcene in whitefly attraction. These findings reveal a sophisticated viral strategy whereby TYLCV modulates both host plant attractiveness and vector olfactory perception to enhance its spread.

The discovery of a biological "third state" between life and death suggests that our cells may possess a form of consciousness. Science is divided.

An experimental treatment for an aggressive and lethal brain cancer has today been published in Nature Medicine, paving the way for a clinical trial to be conducted by researchers at The Brain Cancer Centre.

Would you let a scientist implant a parasite in your brain to treat an illness? The idea of using a parasite as a medical tool might seem outlandish, but it also offers hope for conditions like Parkinsons and Alzheimer’s. Researchers have speculated that if a parasite could deliver drugs directly to the brain, it might help doctors treat these conditions.

An international team of scientists is doing just that. They are using a single-celled parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii, which causes an infection called toxoplasmosis. The parasite naturally travels from the human gut to the central nervous system and delivers proteins to host cells. In the experiment, bioengineers hacked systems within the T. gondii’s cells that produce and release proteins outside the cell, called secretion systems.