Epigenetic noise: Unappreciated process helps cells change identity
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 11-Sep-2025 08:11 ET (11-Sep-2025 12:11 GMT/UTC)
In a groundbreaking study, University of Utah researchers found strong evidence that exposure to industrial pollutionduring pregnancy can shape a grandchild’s neurodevelopment. A child has a higher risk of an intellectual disability if their grandmothers lived near industrial facilities while pregnant with a parent, especially the mother. Higher density of industrial facilities corresponded to higher risk for the grandchild.
When triple-negative breast cancer grows, the fat cells around it seem to shrink.
UCSF researchers have discovered that the cells of these tumors, which are among the deadliest types of breast cancer, build molecular tunnels, called gap junctions, into nearby fat cells. The tumor cells then send instructions that trigger the fat cells to release stores of energy that could feed the cancer.