Could the cellular mechanisms that cause sunburns help creating more stable therapeutics? Studying the effect of ultraviolet light on strands of DNA put together in various structures, we have discovered that gentle irradiation could protect the DNA from being degraded. This overcomes a major hurdle for translation into clinics without requiring extensive modifications.

FASER, a small experiment at the CERN LHC, searches for new hypothetical particles proposed in theories that try to address some of the open questions of the Standard Model of particle physics. To enhance its discovery potential, an instrument using novel high-resolution silicon sensors was approved to be added to the experiment during the LHC Run-3, which has just started.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus rarely infects olfactory sensory neurons yet causes widespread anosmia. To explain this apparent paradox, we found that odour detection is impaired due to virus-mediated disruption of nuclear architecture.

Tiny fluorescent molecules, inspired by the color-changing lobster pigment, have been developed to visualize and measure the tension of various cellular membranes. It is the first time scientists can observe the consequences of an invisible force acting in real-time inside cells.

We, humans, can combine a limited number of words into an unlimited number of possible sentences using syntax. We tested whether our closest living relatives, monkeys and apes, are able to understand sound sequences that follow some of the rules of language, shedding light on the mysterious evolutionary origins of this ability.

Current antidepressants are not effective for more than half of the patients with depression. Treatment-resistant depression has fueled research into additional classes of drugs with antidepressant potentials such as botulinum toxin or Botox. However, due to its general popularity in cosmetic use, its use in psychiatry is misunderstood and often mischaracterized.