Capsaicin Receptor Has Distinct Responses to Different Stimuli - Technology Networks

Scientists have long known that capsaicin, the ingredient that makes chili peppers feel hot and is used in some pain-relief creams, works by activating a pain-sensing receptor known as TRPV1.

Cancer cells are proving trickier than we thought, so scientists are getting even trickier to shift the survival odds in our favor. Recent medical research has highlighted a significant issue: cancer cells display plasticity. Some cancer cells can spontaneously revert from a differentiated state to become 'immature' and stem-cell-like again, switching their identity to yield more diverse, aggressive, and proliferative tumors. As a result, they thwart traditional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, which aim to stop cellular division and kill cancerous (and other) cells outright. Unfortunately, these therapies may also create evolutionary pressure that favors more resistant and aggressive cancers that can more effectively spread throughout the body. So in a new experiment, medical researchers used the cannabis compound, THC, to push cancer cells to 'lock in' and make tumors less ferocious. A graphical abstract of the experiment.

Scientists have spent decades studying the brain's cells, connections, genes, and proteins. Yet another essential part of brain biology has received far less attention: lipids. These fatty molecules make up the membranes surrounding neurons, contribute to the myelin insulation that protects nerve fibers, and play important roles in communication between brain cells. Although lipids are fundamental to brain function, scientists have struggled to map where different types are located. Conventional imaging techniques cannot easily distinguish individual lipid molecules, leaving a major gap in our understanding of the brain's chemical organization.