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Friday, November 21, 2025

Two plant species invent the same chemically complex and medically interesting substance

The biosynthesis of the great variety of natural plant products has not yet been elucidated for many medically interesting substances. In a new study, an international team of researchers was able to show how ipecacuanha alkaloids, substances used in traditional medicine, are synthesized. They compared two distantly related plant species and were able to show that although both plant species use a comparable chemical approach, the enzymes they need for synthesis differ and a different starting material is used. Further investigations revealed that the biosynthetic pathways of these complex chemical compounds have developed independently in the two species. These results help to enable the synthesis of these and related substances on a larger scale for medical use.

Large-scale immunity profiling grants insights into flu virus evolution

A new study shows how person-to-person variation in antibody immunity plays a key role in shaping which influenza (flu) strains dominate in a population.

Syphilis and drug-resistant gonorrhoea increasing

Experts say the gonorrhoea figures are concerning - though the actual number of drug-resistant cases is low....

Is methylene blue really a brain booster? A pharmacologist explains the science

The internet is abuzz with tributes to a liquid chemical called methylene blue ^[1] that is being sold as a health supplement.

Over the past five or 10 years, methylene blue has come to be touted online as a so-called nootropic agent ^[2] – a substance that enhances cognitive function. Vendors claim that it amps up brain energy, improves memory, boosts focus and dispels brain fog, among other supposed benefits.

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