New study reveals why nature picked today’s proteins
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 22-Dec-2025 13:11 ET (22-Dec-2025 18:11 GMT/UTC)
Why did life on Earth choose alpha amino acids as the building blocks of proteins? A new study suggests the answer lies in the stability of their inter-molecular interactions. Researchers found that primitive peptide-like molecules made from alpha backbones formed more durable, compartment-like structures than their longer beta counterparts, giving them a potential evolutionary advantage. The findings propose an assembly-driven model for the origins of life, offering fresh insight into how chemistry shaped biology.
Monitoring amyloid plaques in animal models is essential for testing Alzheimer’s therapies, but most methods rely on post-mortem analysis. Researchers from the University of Strathclyde and the Italian Institute of Technology have developed a fiber photometry technique that tracks amyloid plaque signals in the brains of freely moving Alzheimer’s model mice. By combining a plaque-binding fluorescent dye with flat and tapered optical fibers, the team demonstrated that in vivo fluorescence signals correlate with post-mortem histology and can distinguish diseased from healthy animals. The tapered fiber approach enabled depth-resolved monitoring across brain regions during natural behavior, offering a minimally invasive way to study disease progression and therapeutic effects in real time.