New research suggests human hair does not grow by being pushed out from the root as long believed. Researchers from L'Oréal Research & Innovation and Queen Mary University of London used advanced 3D live imaging to observe individual cells inside living human hair follicles maintained in laboratory culture. Dr. Inês Sequeira, Reader in Oral and Skin Biology at Queen Mary and one of the lead authors said "Our results reveal a fascinating choreography inside the hair follicle. However, when the researchers interfered with actin -- a protein that allows cells to contract and move -- hair growth slowed dramatically, dropping by more than 80 per cent. Dr. Nicolas Tissot, the first author, from L'Oréal's Advanced Research team said: a "We use a novel imaging method allowing 3D time lapse microscopy in real-time. While static images provide mere isolated snapshots, 3D time-lapse microscopy is indispensable for truly unraveling the intricate, dynamic biological processes within the hair follicle, revealing crucial cellular kinetics, migratory patterns, and rate of cell divisions that are otherwise impossible to deduce from discrete observations. This approach made it possible to model the forces generated locally." Dr. Thomas Bornschlögl, other lead author, from the same L'Oréal team adds: "This reveals that hair growth is not driven only by cell division -- instead, outer root sheath actively pull the hair upwards." This new understanding of how hair follicles function may create opportunities to study hair disorders, test new medications, and advance work in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine." In addition, the new imaging approach may allow scientists to test potential drugs and therapies on living follicles. Scientists Finally Solve the 20-Year Mystery of Strange Tiny Dinosaur Fossils This Simple Japanese Eating Habit Is Linked to a Longer Life Cats May Hold the Key to Treating Human Cancer Moon Rocks Challenge Long-Held Theory About the Origin of Earth's Water Stay informed with ScienceDaily's free email newsletter, updated daily and weekly. Keep up to date with the latest news from ScienceDaily via social networks: Tell us what you think of ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have created a new technique that uses light instead of toxic chemicals to change complex drug molecules. Traditional Friedel-Crafts chemistry requires powerful chemicals or metal catalysts and harsh laboratory conditions. Because of these requirements, the reaction normally takes place early in drug manufacturing and is followed by many additional chemical steps to produce the final medicine. The new Cambridge method turns that process around by allowing researchers to make changes to drug molecules much later in development. Instead of relying on heavy metal catalysts, the reaction is activated by an LED lamp at ambient temperature. When the light triggers the reaction, it sets off a self sustaining chain process that forms carbon-carbon bonds under mild conditions without toxic or costly reagents. In practical terms, this approach lets chemists adjust complex molecules near the end of the drug development process rather than dismantling them and rebuilding them piece by piece -- something that can otherwise take months. "We've found a new way to make precise changes to complex drug molecules, particularly ones that have been exceptionally difficult to modify in the past," said David Vahey, first author and a PhD researcher at St John's College, Cambridge. "Scientists can spend months rebuilding large parts of a molecule just to test one small change. Now, instead of doing a multistep process for hundreds of molecules, scientists can start with their hit and make small modifications later on." "This reaction lets scientists make precise adjustments much later in the process, under mild conditions and without relying on toxic or expensive reagents. That opens chemical space that has been hard to access before and gives medicinal chemists a cleaner, more efficient tool for exploring new versions of a drug." The reaction is highly selective, allowing chemists to change one specific part of a molecule without disturbing other sensitive areas. This precision is important because even small structural changes can influence how a medicine works in the body, how it behaves biologically or whether it produces side effects. At its core, the breakthrough addresses a fundamental chemical challenge: forming carbon-carbon bonds. These bonds create the backbone of countless substances including fuels, plastics and complex biological molecules. The technique also shows what chemists describe as "high functional-group tolerance." That means it can modify one region of a molecule while leaving other functional groups untouched. This makes the reaction particularly useful for late-stage optimization, a stage of drug discovery where scientists fine tune molecules to improve how medicines perform. Because the approach avoids heavy metals, harsh reaction conditions and lengthy synthesis pathways, it could also reduce toxic waste and energy consumption in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Vahey works in the research group led by Professor Erwin Reisner at Cambridge. Reisner's team is known for developing chemical systems inspired by photosynthesis. Their research explores ways to use sunlight to convert waste materials, water and the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into useful chemicals and fuels. It also means chemists can avoid an undesirable and inefficient drug modification process." The researchers tested the reaction on a broad range of drug like molecules and showed that it could also be adapted for continuous flow systems commonly used in industrial chemical production. The discovery began with an unexpected laboratory result, similar to many famous scientific breakthroughs including X-rays, penicillin, Viagra and modern weight loss medications. "Failure after failure, then we found something we weren't expecting in the mess -- a real diamond in the rough. And it is all thanks to a failed control experiment," Vahey said. He had been testing a photocatalyst when he removed it during a control experiment and discovered that the reaction worked just as well and sometimes even better without it. At first the unusual product appeared to be a mistake. Instead of ignoring it, the researchers chose to investigate further. AI helps because we don't need chemists to do endless trial and error, but an algorithm will only follow the rules it has been given. It still takes a human being to look at something that appears wrong and ask whether it might actually be something new." "David could have dismissed it as a failed control," Reisner said. That moment, choosing to investigate rather than ignore it, is where discovery happens." By learning patterns from known chemical reactions, the AI system can simulate possible outcomes before experiments are performed. He said: "What industry and other researchers do with it next -- that's where the future impact lies. For us, the lab is mostly average to bad days. Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered X-rays while studying electrical currents flowing through glass tubes. He noticed that a nearby screen began glowing unexpectedly, revealing a new type of radiation that allowed doctors to see inside the human body without surgery. Instead of melting, the rubber became strong and elastic. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin after mould accidentally contaminated a laboratory dish and killed surrounding bacteria. Chemist Roy Plunkett accidentally created Teflon while experimenting with refrigerant gases. Harry Coover was attempting to develop transparent plastics when he instead created a substance that bonded instantly to nearly any surface. Later marketed as super glue, it became widely used in homes, manufacturing and medicine. Graduate student Jocelyn Bell Burnell noticed repeating radio signals while analyzing telescope data. Initially believed to be interference, the signals turned out to be the first evidence of pulsars, rapidly spinning neutron stars that opened a new field of astrophysics. Researchers at Pfizer were studying a drug intended to treat angina when participants reported an unexpected side effect. The compound was later developed as Viagra and is now widely prescribed for erectile dysfunction. Scientists developing treatments for Type 2 diabetes discovered that drugs mimicking the hormone GLP-1 also caused significant weight loss. Medications such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, originally created for diabetes, were later developed to treat obesity, marking a major shift in approaches to weight management. Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Hidden DNA in Plants Reveals a 400 Million Year Evolutionary Secret Why Colon Cancer Is Rising in Young Adults: Scientists Discover Unexpected Physical Clue Stay informed with ScienceDaily's free email newsletter, updated daily and weekly. Or view our many newsfeeds in your RSS reader: Keep up to date with the latest news from ScienceDaily via social networks: Tell us what you think of ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments.

Researchers have given a newly identified Australian tree species an unusual nickname. Scientists call it the "zombie" tree because, although some individuals are still alive, the species is unable to grow and reproduce normally without major intervention. "This species did not have a name when it was first assessed in 2020, and since then 10 percent of the trees have died and none of those remaining are producing flowers or fruit because of myrtle rust," Professor Fensham said. Rhodamnia zombi is described as a small to medium sized tree with large dark green leaves, shaggy bark, and fuzzy white flowers. "It is a small to medium-sized tree with large dark green leaves, shaggy bark and hairy white flowers growing in rainforests in the Burnett region of Queensland. "Without any intervention, the 17 species on this Category X list will be extinct within a generation," Professor Fensham said. Despite the dire outlook, researchers see a possible path forward. "A survival strategy starts with finding clean cuttings in the wild before myrtle rust attacks them and propagating them to grow at safe sites," he said. "So far seedlings are being grown by specialists in Lismore and Townsville which look promising, but they need to be constantly vigilant. "Hopefully once they produce seed, lurking in the next generation of Rhodamnia zombi some resistance will become apparent. "It is a rare opportunity to study this evolutionary process which has happened countless of times in the wild over millennia." Researchers ultimately hope that if resistant trees emerge, they could eventually be replanted in forests and help restore the species to its natural ecosystem. "It's a long shot and ambitious but the species needs time and space without being constantly walloped by myrtle rust to hopefully express some resistance," Professor Fensham said. Hidden DNA in Plants Reveals a 400 Million Year Evolutionary Secret Why Colon Cancer Is Rising in Young Adults: Scientists Discover Unexpected Physical Clue Stay informed with ScienceDaily's free email newsletter, updated daily and weekly. Keep up to date with the latest news from ScienceDaily via social networks: Tell us what you think of ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments.