Beyond mythology: NIH plans to lift ban on chimera research
The National Institutes of Health recently announced that it expects to lift a ban on research involving animal embryos that have been injected with human stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are already lightning rods for controversy, but part-human “chimeras” are saddled with their own set of ethical dilemmas. Some worry, for example, that chimeras could develop human-like brains that might afford the animal a rudimentary … Continue reading Beyond mythology: NIH plans to lift ban on chimera research
Dark Matter Evades the World’s Most Sensitive Search
At the 11th Identification of Dark Matter Conference, LUX, the Large Underground Xenon experiment, announced the results of the world’s most sensitive search for dark matter. Physicists at LUX have been racing for a dark matter discovery since the collaboration’s inception. Observers in the field were aware that the LUX announcement would include more data with vastly improved performance compared to experiment’s initial run in … Continue reading Dark Matter Evades the World’s Most Sensitive Search
How one volcano concealed the sea-level acceleration record
Using satellite records and global climate models, scientists have shown that sea level rise is accelerating. Although sea level data from the past 23 years diverged from this long term trend, researchers demonstrate that the abnormal cooling caused by the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo concealed the long-term trend. A high-resolution record of global sea level has been available since the 1992 launch of the … Continue reading How one volcano concealed the sea-level acceleration record
The Brain is a Series of Tubes
The brain is made of up billions of neurons and even more connections between neurons. We can get an idea of how neurons are connected across the human brain using a type of brain scan called diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI). How does dMRI work? It actually measures the direction that water moves throughout the brain. Sometimes, water can move in all directions equally easily – like … Continue reading The Brain is a Series of Tubes
Climate Change 2016: Make America Hot Again
by Katie Dagon figures by Utsarga Adhikary Heat waves and droughts are staples of summer weather in America. This summer has proven to be no different! Much of the central and eastern U.S. endured a strong heat wave in mid-July. While the “heat dome” has subsided, parts of the Northeast are still under a severe drought (see Figure 3). What makes a particular period of … Continue reading Climate Change 2016: Make America Hot Again
“I’m XY and I Know It”: Sex Determination Systems 101
by Katherine J. Wu figures by Daniel Utter Let’s talk about sex. Seriously. Not intercourse, though – more about how genetic sex is programmed during development. Sexual identity has been in the news often lately, and unsurprisingly so: the past few years have yielded sweeping reforms in civil rights, spurring new conflicts surrounding everything from age-old battles in gender equality to legislation enforcing anti-transgender bathrooms. … Continue reading “I’m XY and I Know It”: Sex Determination Systems 101
Mice, light and exploring ALAN’s potential health hazards
In deciphering the mysteries of human health, mice have been one of our greatest allies. They have demonstrated the antibacterial properties of penicillin and served as a model for exploring obesity. Now they are helping researchers understand the potential negative effects of artificial light at night, or ALAN. Mounting epidemiological data shows an association of ALAN with cancer, obesity, depression and osteoporosis. Previous work has … Continue reading Mice, light and exploring ALAN’s potential health hazards
Mirror Neurons After a Quarter Century: New light, new cracks
by JohnMark Taylor figures by Youngeun Kaitlyn Choi What about the human brain allows a person to perform such feats as learning guitar through imitation, empathizing with anothers’s pain, or intuiting where a fencer will strike next? Nearly twenty-five years ago, scientists discovered a special kind of cell called a mirror neuron that many both in science and the popular press came to believe might … Continue reading Mirror Neurons After a Quarter Century: New light, new cracks
The National Microbiome Initiative: fueling the discovery of the microscopic world around us
by Eryn Blass figures by Michael Gerhardt Microbes are everywhere – in our environment, on our skin, and even within our bodies. Microbes, short for microorganisms, are living things so tiny that they can only be seen with a microscope. Microbes consist of bacteria, archaea, fungi, protozoans, and viruses (Figure 1). The communities that they form are called microbiomes. The mere thought of these microscopic … Continue reading The National Microbiome Initiative: fueling the discovery of the microscopic world around us
FDA suspends (and promptly restarts) clinical trial for new cancer therapy
Bringing a new medical therapy to market is rarely a straightforward task, as a biotech company called Juno Therapeutics learned firsthand. Juno specializes in CAR-T therapy, which uses genetic engineering to teach a patient’s own immune system to destroy cancer cells. Unfortunately, 3 of the 129 patients who had received this treatment in a clinical trial recently died from excessive brain swelling, prompting the FDA to … Continue reading FDA suspends (and promptly restarts) clinical trial for new cancer therapy