Food of the future: in vitro meat?
— In 1932, Winston Churchill predicted that in fifty years “we shall escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken in order to eat the breast or wing by growing these parts separately.” Now, almost eighty years later, we may finally be getting close to producing in vitro meat – muscle tissue grown in the lab –without the rest of the animal. Continue reading Food of the future: in vitro meat?
Nanotubes: a new way for germs to connect
— Just as a football game cannot be played with just one person, many tasks performed by cells require multiple players, too. For many bacteria to act as one, proper communication is key. One way of talking to a neighboring bacterium is called quorum sensing, in which one bacterium releases special molecules, called autoinducers, into the environment so that other bacteria can sense and respond to them [1]. Another way, used not only in bacteria but also in plants and animals, involves physically bridging two cells and exchanging specific molecules with each other through a microscopic tunnel. Continue reading Nanotubes: a new way for germs to connect
Cellular Machines: The Goal of Synthetic Biology
— Synthetic biologists are a new breed of researchers: part-scientist, part-engineer. Building on the work of more traditional biologists, synthetic biologists try to use what we know about biology to engineer new functions into living things, such as producing useful chemical compounds (like drugs) and generating biofuels. The hope is there, but engineering organisms to do these things remains a challenge due to the inherent complexities of living things and their constituent cells. Continue reading Cellular Machines: The Goal of Synthetic Biology
Cancer Immunology: Not So Secret Anymore
— Scientists and prostate cancer patients alike cheered when the FDA approved Provenge, the first therapeutic vaccine for prostate cancer, in April 2010. A few months later, a second group of researchers published a clinical study that suggested the potent effects of ipilimumab, an antibody-based drug, in fighting advanced melanoma, a form of skin cancer. Provenge and ipilimumab are just two of several emerging cancer therapies that harness the body’s immune system in the battle against cancer. As we look forward to the discovery of more cancer immune therapies in the future, it is worthwhile to note that scientists have not always appreciated the link between the immune system and cancer cells. Continue reading Cancer Immunology: Not So Secret Anymore
Mapping the Brain with Connectomics
— Connectivity between neurons is central to nervous system function; on a more personal level, the unique connections within our brains may be what contribute to our individuality. The emerging field of connectomics seeks to gather and analyze information about neural connectivity so as to improve our understanding of the brain. The initial goals of connectomics are similar to those of Google Earth: if you think of each neuron as an address, the goal of connectomics is to first understand the various routes between addresses, and then how they all come together to form one large map. This three-dimensional “map” at the heart of connectomics is the “connectome,” a complete description of the connections between neurons in an organism’s nervous system. Continue reading Mapping the Brain with Connectomics
A revolution led by dying stars
–You may be surprised by how much we have learned about life on Earth by observing some of the most distant objects we find in the universe: supernovae. These are the brief, but brilliant, explosions that end the life of certain types of stars and can outshine the collected light from the hundreds of billions of living stars in their home galaxy. Incredibly, these explosions have governed the history of life on Earth and challenged and informed the most basic tenets of our understanding of the universe for millennia. Revolutions in astronomical technology are providing us with a whole new understanding of supernovae and the things that they influence — which, it turns out, is nearly everything in the universe! Continue reading A revolution led by dying stars
Keeping Time with Atoms
–It’s ten seconds to midnight on New Year’s Eve, but by whose watch? Like all standards, measurements of time are arbitrary, and only as good as the precision of each ‘tick.’ As no clock is perfect, each will eventually speed up or slow down, making that stroke of midnight a bit fuzzy. However, advances in physics and engineering over the past fifty years have decreased that uncertainty with the development of the gold standard of timekeeping: atomic clocks. Continue reading Keeping Time with Atoms
For more energy-efficient and higher-capacity computers, think spintronics!
–You are most likely reading this article on a computer, and as you scroll down the page, you may decide to briefly switch over to Facebook or Twitter to type a quick status update. We usually do not stop to think that the ease with which we can do this is due to the seamless flow of charged electrons in our computers. Thus far, utilizing charged electrons to make computers has been endlessly fruitful, allowing us to build smaller and faster computer chips. Unfortunately, we cannot continue improving technology simply by scaling down to smaller sizes because we will eventually reach atomic sizes where our devices will no longer function. As we look ahead into the not-too-distant future, we will need to explore new, innovative technologies that go beyond utilizing electron charge – one such exciting new direction is the field of spintronics. Continue reading For more energy-efficient and higher-capacity computers, think spintronics!
Buzz Off! : New technology to fight mosquito-borne illness – but is it practical?
–Mosquitoes, and the diseases they carry, have been a threat to human health for millennia. Despite advances in research and efforts in disease control, mosquito-borne illnesses such as malaria and dengue fever still ravage much of the developing world, hindering efforts to raise the global standard of living. On November 11th, 2010, Oxitec, a biotech company based in Oxford, UK, announced that they had completed the first field trial to reduce mosquito populations using genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The declaration that the trial was a success has been met with mixed reactions, including fear of genetically modified organisms, concerns about ecosystem stability, and doubts that the strategy is feasible in controlling the spread of disease. Continue reading Buzz Off! : New technology to fight mosquito-borne illness – but is it practical?
HIV: Progress in Prevention
A study published this summer in the journal Science found, for the first time, significant success in preventing HIV infection using a vaginal microbicidal gel [1]. This finding is an important step in our understanding of HIV prevention and in curbing the global HIV pandemic. The goal of this article is to provide some background on HIV/AIDS, the current state of treatment/prevention, as well as … Continue reading HIV: Progress in Prevention