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Observing Memory Formation in Real Time

Summary: Study reveals how motor memories are formed and how they remain persistent. The findings may help illuminate the root cause of motor disorders like Parkinson’s disease.

Source: Stanford.

Why is it that someone who hasn’t ridden a bicycle in decades can likely jump on and ride away without a wobble, but could probably not recall more than a name or two from their 3rd grade class?

A New, High-Risk Subtype of Cancer Has Been Discovered

Up until recently, almost all pediatric liver cancers were classified as either hepatoblastoma or hepatocellular carcinoma. However, pediatric pathologists have noted that certain liver tumors have histological characteristics that do not readily match either of these two carcinoma models. The outcomes for patients with these tumors are poor and the tumors are less likely to respond to chemotherapy.

Dr. Pavel Sumazin, an associate professor of pediatrics at Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center and Baylor College of Medicine, sought to better understand this high-risk cancer.

High-Flying Experiment: Do Stem Cells Grow Better in Space?

Scientists are shooting stem cells into space, hoping to make discoveries that help people on Earth.


Researcher Dhruv Sareen’s own stem cells are now orbiting the Earth. The mission? To test whether they’ll grow better in zero gravity.

Scientists at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles are trying to find new ways to produce huge batches of a type of stem cell that can generate nearly any other type of cell in the body — and potentially be used to make treatments for many diseases. The cells arrived over the weekend at the International Space Station on a supply ship.

“I don’t think I would be able to pay whatever it costs now” to take a private ride to space, Sareen said. “At least a part of me in cells can go up!”

New miracle drug may increase the human lifespan to 200 years

A new miracle drug could increase the human lifespan by up to 200 years. Dr. Andrew Steele, a British computational biologist recently published a new book on the longevity of human life. In the book, the doctor argues that it is completely feasible for humans to live beyond our standard 100-year lifespan thanks to a new type of drug.

Mars Bioreactor Atmos: Biotech Fit for the Red Planet

Circa 2021


NASA, in collaboration with other leading space agencies, aims to send its first human missions to Mars.

Mars is the second smallest planet in our solar system and the fourth planet from the sun. It is a dusty, cold, desert world with a very thin atmosphere. Iron oxide is prevalent in Mars’ surface resulting in its reddish color and its nickname “The Red Planet.” Mars’ name comes from the Roman god of war.

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