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Stem cell-loaded microneedles speed up wound healing

Stem cells are powerful tools that could one day unlock new frontiers in regenerative medicine. Now, a new study has shown that a certain type of stem cell can be delivered into injured tissues with dissolvable microneedles, to heal wounds.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are responsible for replenishing bone, cartilage, muscle and fat cells in the body. But more recently, scientists have found that they have broader healing potential. If introduced to injured tissue, MSCs have been found to boost the formation of new blood vessels, reduce inflammation, and keep cells alive.

But there are a few problems. For one, injecting MSCs into the tissue with regular needles can cause further damage and scarring. Plus, it takes huge amounts of the cells to make sure that enough of them stick around to do their job.

How the pandemic fast-tracked this multibillion-dollar industry | Make It International

The coronavirus pandemic has been a real learning curve, not least for educators. But with many schools now reopening, questions are being asked about what the future of education might look like. CNBC Make It’s Karen Gilchrist spoke to entrepreneurs in India, Hong Kong and the U.S. to learn more about the multibillion-dollar business opportunity.

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Rapid de novo assembly of the European eel genome from nanopore sequencing reads

Circa 2017


We have sequenced the genome of the endangered European eel using the MinION by Oxford Nanopore, and assembled these data using a novel algorithm specifically designed for large eukaryotic genomes. For this 860 Mbp genome, the entire computational process takes two days on a single CPU. The resulting genome assembly significantly improves on a previous draft based on short reads only, both in terms of contiguity (N50 1.2 Mbp) and structural quality. This combination of affordable nanopore sequencing and light weight assembly promises to make high-quality genomic resources accessible for many non-model plants and animals.

Help for Nicholi

Posted with permission by Eric Klien.

Hello everyone, as some of you may be aware about 6 years ago I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and I published about it on Lifeboat Foundation’s blog. I was in remission but relapsed about a year ago. Going through radiation therapy as well as chemotherapy has taken its toll on my health and with the recent outbreak of Covid-19 has really put a lot of us in the high risk category. In order to stay safe i have avoided working for 3 months. Because of these unfortunate circumstances I am kindly requesting that anyone who is willing to help me get back on my feet to please help donate to my GoFund me page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-for-nicholi

I sincerely appreciate any and all help available. Thank you! I will post a link to my journey with cancer published on Lifeboat Foundation’s blog.


Due to the circumstances of Covid-19 and my medical condition (cancer) I took 3 month off of work. I am kindly requesting the help of others to help me stay on my feet until I am able to do so. Please message me for any other questions.

DonateShare.

How Covid-19 changes the geopolitics of semiconductor supply chains

Devoted to the principle of comparative advantage in the pursuit of efficiency, this industry had forsaken resilience. As a result, this lean and agile supply chain made itself vulnerable not just to a global risk event such as Covid-19 but also to export controls such as the ones directed against Huawei. The events of the past six months are likely to force a re-evaluation of this trade-off towards building more redundancy.

Specifically, the semiconductor supply chain is susceptible to four risks.


Covid-19 is likely to accelerate the move towards more resilience in the semiconductor industry.

Google Maps to display virus-related transit alerts

A new version of Google’s mapping service being rolled out will display pandemic-related transit alerts and let people know when buses or trains might be crowded.

Updated versions of the free app for smartphones powered by Apple or Google-backed Android software will also let drivers know about COVID-19 checkpoints or restrictions on their routes.

“We’re introducing features to help you easily find important information if you need to venture out, whether it’s by car or public transportation,” Google Maps product management director Ramesh Nagarajan said in a blog post.

3D Shape of the Human Genome Has Surprising Roles in Various Fundamental Processes in Life

The three-dimensional structure of the human genome is essential for providing a rapid and robust inflammatory response but is surprisingly not vital for reprogramming one cell type into another, according to research published today in Nature Genetics. The findings shed new light on the fundamental relationship between how a genome folds and the function of a cell.

Have humans reached the end of evolution? Not under these 4 scenarios

3. Evolution shifts to off-world human colonies.

4. Transhumanism will drive evolution.


Is natural selection still a major force in human evolution? As far back as high school biology, we’ve been taught to think the answer must be yes. But is it really true?

Charles Darwin published his groundbreaking On the Origin of Species back in 1859, around the same time that Charles Dickens was making a name for himself writing about social conditions in England. Dickens’ stories emerge from a period in which only 50 percent of British children survived to adulthood — a number not so different from animals in the jungle. In that vein, Darwin was right when he said natural selection was operating on humans full force.

Yet the forces that came into play in the 1850s are far different from those we experience today, prompting some high profile biologists to suggest that our advanced medical capabilities have, in effect, blunted natural selection. In a 2013 Radio Times interview, science communicator David Attenborough described it this way: