Lifeboat Foundation

Call it whatever you like—a blue red moon, a purple moon, a blood moon—but the moon will be a special sight on Jan. 31.

Three separate celestial events will occur simultaneously that night, resulting in what some are calling a super blue blood moon eclipse. The astronomical rarity hasn’t happened for more than 150 years.

A super moon, like the one visible on New Year’s Day, is the term for when a full moon is closest to the Earth in its orbit, appearing bigger and brighter than normal.

Today, we are going to take a look at a new study in which scientists at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research have recently identified a type of cell that appears to be implied in thymic involution—the shrinking of the thymus[1].

Thymic involution is somewhat of a mystery in biology, a phenomenon that isn’t fully understood that happens to everyone with age and is a driving cause of immunosenescence, the age-related decline in our immune systems’ ability to fight disease. This new study helps to shed light on why it happens.

Contact-free measurement of vital signs is already a reality, but with a few important limitations some of which researchers at Cornell University may be able to overcome. Currently used devices typically require the patient to be in close proximity to the sensor, and they’re only able to measure the breathing and heart rates, along with body movement.

Technology developed at Cornell involves tags worn on clothing, or just placed near the patient, that emit radio waves toward the lungs and heart to measure their activity accurately, while allowing the patient to move around. Additionally, blood pressure may also be measured this way, but more work will be required to validate the technology.

Continue reading “Proximity Tags Emit Radio Waves to Monitor Heart, Lungs, Blood Pressure” »

Today, we have a new paper that discusses how induced pluripotency and cellular senescence, two of several possible cellular states, share similarities[2]. It is likely no surprise that the two states are closely related and that some of the mechanisms for one process are shared by the other. It appears that certain key signaling molecules are important in determining both cell fate and senescence.

Controlling cell behavior in living animals

As our understanding of guiding cell fate grows rapidly by the passing year, it has huge implications for therapies that seek to control cellular activities and encourage certain types of cells to be created. Research is now starting to move beyond the petri dish and to where cells are being programmed in situ in living animals.

Continue reading “The Link Between Cellular Senescence and Cellular Reprogramming” »

Dr. Oliver Medvedik Vice President of LEAF appears in this new TED interview where he talks about aging research and the possibilities of future medicine.

Aging happens to all of us, but scientists still don’t know the mechanism behind it. We need to focus on finding an answer, says molecular biologist Oliver Medvedik.

If given the option, would you choose to live forever? Many of us would say “yes,” but with one major caveat: just as long we don’t age. In scientific terms, aging means “a progressive loss of fitness in an organism over time,” says molecular biologist and TED Fellow Oliver Medvedik. What causes this loss of fitness in humans is multifaceted, although scientists are exploring different theories including — and these are just a few of the many avenues of research — the deterioration of the health of our telomeres (the ends of our chromosomes), changes in cell mitochondria, inefficient clearance of damaged cell proteins, and the senescence of stem cells, leading to chronic inflammation and a depletion of stem cells.

Continue reading “A crowdfunding platform aims to solve the puzzle of aging” »

In the basement of the Engineering Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, a group of researchers is working to create the next generation of robots. Instead of the metallic droids you may be imagining, they are developing robots made from soft materials that are more similar to biological systems. Such soft robots contain tremendous potential for future applications as they adapt to dynamic environments and are well-suited to closely interact with humans.

A central challenge in this field known as “soft robotics” is a lack of actuators or “artificial muscles” that can replicate the versatility and performance of the real thing. However, the Keplinger Research Group in the College of Engineering and Applied Science has now developed a new class of soft, electrically activated devices capable of mimicking the expansion and contraction of natural muscles. These devices, which can be constructed from a wide range of low-cost materials, are able to self-sense their movements and self-heal from electrical damage, representing a major advance in soft robotics.

The newly developed hydraulically amplified self-healing electrostatic (HASEL) actuators eschew the bulky, rigid pistons and motors of conventional robots for soft structures that react to applied voltage with a wide range of motions. The soft devices can perform a variety of tasks, including grasping delicate objects such as a raspberry and a raw egg, as well as lifting heavy objects. HASEL actuators exceed or match the strength, speed and efficiency of biological muscle and their versatility may enable artificial muscles for human-like robots and a next generation of prosthetic limbs.

Continue reading “New class of soft, electrically activated devices mimics the expansion and contraction of natural muscles” »

A look back at the most popular health articles of 2017. Here is the report: “Top Five Deadly Vitamins”

Summary: High-dose vitamin and mineral supplements were once promoted as ways to prevent heart disease, aging, and cancer. To the contrary, recent research has shown that excessive vitamin and mineral consumption sometimes shortens life. Using evidence from scores of clinical trials we generate a list of five vitamin and mineral supplements that have been shown to be harmful to an otherwise healthy person when consumed in excess. [Note: This article was extensively updated on Nov 2, 2017]. This article first appeared on LongevityFacts.com. Follow us on Google+ | Facebook | Reddit. Author: Brady Hartman.

Recent research shows that some vitamin or mineral supplements are hazardous to your health.

Continue reading “Top Five Deadly Vitamins” »

A look back at the most popular health articles of 2017. Here is the report: “9 Things Everybody Ought To Know About Fish Oils”

In brief: Do fish oil supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids significantly improve heart health, brain health and a host of other conditions? Here’s what the science says.

Fish oil is the third most widely used supplement in the U.S. According to a study published in 2015 by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), nearly one in twelve Americans used fish oils in 2012.

Continue reading “9 Things Everybody Ought To Know About Fish Oils” »

A look back at the most popular health articles of 2017. Here is the report: “AHA Says Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplements Not For Everybody”

The AHA says that omega-3 fish oil supplements do not prevent heart disease or stroke in generally healthy people.