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Category: biotech/medical – Page 2,664

It’s crazy to think that we still don’t quite understand the mechanism behind one of the most common medical interventions — general anaesthetic.

But researchers in Australia just got a step closer by discovering that one of the most commonly used anaesthetic drugs doesn’t just put us to sleep; it also disrupts communication between brain cells.

The team investigated the drug propofol, a super-popular option for surgeries worldwide. A potent sedative, the drug is thought to put us to sleep through its effect on the GABA neurotransmitter system, the main regulator of our sleep-and-wake cycles in the brain.

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TUESDAY, Jan. 9, 2018 — In a potential advance for medical research, scientists say they’ve created the first functioning human muscle from skin cells.

The breakthrough could lead to better genetic or cell-based therapies, as well as furthering investigations into the causes and treatment of muscular disorders, the Duke University team said.

“The prospect of studying rare diseases is especially exciting for us,” Nenad Bursac, professor of biomedical engineering, said in a university news release.

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The scientist behind an advanced sex robot has plans for 3D printed offspring. Samantha, developed by Spanish robotics firm Synthea Amatus, went on sale in the United Kingdom last month for around $5,000 — but while the A.I. present in the initial version offers a range of functions like telling jokes, discussing philosophy and synchronizing climaxes, a future version could offer more ambitious features.

“I can make them have a baby. It’s not so difficult. I would love to have a child with a robot,” Sergei Santos, creator of Samatha, told The Sun in a Friday story.

Sex robots are a growing, but controversial, area of artificial intelligence. While some argue that such machines could spark a wider discussion about sexuality, others object to the aim to replicate human interaction. Futurologist Ian Pearson claims that by 2050, more than half of people will have sex with a robot.

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The extinction of various species has led to a segregation of human activity and natural activity, says Stewart Brand of The Long Now Foundation, which focuses on long-term strategies for the next 10,000 years. The organization develops biotechnology to allow humans to better co-exist with nature. In this interview filmed at the 2016 Aspen Ideas Festival, Brand discusses how biotechnology can be used to bring back the passenger pigeon from extinction and mitigate climate change at last.

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AgeX, one of our supported startups aiming at turning basic research into actual rejuvenation therapies for human application, just published a breakthrough genetic discovery that could enable us to activate tissue regeneration capabilities in humans.

Dr. Mike West, CEO of AgeX, will also be presenting at undoing-aging.org

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Prosthetics have improved my leaps and bounds over the past century and we’ve reached a point where someone with an artificial limb is often just as capable (and in some cases even more capable) than a person with their natural arms and legs. Still, prosthetics have long fell short in one very important aspect, which is the sense of touch afforded by human skin. That could all be changing thanks to an incredible breakthrough that has provided a woman with a bionic hand that can actually feel.

Almerina Mascarello lost her left hand and part of her forearm in an accident more than two decades ago, and was chosen as one of the test subjects for a new type of prosthetic that relays the feeling of touch to the wearer. Remarkably, it seems to work brilliantly.

Don’t Miss : Apple brand battery cases for the iPhone 6/6s and iPhone 7 are discounted on Amazon.

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What if scientists could develop an opioid-based painkiller that is not addictive and has limited side effects?

That is possible based on new findings by an international team of scientists that included contributions from top researchers at the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience.

The international team captured the crystal structure of the kappa opioid receptor—critical for providing pain relief—in action on the surface of human brain cells. The researchers also made another important discovery: a new opioid-based compound that, unlike current opioids, activates only the kappa opioid receptor, raising hopes that they may develop a painkiller that has no risk of addiction and, therefore, none of the devastating consequences and side effects that accompany it.

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