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Archive for the ‘biotech/medical’ category: Page 53

Oct 12, 2024

‘Phenomenal’ tool sequences DNA and tracks proteins — without cracking cells open

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension

Researchers are queuing up to try a powerful microscopy technique that can simultaneously sequence an individual cell’s DNA and pinpoint the location of its proteins with high resolution — all without having to crack the cell open and extract its contents. Imaging DNA and proteins inside intact cells provides crucial information about how these molecules work together.

The method’s developers have already used it to study how ageing might alter the way that proteins in the nucleus interact with chromosomes. As the body ages, they found, changes in these nuclear proteins could suppress gene activity.

“This paper is really extraordinary,” says Ankur Sharma, a cancer biologist at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia, who was not involved in the study but is keen to use the approach to study cancer cells and described it as “phenomenal” on the social-media platform, X.

Oct 12, 2024

Electricity-free circuit helps free up space for robots to ‘think,’ say scientists

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, robotics/AI

Engineers have worked out how to give robots complex instructions without electricity for the first time, which could free up more space in the robotic ‘brain’ for them to ‘think.’

Mimicking how some parts of the human body work, researchers from King’s College London have transmitted a series of commands to devices with a new kind of compact circuit, using variations in pressure from a fluid inside it.

They say this world first opens up the possibility of a new generation of robots, whose bodies could operate independently of their built-in control center, with this space potentially being used instead for more complex AI-powered software.

Oct 11, 2024

DNA from old hair helps confirm the macabre diet of two 19th century lions

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, food, genetics

Genetic analysis of cavity crud from two famed man-eating lions suggests the method could re-create diets of predators that lived thousands of years ago.

Oct 11, 2024

Cannabis Information Sources: Trusting Friends Over Government

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, education, government

Where you people most often get their information regarding cannabis? This is what a recent study published in the Journal of Cannabis Research hopes to address as a team of researchers led by the University of Michigan Medical School investigated the methods by which everyday citizens receive their information regarding cannabis, specifically pertaining to its legality, which comes on the heels of its classification from a Schedule I to Schedule III drug recently being recommended by the Department of Health and Human Services.

For the study, the researchers conducted a survey of 1,161 participants ages 18 and up regarding their cannabis use within the past year, reasons for use, and the sources where they obtain their information regarding cannabis. The participants consisted of 51 percent women and 49 percent men with 27 percent reporting using cannabis within the past year. Regarding their sources of information, 35.6 percent reported it was from family and friends, 33.7 percent reported it was from websites, 9.3 percent from healthcare providers, 8.6 percent from employees where the cannabis was purchased, and 4.7 percent was from government agencies.

The study concludes by saying, “In this nationally representative survey, we show that most people draw information about cannabis from friends and family or online, with very few consulting their healthcare provider or government agencies. As cannabis accessibility and legality is increasing, there is a strong need for better clinician education, public outreach strategies, and improved communication between patients and clinicians about cannabis.”

Oct 11, 2024

Computer simulation mimics how the brain grows neurons, paving the way for future disease treatments

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, computing, neuroscience

A new computer simulation of how our brains develop and grow neurons has been built by scientists from the University of Surrey. Along with improving our understanding of how the brain works, researchers hope that the models will contribute to neurodegenerative disease research and, someday, stem cell research that helps regenerate brain tissue.

Oct 11, 2024

Higher Levels of Leptin indicate Brain Protection against Late-life Dementia

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health, neuroscience

Weight-maintaining hormone key to brain-signal transmission. A study more closely links obesity to dementia, finding that leptin, a hormone that helps maintain normal body weight, is associated with better signal-transmitting brain white matter in middle-aged adults.

New research is more closely linking obesity to dementia.

Higher levels of leptin, a hormone that helps maintain normal body weight, is associated with better signal-transmitting brain white matter in middle-aged adults, according to a study by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio).

Oct 11, 2024

Life expectancy rise in rich countries slows down: why discovery took 30 years to prove

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension

Improvements in public health and medicine have lengthened human survival, but science has yet to overcome ageing.

Oct 11, 2024

How far till Longevity Escape Velocity?

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, business, genetics, life extension

They say aging is just a part of life, but have you ever wondered if it really has to be? What if getting older isn’t just something we accept but something we could actually treat?

In this riveting episode of Peak Human Labs Podcast, Dr. Sanjeev Goel, sits down with Dr. Aubrey de Grey, a trailblazing biomedical gerontologist and Chief Science Officer of the SENS Research Foundation. They dive deep into the revolutionary idea of treating aging as a medical condition. They explore how damage accumulates in our bodies over time and discuss the groundbreaking medical advancements that could extend our healthy lifespans. Dr. de Grey sheds light on the crucial need for investing in underfunded research and shares insights into the future of longevity science. Tune in and envision a future where health and longevity are not just aspirations but achievable realities!

Continue reading “How far till Longevity Escape Velocity?” »

Oct 11, 2024

Pig Brains Thought Dead May Be Revived

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

Pigs are considered useful biomedical models for humans so the implications of such studies sent waves through the field of resuscitation — and bioethics.

Oct 11, 2024

Tested in Africa, used in America

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health, sex

At the recent annual International AIDS Conference, a startling presentation about the newest wonder drug in HIV prevention brought a raucous standing ovation.


But some of us in the public health community are now starting to wonder what all the cheering was about. Although the scientific results were impeccable, the process for translating those results into action for young women in Africa has been left to our imaginations. And if history is any guide, this could be a nightmare.

When the results first came out, Gilead, the manufacturer of lenacapavir, stated it was too early to discuss licensing and offering vague plans about its production and availability in Africa. Just recently, a second study among men who have sex with men and predominantly conducted in the Northern Hemisphere showed similarly promising results. While Gilead now says they have sufficient data to move ahead with licensing and manufacturing worldwide, they have offered no timeline to do so. Urgency to report trial results has not been mirrored by the urgency to provide access. Unanswered questions remain about why another study was needed to move ahead with approvals for use in African women, and if and when lenacapavir will be made available at an affordable price in the African region.

Continue reading “Tested in Africa, used in America” »

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