Circa 2019
Human ears can’t hear them, but other plants or animals might.
Continue reading “Plants May Let Out Ultrasonic Squeals When Stressed” »
China is using loopholes in climate agreements to continue to build and operate coal-fired power plants.
China produces and consumes half the world’s coal and despite recent climate pledges, it remains deeply bound to continuing to use this energy source.
Are quantum events required for consciousness in a very special sense, far beyond the general sense that quantum events are part of all physical systems? What would it take for quantum events, on such a micro-scale, to be relevant for brain function, which operates at the much higher level of neurons and brain circuits? What would it mean?
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DNA analysis of thousands of tumors from NHS patients has found a ‘treasure trove’ of clues about the causes of cancer, with genetic mutations providing a personal history of the damage and repair processes each patient has been through.
In the biggest study of its kind, a team of scientists led by Professor Serena Nik-Zainal from Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) and University of Cambridge, analyzed the complete genetic make-up or whole-genome sequences of more than 12,000 NHS cancer patients.
Because of the vast amount of data provided by whole genome sequencing, the researchers were able to detect patterns in the DNA of cancer—or ‘mutational signatures’—that provide clues about whether a patient has had a past exposure to environmental causes of cancer such as smoking or UV light, or has internal, cellular malfunctions.
In proof-of-concept experiments, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have successfully cultivated human muscle stem cells capable of renewing themselves and repairing muscle tissue damage in mice, potentially advancing efforts to treat muscle injuries and muscle-wasting disorders in people.
A report on the experiments was published April 7 in Cell Stem Cell.
To make the self-renewing stem cells, the scientists began with laboratory-grown human skin cells that were genetically reprogrammed to a more primitive state in which the cells have the potential to become almost any type of cell in the body. At this point, the cells are known as induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells, and they are mixed with a solution of standard cell growth factors and nutrients that nudge them to differentiate into specific cell types.
