Lifeboat Foundation

“The axons of nerve cells function a bit like a railway system, where the cargo is essential components required for the cells to survive and function. In neurodegenerative diseases, this railway system can get damaged or blocked,” Tasneem Khatib, the study’s first author, explained in a statement. “We reckoned that replacing two molecules that we know work effectively together would help to repair this transport network more effectively than delivering either one alone, and that is exactly what we found.”

Most neurodegenerative diseases are caused by multiple genetic abnormalities, making them difficult to address with gene therapy targeted at single mutations. Astellas is working on a gene therapy that expresses two proteins, and a University of Cambridge team has shown that it holds promise in glau…

Harvard University researchers have identified the biological mechanism of how chronic stress impairs hair follicle stem cells, confirming long-standing observations that stress might lead to hair loss.

In a mouse study published in the journal Nature, the researchers found that a major stress hormone causes hair follicle stem cells to stay in an extended resting phase, without regenerating the hair follicle and hair. The researchers identified the specific cell type and molecule responsible for relaying the stress signal to the stem cells, and showed that this pathway can be potentially targeted to restore hair growth.

“My lab is interested in understanding how stress affects stem cell biology and tissue biology, spurred in part by the fact that everyone has a story to share about what happens to their skin and hair when they are stressed. I realized that as a skin stem cell biologist, I could not provide a satisfying answer regarding if stress indeed has an impact—and more importantly, if yes, what are the mechanisms,” said Ya-Chieh Hsu, Ph.D., the Alvin and Esta Star Associate Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard and senior author of the study. “The skin offers a tractable and accessible system to study this important problem in depth, and in this work, we found that stress does actually delay stem cell activation and fundamentally changes how frequently hair follicle stem cells regenerate tissues.”

In a first, scientists have revealed that animal and human DNA can be plucked straight out of thin air. The development heralds a promising new scientific technique with possible applications for ecology, forensics, and medicine, according to a new study.

“For example, this technique could help us to better understand the transmission of airborne diseases such as COVID-19.”

The research team is working with partners in industry, including the company NatureMetrics, to see how the technique can be applied in other ways, the university said.

Continue reading “DNA can be collected from air, scientists show for first time” »

Would you use one in your phone though?

A U.S. startup combined radioactive isotopes from nuclear waste with ultra-slim layers of nanodiamonds to assemble a ridiculous battery that allegedly can last 28000 years.

According to the California startup in question, called NDB (Nano Diamond Battery), their product is a “high-power diamond-based alpha, beta, and neutron voltaic battery.”

Continue reading “Diamond battery powered by nuclear waste runs for 28,000 years” »

Brown University is facing a cyberattack that has forced the school to shut some systems down — in an event that Brown is calling an “utmost priority.”

Jack Wrenn, a fifth-year doctoral candidate, said that official information was still “frustratingly scant” as of Wednesday night.

Wrenn provided a timeline as to what he understood transpired, and when the university community was notified.

European automaker Renault debuted its new cheap electric cars, the Kwid series, in India for a little over $6000 USD. The incredibly low price has left many consumers wondering why certain counties have access to cheap EV cars, while buyers in Europe and the United States are expected to pay more than quadruple that price for similar vehicles. It turns out there is a conspiracy and Europeans and North Americans who want electric cars are getting gouged by automakers, and it all has to do with gaining access to new markets.

The Kwid specifications are nearly identical to a Dacia, also a Renault brand. The difference: a European Dacia is double the price of an Indian Kwid. Meanwhile, the U.S. market misses entirely on either of these vehicles. The only electric cars available in America are dominated by premium brands and high price tags, making them unaffordable for most.

Continue reading “New Cheap Electric Cars Show How Automakers Are Conning The U.S. Market, Inflating Prices” »

An interview with Dr. Yulia Turchaninova on What would be your take on that?

Many parents employ a “job” metaphor for school. But as a parent, do you bring your work home every night? Do it over the weekend? Take it with you on vacation? And if you do, are you still eager to work on it when the whole family sits down to chat, play and watch TV after dinner? And how many direct bosses do you have above you? How about six to eight different ones a day, each with their own quirks? Do they replace each other at the ring of the bell, demanding that you instantly and completely switch to the new assignment, regardless of whether you have completed the previous one, and do it in their idiosyncratic way? And if you do, is this the kind of life that you would wish for your children?

Brodsky: So, what would be a better way of treating our metaphors?

Continue reading “How Metaphors Shape Our Ideas About Education” »

A handful of passports are already in the works, including two in Las Vegas. It is not yet clear if any Las Vegas businesses will limit access solely to vaccinated guests.

Las Vegas is no stranger to exclusive VIP lists, but there’s a new way of limiting guest access coming to town: vaccine passports.

These digital credential systems can show whether someone has been vaccinated against COVID-19 and can help businesses limit access to those who have been inoculated. The systems were designed to increase health and safety at various venues, but experts warn of pushback over concerns on privacy and personal choice.

Continue reading “Vaccine passports launched in Las Vegas but privacy, choice still concerns” »

New findings shed light on mechanisms controlling the most basic processes of life.

Five years ago, scientists created a single-celled synthetic organism that, with only 473 genes, was the simplest living cell ever known. However, this bacteria-like organism behaved strangely when growing and dividing, producing cells with wildly different shapes and sizes.

Now, scientists have identified seven genes that can be added to tame the cells’ unruly nature, causing them to neatly divide into uniform orbs. This achievement, a collaboration between the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Center for Bits and Atoms, is described in the journal Cell.