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Yes, the Universe Can Expand Faster Than Light

An expanding universe complicates this picture just a little bit, because the universe absolutely refuses to be straightforward. Objects are still emitting light, and that light takes time to travel from them over to here, but in that intervening time the universe grows larger, with the average distance between galaxies getting bigger (yes, I know that sometimes galaxies can collide, but we’re talking on average, at big scales here).

So when we see an image of a distant galaxy, and that light has traveled for billions of years to finally end in our telescopes, we don’t know how far away that galaxy is right now, at the moment that we get the light. We have to turn to a cosmological model that incorporates the expansion history of the universe, so we know how much the universe has grown in a given amount of time.

Our current best model of the universe is called LCDM, which involved both dark matter (different episode) and dark energy (different episode). We can discuss the relative merits and weaknesses of LCDM (different episode), but for now let’s just take it as a given, as deviations from LCDM don’t really change the picture much.

Scientists reverse aging in blood stem cells by targeting lysosomal dysfunction

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have discovered how to reverse aging in blood-forming stem cells in mice by correcting defects in the stem cell’s lysosomes. The breakthrough, published in Cell Stem Cell, identifies lysosomal hyperactivation and dysfunction as key drivers of stem cell aging and shows that restoring lysosomal slow degradation can revitalize aged stem cells and enhance their regenerative capacity.

Lysosomes are specialized structures that act as the cell’s recycling system, breaking down proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids. Lysosomes accumulate and degrade waste, and eventually recycle it to be reused in biosynthetic processes. Lysosomes can also store nutrients to be released when needed. Lysosomes are recognized as pivotal for regulating metabolism in the cell, both catabolism (breaking down complex molecules to simple ones) and anabolism (building complex molecules from simpler ones).

The study, led by corresponding author Saghi Ghaffari, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology at the Icahn School of Medicine and a member of the Black Family Stem Cell Institute, focuses on hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). These are the rare long-lived cells in the bone marrow responsible for generating all blood and immune cells.

Parkinson’s Link to Gut Bacteria Suggests Unexpectedly Simple Treatment

Researchers have suspected for some time that the link between our gut and brain plays a role in the onset of Parkinson’s disease.

A recent study identified gut microbes likely to be involved and linked them with decreased riboflavin (vitamin B2) and biotin (vitamin B7), suggesting an unexpectedly simple treatment that may help: B vitamins.

“Supplementation therapy targeting riboflavin and biotin holds promise as a potential therapeutic avenue for alleviating Parkinson’s symptoms and slowing disease progression,” said medical researcher Hiroshi Nishiwaki from Nagoya University in Japan, when the paper was published in May 2024.

Aged blood vessel cells drive metabolic diseases

Previous research by the investigators showed that eliminating senescent cells with drugs called senolytics improved metabolic function, the body’s method for turning food and drink into energy.

In the current study, investigators focused on senescent blood vessel cells. They selectively removed these cells from obese laboratory mice and found that the animals’ inflammation and fat mass were reduced—and blood sugar levels improved.

When the investigators transplanted senescent blood vessel cells into lean laboratory mice, those mice developed inflammation in fat tissue and metabolic dysfunction.

The lead said this occurred because senescent blood vessel cells release high levels of inflammatory molecules.

The investigators next treated both groups of mice with fisetin, a naturally occurring senolytic compound, and found that the mice had fewer senescent blood vessel cells and improved diabetic symptoms. Investigators saw a similar decline in senescent blood vessel cells when they treated tissue samples from obese human patients with fisetin.

Investigators found that aged blood vessel cells play a key role in the development of metabolic disorders, including diabetes. The preclinical findings, published in Cell Metabolism, could lead to new treatments for these complex disorders.

Continue reading “Aged blood vessel cells drive metabolic diseases” | >

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