Lifeboat Foundation

By Rowan Hooper

Science fiction thrillers usually send in gun-toting heroes like Will Smith or Tom Cruise to kick invading alien butt. Arrival is completely, wonderfully different: it sends in a linguist, played by Amy Adams.

“Language,” one character says, “is the first weapon drawn in a conflict.” The big question to ask the aliens: what is their purpose on Earth?

Continue reading “The science behind the twisting alien linguistics of Arrival” »

Researchers at the University of Sydney have discovered an antidote to the deadly sting delivered by the most venomous creature on earth—the Australian box jellyfish.

The Australian box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) has about 60 tentacles that can grow up to three metres long. Each tentacle has millions of microscopic hooks filled with venom.

Each box jellyfish carries enough venom to kill more than 60 humans.

Continue reading “Deadly box jellyfish antidote discovered using CRISPR genome editing” »

New Oculus Quest is out. VR without a PC, wireless. I have had the last two iterations of the Oculus Rift, and it is truly incredible.

Oculus Quest is our first all-in-one gaming system for virtual reality. No wires. No PC. Just a headset and controllers that transport you into another world.

The stunning emergence of a new type of superconductivity with the mere twist of a carbon sheet has left physicists giddy, and its discoverer nearly overwhelmed.

The printed samples will help reveal how long-term space travel affects the human body.

Results of a recently completed clinical trial of a potential drug to treat Type 2 diabetes in children were announced Sunday [April 28] at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2019 meeting in Baltimore, Md. The New England Journal of Medicine also published the findings. Study coauthor Jane Lynch, M.D., FAAP, professor of pediatrics at UT Health San Antonio, said the drug, liraglutide, in combination with an existing medication, metformin, showed robust effect in treating children studied in the Ellipse trial.

Currently only two drugs, metformin and insulin, are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes in children. By comparison, more than 30 drugs are approved to treat this form of diabetes in adults.

“We’ve not been able to get drugs approved for children beyond metformin and insulin,” Dr. Lynch said. “This adult diabetes medication was very effective in our trial of youth with Type 2 diabetes and was well tolerated. We urgently need other options for medical treatment of Type 2 diabetes in our youth under age 18. If approved, this drug would be a fantastic new option to complement oral metformin therapy as an alternative to insulin for our youth and adolescents with Type 2 diabetes.”

Continue reading “Finally, another effective drug for kids and teens with type 2 diabetes” »

Researchers from University of Jyväskylä and Aalto University in Finland have developed a customized DNA nanostructure that can perform a predefined task in human body-like conditions. To do so, the team built a capsule-like carrier that opens and closes according to the pH level of the surrounding solution. The nanocapsule can be loaded—or packed—with a variety of cargo, closed for delivery and opened again through a subtle pH increase.

The findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, showcase a novel CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing therapy that can suppress the accelerated aging observed in mice with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. This treatment provides an important insight into the molecular pathways involved in accelerated aging, as well as how to reduce toxic proteins via gene therapy. The researchers hope to translate this therapy to humans to potentially provide a cure for progeria as well as possibly slowing down the aging process to delay the onset of age-related diseases in everyone.

Link to paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-019-0343-4

Abstract.

Continue reading “The April Journal Club will be discussing the recent paper from the Salk Institute” »

Illustration of human embryonic stem cells. | Science Source/Ian Cuming.