December 2011
19 posts
5 tags
6 tags
5 tags
Don't blame the usual suspect for cancer →
What if proliferation is the norm for cells – and a very different theory of cancers’ cause is waiting in the wings?
THE pursuit of knowledge is always an uncharted adventure: it is mostly conducted in the twilight between what is known and what is not. As a consequence, there is no sure method to search for big ideas. Louis Pasteur said that chance helps the prepared mind, while in the...
7 tags
6 tags
Early warning: Can diseases like Alzheimer's be... →
Noticing an elderly relative is suddenly starting to forget things, is getting confused or displaying sudden changes of mood are usually the first signs they are developing dementia.
But what if the disease could be spotted - and treatment given - years before any symptoms begin?
That’s the aim of researchers coming together in a new centre at University College London.
5 tags
5 tags
Bone marrow transplant best for boosting blood... →
BONE marrow transplants may beat stem-cell injections as a way of increasing the production of blood cells when tissue is from an unrelated donor.
A potential problem of either treatment - used for diseases like sickle cellanaemia - is graft-versus-host disease. This potentially fatal condition occurs when donated blood cells launch an immune attack on the host.
Members of the US Blood and Marrow...
7 tags
Can the biology of being gay combat bigotry? →
Simon LeVay’s theory of homosexuality in Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why nicely balances solid science and common sense
Deborah Blum, contirbutor
IN THE summer of 1991, neuroscientist Simon LeVay published a paper that would make him famous. It reported a study that clearly demonstrated a structural difference between the brains of gay and straight men. For nearly two decades since,...
5 tags
5 tags
Embryonic stem cells to be made available for free →
BANKING that benefits everyone?
The UK Stem Cell Bank in South Mimms is about to receive a deposit fromPeter Braude’s team at King’s College London: human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) that are safe to use in medical applications. Best of all, researchers will be able to withdraw the cells for free.
The two new cell lines differ from all other known sources of hESCs because they have...
“My response is that when Creationists talk about God creating every individual...”
– David Attenborough (via mutualaddiction)
I’ve probably posted this before. While we’re on the subject, David Attenborough is my god.
(via blueleafx)
5 tags
Rare gene links vitamin D and multiple sclerosis →
A rare genetic variant which causes reduced levels of vitamin D appears to be directly linked to multiple sclerosis, says an Oxford University study.
6 tags
Petition to pardon computer pioneer Alan Turing... →
smooshingaround:
An online petition calling for the government to posthumously pardon Alan Turing and quash his conviction for gross indecency has been launched.
Something I feel strongly about :) thanks noor for bringing it to my attention :D
5 tags
5 tags
Dynamics of mouse limb transcriptomes →
The transcriptome of mouse limb bud development at three different stages reveals the changes in gene expression underpinning major developmental events and the role of non-coding RNAs during this process.
BMC Developmental Biology 2011, 11:47
5 tags
5 tags
Cancer cells poisoned with sugar →
IT’S a heavy price to pay for a sweet tooth. Researchers have tricked glucose-eating cancer cells into consuming a sugar that essentially poisons them - it leaves a “suicide” switch within the cells open to attack.
“Most cancer cells rely almost exclusively on glucose to fuel their growth,” says Guy Perkins of the University of California at San Diego. With Rudy...
5 tags
