Scientists have identified a key mechanism for successfully transplanting tissue into the adult central nervous system. The study found that a molecule known as MMP-2 (which is induced by stem cells) has the ability to break down barriers on the outer surface of a damaged retina and allow healthy donor cells to integrate and wire themselves into remaining recipient tissue.
Science news stories share breakthroughs and discoveries with the general public. The public learns new information, but these reports seldom help people understand HOW the discovery was made. It was recently announced that a team of researchers found no link between breast cancer and abortion. Using this news story, I shed some light on the process of science in an effort to help general audiences understand more about science in general.
Earth sits between two worlds that have been devastated by climate catastrophes. In the effort to combat global warming, our neighbours can provide valuable insights into the way climate catastrophes affect planets.
Findings described in a new study by Stanford scientists may be the first step toward a major revolution in human regenerative medicine—a future where advanced organ damage can be repaired by the body itself. In the May 2007 issue of The FASEB Journal, researchers show that a human evolutionary ancestor, the sea squirt, can correct abnormalities over a series of generations, suggesting that a similar regenerative process might be possible in people.
A technology research and development company, and a Columbia University scientist have achieved the successful demonstration of a new technology to capture carbon from the air. The “air extraction” prototype has successfully demonstrated that indeed carbon dioxide (CO2) can be captured from the atmosphere. They say this is the first step toward a commercially viable air capture device.
As the sports world prepares for this weekend’s National Football League draft and the excitement of promising young players entering the league, a new study from the University of Michigan Health System highlights the issues faced at the other end of the career spectrum, after players retire.
An electrical circuit that should carry enough power to produce the long-sought goal of controlled high-yield nuclear fusion and, equally important, do it every 10 seconds, has undergone extensive preliminary experiments and computer simulations at Sandia National Laboratories’ Z machine facility.
Over-the-counter pain medication naproxen and prescription pain reliever celecoxib do not prevent Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study. These findings appear to contradict earlier observational studies, which found sustained use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may have a protective effect against Alzheimer’s disease.
University of Illinois researchers Soo-Yeun Lee and Shelly Schmidt are trying to solve a mystery: Why doesn’t diet soda taste more like regular soda? Can a well-trained panel of “taste testers” pinpoint the exact problem? And can food scientists do anything to fix it?
One out of three sexually active older adults infected with HIV has unprotected sex, according to a study by Ohio University researchers. A survey of 260 HIV-positive older adults found that of those having sex, most were male, took Viagra and were in a relationship.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make a lot of money, according to new research. A nationwide study found that people of below average intelligence were, overall, just about as wealthy as those in similar circumstances but with higher scores on an IQ test. Furthermore, a number of extremely intelligent people stated they had gotten themselves into financial difficulty.
Astronomers have discovered the most Earth-like planet outside our Solar System to date, an exoplanet with a radius only 50% larger than the Earth and capable of having liquid water.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has caused an unnecessary scare about some pain relievers by adding a warning to drugs that are safe, says Curt Furberg, M.D., Ph.D., from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. At the same time, he says the agency has failed to recognize the harm of a pain reliever that should be taken off the market.
When a person’s under stress or injured, the adrenal gland releases cortisol to help restore the body’s functions to normal. But the hormone’s effects are many and varied, lowering the activity of the immune system, helping create memories with short-term exposure, while impairing learning if there’s too much for too long. Given the variety of its effects,understanding how cortisol is made is essential to producing medications that can alter its production.
An experiment called “shining light through walls” would seem hard to improve upon. But University of Florida physicists have proposed a way to do just that, a step they say considerably improves the chance of detecting one of the universe’s most elusive particles, a candidate for the common but mysterious dark matter.
A Georgia Tech research team has discovered that water exhibits very different properties when it is confined to channels less than two nanometers wide – behaving much like a viscous fluid with a viscosity approaching that of molasses.
WHY IS IT THAT HUMANS OFTEN SEEK ADDICTIONS OR A ROUTINE IN WHICH THEIR LIFE MUST FOLLOW? (OR THINK THEY MUST FOLLOW)….
