Scientists have developed a new method for measuring a particular mutant protein that builds up in the nervous system of patients, a causal factor in progression of Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by a mutation in the gene that encodes Huntingtin. The Huntingtin gene is located on chromosome four and…
It has been found that immune cells, known as T cells, can be engineered to attack a form of brain cancer that is quite often fatal. The brain cancer type under investigation is glioblastoma, a cancer of astrocytes, one of the supportive cell types in the brain. Glioblastoma is a very common form of brain…
Researchers have discovered 25 new antibiotics after developing a new technique for growing bacteria. Bacteria are abundant in soil – most of the bacteria currently used to make antibiotics are from the soil – but previously only a very small number could be grown in the laboratory. However, using this new method, it is thought…
New research, published in Environmental Research Letters, suggests that the number of lightning events across the UK has been strongly influenced by solar activity – specifically the Sun’s magnetic field. It may come as a surprise that we are still somewhat puzzled by lightning. It is not fully understood how the built up electric charges…
It sounds a bit like something out of science fiction, but Google have begun developing a wearable device that can detect cancer formation and other major health issues. It could be, in the future, that we all wear these devices as a means of early warning for life threatening ailments. The basic principle of this…
Researchers have managed to turn limb cells into genitals in lizards- showing their same developmental origin. The landing site for the rosetta comet mission has been named “Agilkia”. Researchers use a rover dressed to look like a baby penguin to infiltrate colonies of penguins. Researchers have shown there is a link between polluted air and…
A man, previously paralysed from the chest down has been able to walk again following a new treatment involving transplantation of olfactory cells into his damaged spinal cord. Following a knife attack four years ago, Darek Fidyka was left paralysed and left unable to walk. After undergoing a revolutionary new treatment, Fidyka has been able…
The 2014 Nobel Prizes for Physiology or Medicine, for Physics and for Chemistry have been announced. The Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine went to three scientists for the discovery of the brain’s GPS system. The prize for chemistry was awarded for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy. And for physics, the prize was awarded…
The FOXP2 gene is found in humans and is very thoroughly studied. It was initially thought to be the key gene that allowed the development of human language. It has now been shown to be related to automatic learning and has even made test mice better at completing tasks. Initially discovered in the 1990s, it…
Latest Comments