Synthetic Biology Behemoth Aims to Police Its Own Industry
Try as a nefarious actor might, it would be near impossible to order the ingredients for making a deadly virus such as smallpox from scratch—at least not from any reputable company. That’s because the world’s leading gene-synthesis firms all routinely screen customer requests against DNA sequences from hazardous viruses, bacteria, toxins and other ‘select agents.’ […]
Journalists May Have Uncovered Who Is Emitting Banned Chemicals Into The Ozone Layer
Along with a group of independent investigators, The New York Times believes they may have pinpointed who in the world continues to produce an outlawed chemical responsible for creating the hole in Earth’s ozone layer. In May, scientists of a study published in Nature found one of modern history’s most unexpected global pollution mysteries: a surprise rise in emissions […]
Product review: The desk that’s also a bike
At Medical News Today, we are often asked to try out new and unusual health and fitness gizmos. We tend to turn the offers down, but this device piqued my interest. It is now common knowledge that sitting still for hours every day is bad for our health. But many of us work in office environments, where a […]
NASA’s NuSTAR Mission Proves Superstar Eta Carinae Shoots Cosmic Rays
A new study using data from NASA’s NuSTAR space telescope suggests that Eta Carinae, the most luminous and massive stellar system within 10,000 light-years, is accelerating particles to high energies — some of which may reach Earth as cosmic rays. “We know the blast waves of exploded stars can accelerate cosmic ray particles to speeds comparable to that […]
Multiscale Analysis of Independent Alzheimer’s Cohorts Finds Disruption of Molecular, Genetic, and Clinical Networks by Human Herpesvirus
Highlights • Common viral species frequently detected in normal, aging brain • Increased HHV-6A and HHV-7 in brains of subjects with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) • Findings were replicated in two additional, independent cohorts • Multiscale networks reveal viral regulation of AD risk, and APP processing genes Summary Investigators have long suspected that pathogenic microbes might […]
This Japanese Start-Up’s Rocket Launch Went Terribly Wrong Within Seconds
Although rocket launches can look effortless and even glamorous, launching things into space is a risky business. And occasionally, it all can go very, very wrong. A Japanese start-up company learnt this the hard way on June 30, when its rocket MOMO-2 spectacularly crashed back to Earth after spending only a few moments off the launch pad. Luckily […]
Koala genome may contain clues for helping the species survive
Koalas have joined the menagerie of creatures with fully deciphered genetic instruction books, or genomes. A large team of researchers published the detailed look at the koala genome online July 2 in Nature Genetics. Why do we care? Lots of people love koalas. The iconic animal draws at least $1.1 billion in Australian dollars in tourism every year, according […]
Next-Generation Robotic Cockroach Can Explore Underwater Environments
In nature, cockroaches can survive underwater for up to 30 minutes. Now, a robotic cockroach can do even better. Harvard’s Ambulatory Microrobot, known as HAMR, can walk on land, swim on the surface of water, and walk underwater for as long as necessary, opening up new environments for this little bot to explore. This next generation […]
Microbots Deliver Stem Cells in the Body
The astonishing thing about stem cells is that they can be coaxed, in the laboratory, into becoming nearly any kind of cell—from bone marrow to heart muscle. That remarkable capability has for years kept scientists busy tinkering with stem cells and injecting them into animal models in an attempt to grow and replace damaged tissue. Such scientists have received a […]
Reducing the need for 24-hour blood pressure monitors in general practice
A new prediction tool for managing patients with suspected high blood pressure in primary care could reduce by half the number of people needing to wear 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitors to confirm a diagnosis of hypertension. High blood pressure – also known as hypertension – affects more than one in four adults in England. […]