Viruses May Eventually Be Used to Deliver Gene Therapy
New approaches for preventing and treating illnesses are on the rise, including the use of gene therapy through vaccines. With this technique, healthy copies of genes can be introduced to the body to reverse the bad effects of genes working incorrectly. This form of treatment would be especially helpful for genetic disorders, whose problems are based in our DNA. However, a major obstacle in this treatment is the delivery system of the new genes. That is, how do we bring the healthy genes into our cells and have them turn on in the first place? So far, viruses have proven to be a major help as a gene-delivery system. The nature of viruses is to copy themselves over and over, so they’re an excellent way to spread a desired gene within the body. Of course, they’re modified first so they can’t cause illness. In this study, researchers at Uppsala University…
Music Makes Our Body Move Unawares
Be it tapping our feet, nodding, or simply swaying, music makes us move! However, did you know that the body moves to music even when we’re not aware of it? These small movements are referred to as “micromotion”, and have captured the attention of scientists at the RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion at the University of Oslo. They set out to learn if micromotion varies among different genres like EDM, Indian classical music, and Norwegian fiddle music.. A total of 71 participants with the average age of 25 years were asked to stand as still as possible through six minutes of pieces of music interspersed with moments of silence. A motion capture system was used to record the position of each participant’s head during this period. The head displacement was used to calculate the average level of micromotion. The scientists then processed and analyzed the…
First Clinical Trial of Stem Cell Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease
A landmark clinical trial was announced recently by researchers at Kyoto University. For the first time in history, this trial tests the use of stem cells for the treatment of a major degenerative brain disease: Parkinson’s disease. The significance of a trial like this should not be understated, as the therapeutic potential of stem cells in diseases such as Parkinson’s disease may have a big payoff. Current treatments for Parkinson’s disease only alleviate symptoms, but cannot cure it. Neural Stem Cells derived from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Image from Wikimedia Commons Parkinson’s Disease: What Is It? A key feature of degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease is the progressive death of neurons in the brain. Our brains are made of roughly 100 billion neurons, or brain cells. Each type of neuron is classified according to the type of chemical signals that they produce. These chemical signals…
Detecting Toxins Produced by Algae
Harmful algal blooms are becoming an increasing problem in areas around the world, including the Great Lakes, where drinking water is obtained from surface water sources, such as lakes and rivers. When agricultural nutrients and urban waste runoff enters these bodies of water, microbes such as cyanobacteria can consume these nutrients and quickly increase in abundance. Cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae) produce compounds called cyanotoxins that can be harmful to humans. Microcystins are one group of cyanotoxins that can cause skin rashes, hives, or if swallowed, gastrointestinal symptoms. In extreme cases, liver damage can occur if a large amount is ingested. There are approximately 80 variants of microcystins known, and microcystin-LR is the most toxic. The World Health Organization assigned a maximum concentration limit of only 1 microgram per liter (µg/L) of microcystin-LR for drinking water sources. If the water contains more than 1 µg/L of this microcystin, the…
Babies Learn About Eye Contact Early in Life
As infants, we absorb any information our surroundings have to offer, especially if other humans are involved. Infants can recognize their native language, the faces of their own species, and even the faces of their own race. It’s all part of how our brains learn to adapt to their individual environments. With this consistent information, we also learn how our families communicate and socialize. Whether we realize it or not, eye contact is an important part of nonverbal communication. It can tell us about a person’s mood, attention, confidence, or all of the above. Even though it’s a subtle social signal, human brains learn to recognize it pretty well. Researchers at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development at the University of London wanted to test how early we’re able to recognize this social behavior. In this study, infants were tested on their ability to observe if a face’s eyes…