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Did you know dolphins can stay constantly awake for weeks?
Jun 25th
Young parents and workaholics are very familiar with the effects of sleep deprivation, and almost everyone is agreed – it’s not the most pleasant place to be! Anyone who has ever tried to be, or had to be, awake continuously for several days and nights will know how a stretch of busy time without a nap reduces us to clumsy, incoherent creatures in a daze. But did you know that dolphins have the incredible ability to stay constantly awake – and alert – for more than two weeks? So how do they do that? This is the question Brian Branstetter, a marine More >
The Epigenetic code and brain development
Jan 21st
Epigenetics has been a hot topic in molecular biology for several years and it´s fascinating to see how it is now trending in general news as well. I was reminded of this fact when hearing Fatimah Jackson speak at the American Museum of Natural History´s recent SciCafe. So what is epigenetics? First of all it´s not as simple as the genetic code!
The name is derived from epi- (Greek: επί- over, outside of, around) combined with genetics, literally meaning being “over genetics”. Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene activity which are NOT caused by changes in the DNA sequence. While the idea that More >
Naughty or nice? The Moral Molecule
Jan 9th
Oxytocin (ball-and-stick) bound to its carrier protein neurophysin (ribbons) based on: "Crystal structure of the neurophysin-oxytocin complex" Rose, J.P., Wu, C.K., Hsiao, C.D., Breslow, E., Wang, B.C. (1996) Nat.Struct.Biol. 3: 163-169
I recently enjoyed a truly mind-blowing talk at the New York Academy of Sciences. The Neuroeconomist (yes, he studied Economy and is founding director of Claremont´s Center for Neuroeceonomic Studies) Paul J. Zak spoke about his research on the brain chemical oxytocin (OXT) – the so-called “love hormone” – and how he showed that OXT is the source of love and prosperity, triggering a wide variety of physical and psychological effects More >
Brain size and intelligence- why a human is smarter than a mouse
Nov 13th
“Section through the cerebral cortex of a mouse, stem cells can be seen glowing in green, mature nerve cells in red; cell nuclei for both types of cell are shown in blue.” Source: IMBA
Your brain is a complex, highly organized organ. Each mammalian brain is made of approximately 10-15 billion nerve cells, called neurons. And each brain is built of thousands of different types of neurons, called neuronal subtypes. Neurons have the amazing ability to gather and transmit electrochemical signals, the more neurons the faster signals can be transmitted; think of them like the gates and wires in a computer. More >
DNA Barcoding Exposes Deregulation of Herbal Supplements
Oct 12th
There is an increasing need for more Americans to improve their health and lifestyle. One growing trend that I see in my hometown of New York City is the building of local farms on rooftops and the increase of organic produce sections in the supermarkets. In an effort to protect our health some of us are choosing more natural and locally grown food over mass-produced, insecticide-ridden crops. And in the realm of medicine, many people are choosing more natural medicines or herbal supplements to support our health. Many common herbal medicines used today are used for a variety of reasons, More >
Twilight’s Edward and Bella – Romance or Rabies? A scientific view on vampires
Sep 28th
Today, September 28th, is world rabies day! Rabies is an animal borne viral disease that kills nearly 100 percent of its victims once the infection reaches the brain. But have you ever wondered how this fatal virus can affect the brain, causing victims to become ´rabid´? I was thinking about it in those autumn days when all these pumpkin-spice lattes and fancy Hokkaido soups around the city indicate that Halloween is just around the corner – which is always a good excuse to enjoy classic splatter movies like Shawn of the Dead or the zombie film I Am Legend once again, or More >
Decoding ‘Mad snake disease’
Aug 28th
A boa constrictor with IBD, "mad snake disease".
Have you ever seen a sick boa constrictor? All of a sudden they start shedding, develop head tremors and secondary infections, twisting up into knots and wasting away. These poor animals may have acquired a fatal infectious disease called inclusion body disease (IBD). The disease can rapidly progress to the nervous system, with behavioral abnormalities such as disorientation, corkscrewing of the head and neck, holding the head in unnatural positions, or rolling onto the back. Affected snakes either die quickly or starve slowly over several years. The disease was first observed in captive snakes More >
Jumping Down the Road to Cancer.
Aug 28th
Lying dormant in our genomes are millions of jumping genes. Originally discovered by Barbara McClintock, transposons are DNA sequences that can move from one location to another in our DNA. Transposons cause mutations when they jump to new locations, so keeping them from jumping is important. However, although transposons are largely silent, every person probably has a few “rare” sites, found in only a few people in the world, where a transposon has jumped to a new location.
Mutations in numerous pathways need to accumulate for cancer to progress. Given the ability of transposons to cause mutation and the role of mutation in More >
The flavor of extinction in a bowl of soup
Aug 27th
The most expensive bowl of soup I have ever had in my life was a $15 bowl of ramen in the NYC restaurant Ippudo. And this was no ordinary “ramen” you would eat at home as a cash-strapped college student. This was an authentic bowl nuanced with so many rich and hearty flavors of Japanese cuisine.
Little did I know that $15 soup was considered “cheap” compared to other soups that sell for at least $100 a bowl. One such soup is shark fin soup, which is traditionally served in Chinese cuisine during special occasions. One is apt to eat this More >
Can a moisturizer treat cancer?
Aug 17th
How often do you moisturize your skin? Every day? Once a month? Well researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago have given a moisturizer the ability to perform RNA interference and regulate genes.
Topical treatments are common for skin cancers like melanoma, as they can be applied directly to the affected cells. But our skin is very effective at blocking toxins getting into our bodies so the challenge was how to cross that barrier.
Again, enter the realm of nanotechnology, a topic I post about regularly.
This time, the scientists paired gold nanoparticles with small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules to form a siRNA “sphere.” These miniscule More >
