Category: Education
Scientists confirm genetic variations cause eczema, allows for polishing of genetic tests, therapies
Atopic dermatitis, commonly known as eczema, is an inflammatory skin condition caused by an impaired skin barrier. It allows increased water loss from the skin – people with eczema tend to have thick, dry,and intensely itchy skin and easily develop […]
Researchers successfully grow functioning mini hearts from stem cells
A breakthrough at Michigan State University (MSU), US, has seen the first-ever miniature human hearts – grown from stem cells – made in the lab. The human heart organoids (hHOs) come complete with all primary heart cell types and have […]
Curious young minds drawn to explore, stockpile information over easy rewards
“Exploration seems to be a major driving force during early childhood – even outweighing the importance of immediate rewards,” according to Dr. Vladimir Sloutsky, a professor of psychology at The Ohio State University, US. Dr. Vladimir and colleagues studied how children would […]
Injecting healthy cells into eyes boosts vision in blind mouse models
Scientists studying engineered biomaterials at the University of Toronto (UT), Canada, have happened upon a technique that could one day treat blindness – they demonstrated how a new method of injecting healthy cells into the eyes could address vision loss […]
Older adults may not be “missing the picture” but interpreting it differently
A professor from Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL), Missouri, has looked at the brain activity of older adults through a slightly different set of tests than common ones for memory. Zachariah Reagh found that aging adults don’t necessarily have […]
Placebos elicit genuine psychobiological effects when patients believe them
Placebo drugs can still work if the patient believes it will help, observed researchers who were conducting a new study at Michigan State University (MSU). They suggest “honest” or non-deceptive placebos could have a role in modern clinical practice. The […]
Healthy young men manage occasional calorie over indulgence remarkably well
Young, healthy men have been found to keep their metabolic control even after consuming twice as much pizza than usual. Researchers with the Centre for Nutrition, Exercise and Metabolism (CNEM) at the University of Bath, UK, thus believe that if […]
Specific virus species prey on bacteria to clear diabetic foot ulcer infections
Bacteriophages (phages) are tiny viruses that infect and replicate inside bacteria. In the fight against bacterial infections so far, phages have been used as inhalable treatments for pneumonia, wrapping materials that kill foodborne bugs or, drinkable chasers to clear up […]
Patterns of brain activity in newborns similar to adults within days of birth
Understanding how an infant’s brain – which is more adult-like than assumed – works may be key to identifying problems later on. Research by psychologists at Emory University in Georgia, US, provides an early look into the visual cortex of […]
Sino-US startup develops blood test for early detection of cancers
A new type of blood test has been shown to detect five types of cancer years before standard diagnoses – the test found cancers in 91% of people who initially showed no symptoms but were later diagnosed with stomach, oesophageal, […]
