The gene switch.

One common area of  research is how can we control the fate of our cells. Being able to control or change certain cells in our body could help cure diseases along with help people whose body may not be able to heal themselves like it should. Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have been conducting such research and has had some success. The researchers used the cells of C. elegans  to conduct their experiments. These researchers were able to take cells from the pharynx of  C. elegans  and change them into intestinal cells using a one step process. This process was used on of cells, but the pharynx cells were the only ones that were able to make this switch. The researchers are now trying to see what makes these pharynx cells able to make this switch, and if they can manipulate other cells into behaving the same way. Although there is still a lot of work to be done, do you think that this process could be helpful?

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131204091618.htm

One step closer to the cure.

In some cancer cases there is an oncogene called K-Ras that can make the cancer more aggressive than those cancers without the gene. The reason K-Ras is so aggressive is because it is a mutated gene that does not respond to treatment. For years K-Ras has been able to avoid drug treatment, but that may be coming to an end. Researchers at Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) have found a drug that can disrupt this mutated gene. The researchers at HHMI discovered an unknown pocket in the gene which allows binding to the K-Ras gene and prevents its mutated function but allows the function of normal proteins. With this new discovery there is a chance that some of these aggressive cancers can be stopped, and maybe one day we will be cancer free.

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131120133458.htm

Electric virus!

Since people want to help clean up the environment we developed cleaner gas sources, when that wasn't good enough we invented the electric car. Electric cars are great for the environment, but they can only go so far before you have to charge them again. To address this problem people have been trying to develop a lithium-air battery which will hold a charge longer and be able to better handle the constant charging and discharging the an electric car battery would undergo. The project is showing promise, but researchers are still trying to discover a way to find a way to better the materials used to make the battery to undergo such a workload. Well researchers at MIT may have found something to help with this material issue in the form of modified viruses.
The researchers used the genetically modified M13 virus to aid in the process of making nanowire structures. These nanowire structures aren't smooth but are made up of tiny spikes which help increase the surface area allowing the battery to have more sites for electrochemical reactions to take place. Not only do these virus provide a better nanowire structure for the battery's cathodes, but they are safer to develop than using chemicals to develop the nanowire. I wonder if when these researchers get more information on this technique if it would be to use in a much larger scale? Perhaps they can help power small cities one day. What do you think?

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131113125831.htm

A new way to help your immune system...

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have possibly found a new way to help boost your immune system by using the circadian clock. It has always been known that our circadian clocks regulate our eating and sleeping patterns, well now it has been discovered that it may play a role in our immune system as well. Their research showed that there may be a possible connection between the circadian clock and the number of inflammatory cells called  interleukin-17-producing CD4+ T helper cells (T_H17). They studied the T_H17 cells in mice and saw an increase in production during the mice sleeping cycle. When their day-night cycles where continuously disrupted the amount of T_H17 was produced more when awake than normal. Although their results aren't conclusive as of yet, there may be a new way to help fight colds before you even get sick.

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131107170632.htm

Monkey See Monkey Do

Anyone that has been around babies know that you might want to be careful with what you do and say because baby is watching. Researchers have looked at this learning process in babies to see how they actually begin to learn. It turns out that babies brains are set up like a somatotopic map. This somatotopic mapping works by a baby watching a person touch something with a body part and the portion of the babies brain that corresponds to that same body part will record the action. So it is true what they say, babies really do learn their actions from the people they are around.

Article.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131030185149.htm

Printable body parts.

There is a new technique being developed that allows different tissues and organs to be printed out. This technique uses printers similar to those found in an office, but have been slightly modified. The biggest modification is instead of ink the printer uses a bio-ink which is made up from components of natural tissue matrix and living cells or gelatin. They have modified the gelatin to stay in liquid form until exposed to heat (37 C) and UV light at which point they can manipulate it to have the same characteristics as the tissue they desire.

The biggest problem as of now is that they can not produce vascularized tissue. The researchers are working with another company to produce blood vessels to incorporate into the tissues so that they can make full organs that can receive nutrients from blood. My question would be: If they could ever produce a fully functioning organ and you needed a transplant, would you want a printed one or an organ from a person?

Article:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131024102038.htm

The Cyborg Swarm

Researchers at North Carolina State University have began using swarms of insect cyborgs they are calling "biobots" to map out locations where information of the layout is unknown (like in a building that has collapsed). These biobots are released into the unknown environment and allowed to spread out. Once spread out from one another using sensors attached to them, the researchers can control the insects and after awhile their movement can reveal the previously unknown building layout. The researchers have also said that the sensors attached to the biobots can detect any radioactive or chemical threats that may be present. This kind of mapping and detection can help find chemical threats in hard to reach locations, while keeping people at a safe distance.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131016112708.htm