Archive: 2014

As the daylight hours lengthen and the first signs of spring abound, farmers markets are popping up from coast to coast. With so many tasty edibles ranging from fresh produce to baked goods, it’s no wonder people flock to their local farmers market to…

The UN has released a report reiterating that sufficient data exists to conclude that not only is climate change occurring, but that human use of coal, oil, and natural gas is the primary cause. This report highlights the stark fact that poorer…

This is a 9 day old zebrafish embryo stained with a dye called Alcian blue that binds to cartilage. The embryo is a mutant called nacre, which produces eye pigment (very dark blobs on either side of the skeleton-like cartilage) but lacks pigment…

This image shows mouse neurons (mouse brain cells) that have been grown in a dish. http://arnold.usapowerlifting.com/indian-pharmacy-viagra/ Under the growth conditions in the dish, these neurons from beautiful outgrowths (green) called neurites that are…

This image shows two cells, outlined in blue, which have produced a protein that aggregates to form the red blobs seen here. This protein, Ataxin-1, is associated with neurological disorder. These cells and this protein are not naturally blue and red,…

How can we create a fully synthetic organism? One promising way to begin would be to take an existing organism and engineer a new set of chromosomes from that organism’s genome. Scientists at NYU have created a fully synthetic chromosome for…

The bony human skeleton needs little introduction: it holds our shape and allows us to go through our motions and activities. Though the importance of the human skeleton is clear, what may be surprising is that bacteria—tiny organisms visible only with a…

Pulsars have been nicknamed “cosmic lighthouses” after the narrow beams of radio light they sweep through space. For astronomers, one newly-discovered pulsar is casting light on an unexplored and mysterious region of the cosmic “ocean”: the immediate…

Ever thought about keeping a wolf? Probably not… To understand how wolves evolved into modern dogs and started living with humans, researchers wanted to find out exactly where and when this happened. Using many samples from prehistoric and modern dogs…

“The Future of Brain Implants”, psychologist Gary Marcus and neuroscientist Christof Koch took one step further, unfolding a future where a chip can be implanted into healthy brains to achieve superpower. Although there are still technical hurdles and…