Stem Cells

For as long as humans have conceived of making hybrid organisms, an ethical debate has been waged over whether or not we should. The pros and cons are vast and poignant. Each new scientific advancement towards making hybrids stokes the fire of…

Glioblastoma is one of the most deadly brain cancers because it is nearly impossible to destroy the cause of the cancer: cancerous stem cells. However, scientists are using Zika's preference for stem cells to target and eliminate the cancerous stem cells…

My name is Min Ya, or Ya Min, but I go by Minya. I was born and raised in China. Heavily influenced by my botany-enthusiast father, I have been a plant lover since I was very little. Before grad school, I finished my undergrad in China and Japan, and…

Almost fertilized [Image Courtesy: Zappys Technology Solutions]The inability to produce health sperms and eggs has hindered many people’s dream of having children. Though many other alternatives such as adoption can get around this problem, infertility…

by Caitlin Nichols cover image by Rebecca Clements Modern advances in stem cell technology and genetic engineering are bringing the stuff of science fiction into reality, presenting remarkable promise for expanding knowledge and treating disease.…

Statue of a (mythological) winged chimera, a fearsome hybrid creature comprised of parts of a lion, goat, and snake. [‘Chimera’ from Minchioletta]The National Institutes of Health recently announced that it expects to lift a ban on research…

The myxoma virus is only deadly for rabbits… and potentially human cancer cells. Photo by Larry D. Moore. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons. A common treatment for blood cancers, such as leukemia, is to replace damaged, cancerous…

Invasive micropapillary carcinoma of the breast, courtesy of Ed Uthman, Wikimedia CommonsA study shows that when a certain protein called Timp is lacking, there is an increase in the number of stem cells of the mammary gland (an organ in the breast),…

Gliobastoma (astrocytoma) WHO grade IV – MRI sagittal view, post contrast. By Christaras A via Creative Commons Treating glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) – the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer – is notoriously difficult. In…

The finger-like mound of cells in the central portion of this micrograph is an intestinal villus. The single layer of cells on its surface is the only barrier between the contents of the gut lumen and the inside of the body. The major job of these…