Almost 200 years on from when Charles Darwin observed his Galapagos Islands finches, which became the emblems of his theory of evolution, birds in the region are again in the news for what many scientists warn could be the source of the next pandemic.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, ScienceTags: Galapagos, Charles Darwin, Birds, Influenza … [Read more...]

For the first time, scientists have successfully produced full-length spider silk fibers using genetically modified silkworms. With high strength and toughness, this silk has the potential to provide a scalable, sustainable and better-quality alternative to current synthetic fibers like nylon.Continue ReadingCategory: Materials, ScienceTags: Materials, Silk, Biotechnology, CRISPR, Genetic engineering, Genetics, Sustainable, Engineering … [Read more...]

Following years of controversy, including whistleblowers reporting of rushed experimental “hack jobs” that resulted in as many as 1,500 animal fatalities, Elon Musk's brain-chip implant company has begun recruiting for its landmark first human trial.Continue ReadingCategory: Computers, TechnologyTags: Elon Musk, Neuralink, Disability, Implant, Brain, Neural Network, Neuroscience … [Read more...]

There’s growing recognition that attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is not just a disruptive childhood condition, with conservative numbers estimating that 8.7 million adults in the US are living with it, both diagnosed and not. Yet older adults, aged 50 and over, are not only consistently absent from ADHD studies, but face roadblocks if they even try to seek help.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical, ScienceTags: rebro University, ADHD, … [Read more...]

Australian National University (ANU) physicists have combined nanotechnology, artificial intelligence and molecular biology to design a novel method that looks for Alzheimer’s disease protein markers in blood. These markers are tell-tale signs of early neurodegeneration, and early detection is so far the best defense we have in order to effectively intervene in Alzheimer’s progression. While there’s no cure for the disease, a 20-year jump on … [Read more...]

Two months on from it being declared safe by the FDA, aspartame is again making headlines for the wrong reasons, this time for its potential negative impact on learning and memory.Continue ReadingCategory: Medical, ScienceTags: Florida State University, Memory, Learning, Brain, Cancer … [Read more...]