Category Biology/Biotechnology

fMRI is used to highlight select implant sites in the somatosensory cortex. Electrodes implanted in this region were able to stimulate neurons that produced physical sensations, like a squeeze or tap, in the arm of a paralyzed man. Credit: Courtesy of the Andersen lab

For the first time, scientists at Caltech have induced natural sensations in the arm of a paralyzed man by stimulating a certain region of the brain with a tiny array of electrodes. The patient has a high-level spinal cord lesion and, besides not being able to move his limbs, also cannot feel them. The work could one day allow paralyzed people using prosthetic limbs to feel physical feedback from sensors placed on these devices.

The research was done in the laboratory of Richard Andersen, James G...

A new study at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland reports that autophagosome content is increased by resistance training in previously untrained young men, but this response may be blunted by aging. Credit: University of Jyväskylä

A new study at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland reports that autophagosome content is increased by resistance training in previously untrained young men, but this response may be blunted by aging. Autophagy is a major catabolic route in cells responsible for the clearance of proteins and organelles. Pathological levels of autophagy are associated with muscle wasting, but physiological levels are important for cellular recycling.

In the present study, indicators of autophagy and unfolded protein response (UPR), which is another system for maintaining c...

By combining a robotic arm and mass spectrometry, researchers can analyze the surface of 3-D objects, such as footballs. Credit: American Chemical Society

Within the past decade, many advancements have been made in the 3D market from printing to movies. Now scientists report in ACS’ Analytical Chemistry that by combining a robotic arm and mass spectrometry, they can analyze the surface of irregularly shaped 3D objects, potentially opening up new branches of forensics and pharmaceutics.

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a tool that helps researchers identify the components of a sample. In recent years, the instrument has made its way outside the laboratory for use in forensics and drug screening...

Dinh S Bui et al. Childhood predictors of lung function trajectories and future COPD risk: a prospective cohort study from the first to the sixth decade of life. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, April 5, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/S2213-2600(18)30100-0

3/4 COPD pathways are associated with exposures in childhood, and amplified by factors in adulthood, according to a cohort study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal. While smoking remains the biggest risk factor for COPD, the study demonstrates that childhood illnesses (such as asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, allergic rhinitis, eczema) and exposures to parental smoking are also linked to the disease.

A second study in the journal also suggests that there could be a window of opportunity during childhood to reduce the risk of poor lung...