6/30/2008 PERMALINK
The luddite logic of medical regulatory bureaucrats Luddite bureaucrats in California and New York want to prevent you from being able to get a personal genetic-test from companies like 23andMe and Navigenics, which allow you to learn what diseases you might be predisposed towards. The luddite logic used by these medieval mentality medical regulators is that you should not be able to get a test done on yourself, because only doctors can order a test.
Now perhaps one or two of these companies aren't doing a perfect job of testing, but even if true, banning ALL tests for individuals is ludicrous, but this isn't just about personal genetic tests. Often the results of over-regulation are deadly.
The American success rate against pancreatic cancer is around 5%, but in China they have been achieving a success rate many times higher than that for the last four years using a technique called High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU). This technique uses sound waves focused by a computer to raise the temperature of the tumor just enough to kill it, with no harm to surround tissues. Any tumor inside a solid organ like breast, pancreas, kidney, prostate or liver that can be imaged by ultrasound can now also be precisely destroyed by HIFU. The body simply absorbs the dead tissue. No need for a long hospital stay as with American surgery, in China, you just get the procedure and go home cured. The advantage is just stunning.
Yet thanks to the repressive regulator environment and surgeons who have let their Hypocratic Oath slip to the point that they don't rebel against this sort of scandalous treatment of their patients by regulators, thousands die in America each year needlessly.
Americans are being forced to suffer through painful and costly surgeries that have only about a 5% chance of success, when a painless procedure with 95%+ success rate is available.
No studies have ever been done to determine the total number of people that slow FDA approval of new and effective medical technologies kills each year, but just by eliminating the HIFU option for breast, pancreas, kidney, prostate and liver cancers alone for the last four years, the FDA regulators must have caused tens of thousand of needless deaths.

6/30/2008 PERMALINK
Reprogramming adult stem cells inside your brain In recent years, stem cell researchers have become very adept at manipulating the fate of adult stem cells cultured in the lab. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies achieved the same feat with adult neural stem cells still in place inside the brain. They successfully coaxed mouse brain stem cells bound to join the neuronal network to differentiate into support cells instead.

The discovery, which is published ahead of print on Nature Neuroscience's website, not only attests to the versatility of neural stem cells but also opens up new directions for the treatment of neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, stroke and epilepsy that not only affect neuronal cells but also disrupt the functioning of glial support cells.

To test whether stem cells in their adult brain environment can still veer off the beaten path and change their fate, Jessberger used retroviruses to genetically manipulate neural stem cells and their progeny in laboratory mice. Under normal conditions, the majority of newborn cells differentiated into neurons. When he introduced the Ascl1, which had previously been shown to be involved in the generation of oligodendrocytes and inhibitory neurons, he successfully redirected the fate of newborn cells from a neuronal to an oligodendrocytic lineage.

"We were surprised that a single gene could change the fate of stem cells in the brain," says the study's lead author, Fred H. Gage, Ph.D., a professor in the Laboratory for Genetics and the Vi and John Adler Chair for Research on Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases.

"We can now potentially tailor the fate of stem cells to treat certain conditions such as multiple sclerosis," explains first author Sebastian Jessberger, M.D.

6/30/2008 PERMALINK
IL-4 & IL-21 T-cell messengers trigger bad allergies

Scientists Danielle Avery and Dr Stuart Tangye from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney have identified a process, a synergistic encounter between two molecules, that may account for the extreme allergic reactions some people experience. By silencing at least one of these molecules, it may be possible to treat allergies.

The molecules, IL-4 and IL-21, are cytokines or 'chemical messengers' produced by immune cells known as T cells. T cells use cytokines to communicate with B cells, which then make antibodies. When IL-4 and IL-21 are involved in the same 'conversation' with a B cell, laboratory experiments show they stimulate the production of large amounts of the antibody class known as immunoglobulin E, or IgE. IgE is a very tightly regulated antibody. Under normal circumstances, it is present in only very small quantities and protects us against parasites. Unfortunately, it becomes damaging when the body makes too much. The findings are now published online in the prestigious international publication Blood.

6/30/2008 PERMALINK
The biology that lets women live longer than men Scientists in Spain and Italy have identified a group of proteins in laboratory rats that could help explain two enduring medical mysteries — why women live longer than men and why calorie restriction stands as the only proven method of extending longevity. Their study, which could help scientists understand the biochemical underpinnings of aging, is scheduled for the July 3 issue of ACS' monthly Journal of Proteome Research (Abstract).

In the study, Adamo Valle and colleagues point out that women, on average, live years longer than men. Previous studies also have shown that diets extremely low in calories consistently increase maximum life spans in a wide range of animals. Scientists have speculated that the explanation may involve hormones, stress, cardiovascular protection and other factors.

Using lab rats as stand-ins for humans, the researchers found that the livers of both female rats and calorie-restricted rats produced different levels of 27 proteins than male rats or those on a normal diet. The findings suggest that a previously unrecognized set of cellular pathways may be involved in the longevity boost from being female and eating a sparse diet, the study says, suggesting that these insights could lead to new ways of boosting human longevity.

6/30/2008 PERMALINK
Mapping collaboration for stem cell embryome

A new web site Embryome.com has been launched to foster an international collaboration with scientists around the world to create the first systematic map of all the cell types derived from human embryonic stem cells. Researchers hope to use this web site to collaborate to map the "embryome" in a manner similar to the international initiatives that mapped the human DNA or genome in the 1990s. While the database launched today at Embryome.com is currently populated with nearly 2,000 distinct cell types, the complete map will require the collective efforts of hundreds of scientists over the coming months.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which is the funding arm of the $3 billion California stem cell initiative, has agreed to be the first subscriber to all features of the database on behalf of all researchers residing within the state of California. Details are available at log in to the database at www.embryome.com.

"Human embryonic stem (hES) cells have the innate potential to become all of the diverse cell types of the human body," said Dr. Michael D. West, CEO of Embryome Sciences. "However, understanding how to control and use that potential is the greatest challenge in the field of regenerative medicine today. The sheer complexity of cell types and the lack of an international standard of the markers that distinguish the cell types are slowing the advance of the field. We hope this collaborative map will speed the day when life-saving therapies can be translated from the laboratory to the host of patients suffering from life-threatening disease." Like other collaborative databases, Embryome.com offers an online discussion forum where scientists can debate issues, exchange ideas, and transmit data related to stem cell research for the data base. An editorial board will ultimately control the content of the site.

6/30/2008 PERMALINK
Nanobot labs & fabs move ever closer to reality In a major step towards the development of nanobots, nano-labs and nano-factories, researchers at Rice University in Texas are reporting the design, construction, and assembly of nano-size building blocks into the first giant structures that can sense and respond to changes in environmental conditions. Their study, available online is called Controlled Manipulation of Giant Hybrid Inorganic Nanowire Assemblies

6/30/2008 PERMALINK
Cataloging the genomic hot spots of stem cells Singapore scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) have published an atlas that showing the location of "genomic hotspots" of essential protein "switches" (transcription factors) that are critical for maintaining the embryonic stem (ES) cell state. Using advanced high throughput sequencing technology, the scientists discovered over 3,000 hotspots. These findings could improve understanding of the unique properties of stem cells that enable them to maintain their intriguing ability to grow and differentiate to virtually any cell type.

"This blueprint that we obtained is like a treasure map, pointing us to specific sites where we can further study how these switches interact within the cell. Hopefully, this will eventually allow us unlock the secrets of stem cells," said Wei Chia Lin, Ph.D., Senior Group Leader at GIS.

Ng Huck Hui, Ph.D., also a Senior Group Leader at GIS, added, "we think that these 'stemness' hotspots are the most critical points in the genetic blueprint of ES cells. By targeting these hotspots, we may be able to reconnect the wiring in non-stem cells and jump-start the stem cell program in them. This can potentially create an inexhaustible source of clinically useful cells for regenerative medicine or cell based therapies in the future." The team has already started work to investigate further into this area of research.

The researchers performed genome-wide mapping of the in vivo binding sites for 13 sequence-specific transcription factors in ES cells. These transcription factors play different roles in self-renewal, pluripotency, reprogramming and chromatin insulation.

6/30/2008 PERMALINK
How brain follows one conversation in noisy room

How does your brain follow one conversation in the midst of a crowded and noisy room? Little is known about how the human brain accomplishes the seemingly simple task of extracting meaningful signals from noisy acoustic environments. In an article published recently in the open-access journal PLoS Biology, Alexander Gutschalk and his colleagues provide an important advance towards solving this mystery by discovering the neural correlates of conscious auditory perception.

The researchers use magnetoencephalography (MEG) to record brain activity as human subjects detect target tones in a complex auditory scene consisting of distracting tones. They discover that the awareness of these sounds correlates with activity in high-level auditory regions in the brain, not the initial cortical region where sound is processed.

6/29/2008 PERMALINK
The many ways our brains badly need upgrading In this one hour video, Dr. Gary Marcus talks about the numerous ways our brains need to be upgraded, as discuss his new book KLUGE: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind. Are we noble in reason or perfect in God's image? Far from it, says New York University psychologist Gary Marcus. Marcus makes the case that the mind is not an elegantly designed organ, but rather a "kluge," a clumsy, cobbled-together contraption that performs numerous tasks far less well than even the simplest of computers ... more

6/29/2008 PERMALINK
Does too much cleaning hurt kids' immune systems? New parents are often advised to maintain a bacteria-free environment for babies by sterilizing bottles and dummies, as well as washing their hands regularly. Many antibacterial soaps and wipes are marketed to children, parents, and caregivers. In addition, the majority of children are vaccinated against several serious diseases before the age of three. The DIABIMMUNE study, backed by the EU , is now asking whether by removing all bacteria, we are not actually weakening our children’s immune systems.
'Earlier we have studied autoimmune phenomena and allergic responses in Finnish and Russian Karelian school children. ’Now we are to study infants and toddlers in order to yield new information on the maturation of the immune system and the interaction between the immune system and the environment,' explains Professor Mikael Knip from the University of Helsinki., who is coordinating the project.

Previous studies have found that Finnish children are six times more likely to have type 1 diabetes and a five times higher rate of coeliac disease (an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine) than Russian children. Despite this prevalence, both nationalities have equal amounts of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene variants, which predispose them to autoimmune diseases. 'The differences in the frequency of autoimmune phenomena and allergic responses between Finland and Russian Karelia cannot be due to genetic causes. High living standards and the associated life style appear to promote the development of autoimmune diseases and allergic responses,' believes Professor Knip.

6/29/2008 PERMALINK
LightPole building RES infrasturcture for publishers

LightPole offers software and services for Reality Enhancement Sytems (RES), enabling publishers to distribute geo-specific content to mobile devices. In the next 5-10 years, mobile devices will supplant PCs as the primary interface to the Web. In addition, mobile devices are becoming increasingly popular as personal tools for social networking, calendaring, and location-based services. LightPole says that their mission is to bring the world of geo-contextual content to the growing population—now counted in hundreds of millions—of mobile phone users.

LightPole publishing services make it easy for publishers, bloggers, and other content providers to distribute content to mobile device users, and to engage users in interactive communities. No special programming or expensive IT investments are required. LightPole enables publishers to easily extend the publishing systems they already have to reach new markets and build new communities. The LightPole publishing service supports a variety of content distribution models, including subscriptions, transactions, and advertising. The company offers “location-aware discovery” of content, giving mobile devices users unprecedented access to a wealth of information about where they are.

6/29/2008 PERMALINK
A search bot even smarter than Google's? Powerset is working on research to change the way people interact with technology by enabling computers to comprehend human language. Powerset is first applying its natural language processing to search, aiming to improve the way we find information by unlocking the meaning encoded in ordinary human language. Powerset’s first product is a search and discovery experience for Wikipedia, launched in May 2008. The 3 minute video below demos the highly impressive smart bot capabilities of which this code is capable.

6/28/2008 PERMALINK
Can one person's white cells cure another's cancer? Scientists at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center are about to embark on a human trial to test whether a new cancer treatment will be as effective at eradicating cancer in humans as it has proven to be in mice.

The treatment will involve transfusing specific white blood cells, called granulocytes, from select donors, into patients with advanced forms of cancer. A similar treatment using white blood cells from cancer-resistant mice has previously been highly successful, curing 100 percent of lab mice afflicted with advanced malignancies.

The study, given the go-ahead by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will involve treating human cancer patients with white blood cells from healthy young people whose immune systems produce cells with high levels of cancer-fighting activity.

The basis of the study is the scientists' discovery, published five years ago, of a cancer-resistant mouse and their subsequent finding that white blood cells from that mouse and its offspring cured advanced cancers in ordinary laboratory mice. They have since identified similar cancer-killing activity in the white blood cells of some healthy humans.

"In mice, we've been able to eradicate even highly aggressive forms of malignancy with extremely large tumors," said Zheng Cui, Ph.D., lead researcher and associate professor of pathology . "Hopefully, we will see the same results in humans. Our laboratory studies indicate that this cancer-fighting ability is even stronger in healthy humans."

6/28/2008 PERMALINK
Transitioning to a humods civilization In this 8 minute video, theoretical physicist Michio Kaku talks about transitioning from a Type 0 to a Type 1 civilization. Humods technologies are essential to making this jump and we either make it, or our species will suffer extinction ... watch

6/28/2008 PERMALINK
Discovering the nature of human cognition What Dictionaries and Optical Illusions Say About Our Brains, a Scientific American interview with cognitive scientist Mark Changizi.

6/28/2008 PERMALINK
Humanity v2.0, the movie This 48 minute BBC documentary considers the pros and cons of the cybernetic future of humanity ... watch

6/27/2008 PERMALINK
Fat-burning hormone FGF21 increases life span Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined that starvation blocks the effects of growth hormone via a mechanism that may have implications in treating diabetes and extending life span. "It's been well-established that growth is blunted during starvation. But our work shows that this is not just from running out of energy. It's much more sophisticated than that," said Dr. Steven Kliewer, professor of molecular biology and senior author of a study available online and appearing in today's issue of the journal Cell Metabolism.

Using genetically altered mice, the researchers found that during fasting, the actions of growth hormone are blocked by a fat-burning hormone called FGF21. "It's something that we hadn't anticipated," said Dr. Kliewer. Growth hormone has many functions in the growth and reproduction of cells, such as controlling the length of developing arm and leg bones in children. Growth hormone has several other functions, however, even in adults. It promotes the breakdown of fats, stimulates creation of protein and increases levels of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1), a hormone that promotes growth. Too much growth hormone can cause insulin resistance, resulting in diabetes, and lead to other disorders.

In the current study, mice that were genetically altered to produce excess FGF21 grew to be much smaller than ordinary mice, even though they ate more and had more fat in proportion to their size. Paradoxically, and to the researchers' surprise, the altered, smaller mice produced much greater amounts of growth hormone than normal. Why didn't the altered mice grow larger than normal in response? The researchers found that FGF21 does not block the production of growth hormone; rather, it works to prevent growth hormone from activating the genes it normally controls.

Interfering with the actions of growth hormone has been shown to increase life span in mice, Dr. Kliewer said. "In addition, intermittent fasting, which increases FGF21 concentrations, also extends life span in mice. This raises the intriguing possibility that FGF21 might be a longevity factor," Dr. Kliewer said. "This is something that we're beginning to test in the lab, but our genetically engineered mice have all the classic hallmarks of extended life span: growth hormone resistance, low concentrations of IGF-1, increased insulin sensitivity and small size."

FGF21 is already being tested in human clinical trials for treatment of obesity and diabetes in adults, but the new findings linking FGF21 to interference with growth hormone might indicate that caution is needed before using it in children or teens, Dr. Kliewer said.

6/27/2008 PERMALINK
How an Artificial Retina Works

Normal vision begins when light enters and moves through the eye to strike specialized photoreceptor (light-receiving) cells in the retina called rods and cones. These cells convert light signals to electric impulses that are sent to the optic nerve and the brain. Retinal diseases like age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa destroy vision by annihilating these cells.

With an artificial retina device, a miniature camera mounted in eyeglasses captures images and wirelessly sends the information to a microprocessor (worn on a belt) that converts the data to an electronic signal and transmits it to a receiver on the eye. The receiver sends the signals through a tiny, thin cable to the microelectrode array, stimulating it to emit pulses. The artificial retina device thus bypasses defunct photoreceptor cells and transmits electrical signals directly to the retina’s remaining viable cells. The pulses travel to the optic nerve and, ultimately, to the brain, which perceives patterns of light and dark spots corresponding to the electrodes stimulated. Patients learn to interpret these visual patterns.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Artificial Retina Project is funding an effort to develop an implantable microelectronic retinal device that restores reading ability, facial recognition, and unaided mobility in people with retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. Developed with funding from this program, the Argus II retinal implant from Second Sight is currently undergoing clinical testing in Europe.

6/27/2008 PERMALINK
Why defective cells sometimes refuse to die

Cells with irreparable DNA damage normally induce programmed cell death, or apoptosis. However, this mechanism often fails in tumor cells so that transformed cells are able to multiply and spread throughout the body. Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ have now discovered a possible cause of this failure. Tumor cells simply degrade a protein that triggers apoptosis in the case of DNA damage. Blocking this protein degradation might set apoptosis back in operation and, thus, increase the effectiveness of radiotherapy or chemotherapy. The researchers have now published their results in Nature Cell Biology.

Proteins that trigger programmed cell death, or apoptosis, must be kept under careful control. After all, a cell should induce its own death only if its genetic material is damaged so severely that there is a danger of its transformation into a malignantly growing tumor cell. However, minor damages in the DNA can be corrected by the cell's special repair mechanisms hence, no reason to commit suicide!

Among the proteins that trigger apoptosis after severe DNA damage is the HIPK2 molecule. Scientists in Dr. Thomas Hofmann's research group have now shown that although HIPK2 is continuously produced in healthy cells, it is instantly degraded again. An enzyme called Siah-1 attaches labels to HIPK2 marking it as "garbage". Thus, the cell prevents that apoptosis is induced "accidentally".

Slightly damaged cells enter a kind of alarm status: They block degradation of HIPK2 by Siah-1 for a short time. But as soon as the damage is repaired, the cell immediately resumes labeling HIPK2 as garbage and degrades the molecule. Only in severely damaged cells, such as by a broken DNA double strand, degradation of HIPK2 by the Siah-1 enzyme is blocked permanently. As a result, HIPK2 accumulates, apoptosis is triggered, and the cell commits suicide.

Researchers assume that this could be one of the reasons why radiation therapy or chemotherapy is sometimes ineffective. Both treatment methods cause severe damage to tumor cells, which eventually leads to programmed cell death. "If resistances occur, this is often caused by tumor cells 'refusing' to take the order to commit suicide," Thomas Hofmann explains.

To prevent HIPK2 degradation, Hoffmann and his colleagues conducted experiments in which they blocked the Siah-1 enzyme. As a result, HIPK2 was able to accumulate even in cells that were only slightly damaged, and apoptosis was induced. "Cancer medicine might be able to make use of our discovery," speculates Hofmann. "For example, we could use a Siah-1 blocker simultaneously with chemotherapy or radiotherapy to get the cells back into the apoptosis program."

6/27/2008 PERMALINK
New MIT probe untangles cells' signal paths

MIT researchers have designed a new type of probe that can image thousands of interactions between proteins inside a living cell, giving them a tool to untangle the web of signaling pathways that control most of a cell's activities.

"We can use this to identify new protein partners or to characterize existing interactions. We can identify what signaling pathway the proteins are involved in and during which phase of the cell cycle the interaction occurs," said Alice Ting, the Pfizer-Laubach Career Development Assistant Professor of Chemistry and senior author of a paper describing the probe published June 27 by the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

The new technique allows researchers to tag proteins with probes that link together like puzzle pieces if the proteins interact inside a cell. The probes are derived from an enzyme and its peptide substrate. If the probe-linked proteins interact, the enzyme and substrate also interact, which can be easily detected.

To create the probes, the researchers used the enzyme biotin ligase and its target, a 12-amino-acid peptide.

Their work is conceptually related to an approach that uses GFPs (green fluorescent proteins), which glow when activated, as probes. Half of each GFP molecule is attached to the proteins of interest, and when the proteins interact, the GFP halves fuse and glow. However, this technique results in many false positives, because the GFP halves seek each other out and bind even when the proteins they are attached to are not interacting, said Ting.

The new probes could be used to study nearly any protein-protein interaction, Ting said. The researchers tested their probes on two signaling proteins involved in suppression of the immune system, and on two proteins that play a role in cell division. They are currently using the probe to image the interaction of proteins involved in synapse growth in live neurons.

6/27/2008 PERMALINK
A protein clutch controls the movement of bacteria The tiny but powerful engine that propels the bacterium Bacillus subtilis through liquids is disengaged from the corkscrew-like flagellum by a protein clutch, Indiana University and Harvard University scientists have learned.

Scientists have long known what drives the flagellum to spin, but what causes the flagellum to stop spinning -- temporarily or permanently -- was unknown.

"We think it's pretty cool that evolving bacteria and human engineers arrived at a similar solution to the same problem," said IU Bloomington biologist Daniel Kearns, who led the project. "How do you temporarily stop a motor once it gets going?"

The action of the protein they discovered, EpsE, is very similar to that of a car clutch. In cars, the clutch controls whether a car's engine is connected to the parts that spin its wheels. With the engine and gears disengaged from each other, the car may continue to move, but only because of its prior momentum; the wheels are no longer powered.

EpsE is thought to "sit down," as Kearns describes it, on the flagellum's rotor, a donut-shaped structure at the base of the flagellum. EpsE's interaction with a rotor protein called FliG causes a shape change in the rotor that disengages it from the flagellum's proton-powered engine ... more

6/27/2008 PERMALINK
Molecular Guide for Neuron Connections Found The human nervous system has trillions of connections that must be made perfectly before the network operates effectively. Scientists have long been fascinated about how the wires in our nervous system, called axons, migrate to form the synaptic connections between neurons that carry out all the functions of the nervous system from thought to movement.

Yale University researchers studying the migration of axons in the spinal cord have found a crucial molecule that helps guide axons on their remarkable journey. A team of scientists led by Elke Stein, Assistant Professor of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology and Cell Biology, showed that a gene linked to the mental retardation phenotype in Downs Syndrome is essential for these axons to connect.

Scientists looking for path-finding axons are particularly interested in the nerve fibers that form at this junction which are known as commissural axons. The midline in the spinal cord is an important region in the nervous system that divides the body into the right and left halves. Recent studies demonstrate specialized cells at the midline play critical roles in regulating the guidance of growing axons in the developing spinal cord by secreting attractive and repulsive signals.

About 20 years ago, netrin-1 was the first such guidance molecules identified. Netrin-1 is a cue that attracts and guides commissural axons over long distances to the midline of the central nervous system. Over the past 15 years, scientists have looked for the receptors expressed at the leading tip of the axons, called the growth cone, which are used to steer these commissural axons to their targets.

6/27/2008 PERMALINK
The Fight to End Aging Gains Legitimacy, Funding Wired Magazine talks with biogerontologist Aubrey de Grey of The Methuselah Foundation sponsors of the conference Aging: The Disease - The Cure - The Implications, now underway at UCLA.

6/26/2008 PERMALINK
UCSF/Google launch Memory + Aging Channel Google's YouTube and UCSF Memory and Aging Center are collaborating to produce a special YouTube Memory and Aging Channel intended to increase awareness among the public and physicians about the various forms of dementia, with the goal of promoting earlier diagnoses and getting more patients into research studies and clinical trials and educate caregivers.

6/26/2008 PERMALINK
Ronin protein a controller for embryonic stem cells Like the masterless samurai for whom it is named, the Ronin protein chooses an independent path, maintaining embryonic stem cells in their undifferentiated state and playing essential roles in genesis of embryos and their development, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers.

Three proteins Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog had previously been considered the "master" regulators of embryonic stem cells, "but Ronin could be as important as the other three," said Dr. Thomas Zwaka, assistant professor in the Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine (STaR) Center at BCM.

"Ronin is a potent transcription repressor," he said. In fact, it prevents the action of genes that promote the differentiation of cells into the various tissues and organs of the body. "It does it more effectively than the other three factors together," he said.

The teams finding about Ronin prompts many questions. Can Ronin be used to reprogram normal cells into cells more closely resemble embryonic stem cells? Ronin is also found in areas of the brain such as the hippocampus and the cerebellum. "What role does it play in the brain?" asked Zwaka.

6/26/2008 PERMALINK
First total ankle replacements that uses no metal
Ankle replacements that offers increased mobility and pain relief without permanent metal implants have been developed by Daniel K. Lee, D.P.M., F.A.C.F.A.S., at UC San Diego Medical Center, this technique is the first in the U.S to offer a non-metal, biological ankle replacement. "Up until now, patients have had two options for replacing their ankle joints: metal implants or fusion of the joints," said Lee, director of foot and ankle surgery at UCSD Medical Center. "Now there is an option that actually restores the ankle with an FDA-approved biologic material that is similar to the collagen found in cartilage."

6/26/2008 PERMALINK
Intel robotic hand senses object shape and adapts This video shows a robotic hand created by Intel researchers led by Josh Smith that uses a weak electrical field to sense the shape of objects. This ability called electrolocation is common in fish, but not in humans ... watch

6/26/2008 PERMALINK
Umbilical cord stem cells could cure Lou Gehrig's Transplants of human umbilical cord blood stem cells appears to help patients suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), a disease in which the motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain degenerate. In a study by University of South Florida researchers lead by the study's lead author Svitlana Garbuzova-Davis, PhD, DSc, of the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) stem cells were transplanted into mouse models with ALS. Cells were transplanted at three different dose strength levels -- low, moderate and high -- to determine the degree to which dose levels of transplanted cells might delay disease symptom progression and increase lifespan. Research results determined that the moderate-strength dose of HUCB cells was most effective in increasing lifespan and reducing disease progression.

6/26/2008 PERMALINK
Using nano to do gene therapy instead of viruses The potential of gene therapy has long been hampered by the risks associated with using viruses as vectors to deliver healthy genes, but a new University of Georgia study helps bring scientists closer to a safe and efficient gene delivery method that doesn't involve viruses. Assistant professor of chemistry Yan Geng and her colleagues in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences have created a novel synthetic gene vector that packages DNA into well-defined nanostructures that allow it to efficiently deliver genes without triggering immune responses. The study, primarily carried out by doctoral student Jennifer Haley, appears in the June issue of the journal Molecular BioSystems and also may have implications for cancer treatment and vaccine development.
"We've developed a very versatile approach to creating synthetic gene delivery vectors," said Geng, a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Scholar and a researcher in the UGA Cancer Center. "Our approach is relatively simple using simple chemical reactions to create a new class of packaging molecules that wrap up genes on their own and has the potential to be very useful in real-world, clinical applications."

6/26/2008 PERMALINK
Implant can replace high risk weight loss surgery A new implantable medical device, developed in collaboration with Mayo Clinic researchers, shows promise as a reversible and less extreme alternative to weight loss surgery. In a six-month open label trial involving three medical centers in Australia, Mexico and Norway, the 31 obese participants who received the vagal nerve blocking device, also called VBLOC™ therapy, lost an average of nearly 15 percent of their excess weight. A quarter of the participants lost more than 25 percent, and three patients lost more than 30 percent, of their excess weight ... watch

6/26/2008 PERMALINK
Are stem cells wasted on the young? Stem Cells are wasted on the young : The impact of aging on cell therapy and potential solutions. One major barrier to the therapeutic use of pluripotent and totipotent cells is that by the time a patient needs them, their body has become less able to use them. The stem cell niche (i.e., those factors in the tissue microenvironment that stem cells require in order to function normally) changes with age, and not for the better: for example, embryonic stem cells lose proliferative capacity when confronted with aged niches.

6/26/2008 PERMALINK
Laser nanodot tweezers for cellular manipulation Here we report the first experimental realization of three-dimensional nanometric optical tweezers that are based on nanostructured substrates. Using electromagnetically coupled pairs of gold nanodots in a standard optical tweezers set-up, we create an array of subwavelength plasmonic optical traps that offer a significant increase in trapping efficiency. Our tweezers achieve nanoscale control of entities at significantly smaller laser powers and open new avenues for nanomanipulation of fragile biological objects ... Abstract

6/26/2008 PERMALINK
The more B-cells in your blood, the longer you live Dr Sonya Vasto and colleagues at the University of Palermo Pathobiology Department have been investigating longevity by running tests on two groups of men and women between the ages of 75 and 90. A group all have parents that lived to 100 years of age and a control group does not. "Our main finding was the increase in naive B-cells in individuals who had centenarian parents," said Dr. Vasto. B-cells are lymphocytes (white blood cells) that play a large role in the body's immune response.

6/26/2008 PERMALINK
Replace our troops with iPhone controlled robots? Two young men at the University of South Florida, Rodrigo Gutierrez and Jeff Craighead have thrown together a really neat little app that lets them control a PackBot from an iPhone. The Packbot is a military robot made by the iRobot, the same people that make the wonderful little Roomba vacuuming robot. Amazingly, the guys even have the Packbot beaming back real time video to the iPhone so they can see where it is going in order to control it from a distance. Check out the video ... watch

6/26/2008 PERMALINK
Nanotubes replace transistors in computer memory
In research done at Cambridge University researchers say they have for the first time been able to control the number and spatial location of nanotubes over large areas with the precision needed for the production of integrated circuits. One nanotube which stores an electric charge bends toward a static nanotube. When the two touch, an electrical contact is created and charge can flow to a capacitor structure formed around the static nanotube. This charge is used to represent a bit of information; a charged capacitor represents 1/ON and an uncharged capacitor represents 0/OFF. The vertical nature of the NEM capacitor structure allows for high integration densities, reducing both process costs and size requirements. There is a sharp transition between the ON and the OFF state of the switch which means that a very small difference in voltage can change the state of the device, reducing the amount of power required for its operation.

6/26/2008 PERMALINK
Adult stem-cell treatment repairs retina damage Pfizer recently announced that they are backing a promising start up called EyeCyte, Inc. that is working on a new adult stem-cell treatment for retina damage. Adult stem cells are isolated in the lab from a sample of the patient's blood or bone marrow, then injected back into the patient's eye. The technique was developed in research by Professor Martin Friedlander, M.D., Ph.D. and his laboratory at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla. The proceedure shows promise for reversing the effects of man disease associated with aging including: diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, retinal vascular occlusive disease, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa.

6/26/2008 PERMALINK
Deleting one gene boosts mouse life span by 30% Mice born with deletion of the gene for pregnancy associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), a model of reduced local insulin-like growth factor activity, live approximately 30% longer than their wild-type litter mates. In this study we investigated metabolic consequences of PAPP-A gene deletion and possible relationship to lifespan extension ... Abstract

6/26/2008 PERMALINK
Will fuzzy logic surveillance bots be watching you? The sounds of breaking glass, someone shouting, or the noise of a crowd gathering are being ‘learned’ by artificial intelligence software controlling surveillance cameras, which can then swivel towards sound, spot crimes in progress, and even automatically alert the police.

The three-year project aims to adapt artificial intelligence software already being developed by researchers at the University of Portsmouth's Institute of Industrial Research to identify visual patterns. The software is so sophisticated it can identify minor visual cues such as whether a car aerial is up or if the car has a dent as well as more complex cues such as violent behavior.

If, for example, a CCTV camera is trained on a shopping precinct, the software would use artificial intelligence to notice if someone raises their arm suddenly or runs. The operator of the camera has banks of monitors to watch but the new software will alert them immediately to any unusual activity and, if necessary, call the police.

The research team is now working on using the same software to ‘learn’ sounds and react to them by swinging the CCTV camera towards in them at the same speed a person would turn their head if they heard someone scream, which is about 300 milliseconds.

Dr David Brown, director of the Institute, said: “The visual-recognition software will be able to identify visual patterns but for the next stage we want to get the camera to pivot if it hears a certain type of sound. So, if in a car park someone smashes a window, the camera would turn to look at them and the camera operator would be alerted.

“The longer artificial intelligence is in the software the more it learns. Later versions will get cleverer as time goes on, perhaps eventually being able to identify specific words being said or violent sounds. We are only listening for specific words associated with violence, not full conversations.”

The software behind this research uses fuzzy logic to identify certain visual cues and sounds. Dr Brown said: “In identifying sound we are looking for the shapes of sound. In the same way, if you close your eyes, you can trace the shape of a physical object and ‘read’ its profile with your hand we are developing shapes of sound so the software recognizes them.

“The software will use an artificial intelligence template for the waveform of sound shapes and if the shape isn’t an exact fit, use fuzzy logic to determine what the sound it. For example, different types of glass will all have slightly different waveforms of sound when they smash but they will have the same generic shape which can be read using fuzzy logic.

“It’s a very fast, real-time method of identifying sounds.”

See also: Making your face invisible to security cameras

6/26/2008 PERMALINK
Microsoft funds study of human-robot interactions The University of South Florida’s Robin Murphy, professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and director of the Institute for Safety Security Rescue Technology has been given a Microsoft External Research Grant, Microsoft announced. The grant is to continue studying human-robot interaction, an area in which Murphy has gained international recognition through her work in rescue robotics. Along with the funding, Microsoft has also made available to researchers a wide range of software development technologies from the Microsoft Robotics Developer Center.

6/25/2008 PERMALINK
Anti-inflammatory drug blocks brain plaques

Brain destruction is caused by the build-up of a protein called amyloid beta in the brain, which triggers damaging inflammation and the destruction of nerve cells. Scientists had previously shown that preventing individual amyloid beta proteins from sticking to one another minimized brain lesions and protected nerve cells against damage.

A new collaborative study by researchers in Germany and the US shows that an anti-inflammatory drug (called CNI-1493) may have the same effect. The drug already tested in humans for the treatment of inflammatory diseases protected nerve cells against amyloid beta induced damage in culture. In mice prone to developing an Alzheimer's-like disease, the drug decreased brain inflammation and improved memory and cognitive function.

CNI-1493 may provide a more effective alternative to current Alzheimer's therapies, which temporarily prolong the function of nerve cells but do not prevent their destruction.

6/25/2008 PERMALINK
Computer reads, responds to facial expressions Jacob Whitehill at the Machine Perception Lab, Department of Computer Science & Engineering University of California, San Diego has developed an automatic real-time facial expression recognition system. The computer can do facial analysis and respond according to its findings. In an automated tutoring systems (link is a pdf), the computer could respond with additional instruction if it sees from the facial expression that a student is still puzzled ... watch

6/25/2008 PERMALINK
Repairing malfunctioning mitochondria, the power plants of your cells Scientists have determined that human cells are able to shift important gene products into their own mitochondria, considered the power plants of cells. The finding could eventually lead to therapies for dozens of diseases. “If you have a mutation in a tRNA that you suspect is involved in disease, you theoretically should be able to bring a healthy tRNA from the cytoplasm into the mitochondria and correct the malfunction,” said Juan Alfonzo, senior author of the study and an assistant professor of microbiology at Ohio State University. The research appears online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The finding that tRNA import occurs in humans can set in motion an entirely new line of research into therapeutic options for patients with diseases and aging effects caused by mitochondrial defects.

6/25/2008 PERMALINK
Closed cell phone operating systems open up Symbian the software that dominates the world market for cell phone operating systems is going open source. With Apple also opening its iPhone to developers and Google's Android already wide open, all major cell phone operating systems are now open. So instead of the handful of crappy apps on your phone today, you will soon be seeing tens of thousands of available applications, many of which will no doubt be fully RES (Reality Enhancement Systems) and net enabled. Nokia's announcement.

6/25/2008 PERMALINK
Making your face invisible to security cameras Wear a cloak of invisibility that hides your face from all those Big Brother cameras that are on every building wall these days ... watch

6/25/2008 PERMALINK
Microchip helping to restore vision to the blind
Last year, Wentai Liu watched as surgeons implanted a microchip he had designed into the eye of a blind patient. For Liu, a professor of electrical engineering in the Baskin School of Engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz, it was a major milestone in two decades of work on an artificial retina to restore vision to the blind.

Ten patients are now enrolled in a clinical trial of the device based on Liu's microchip at four leading ophthalmic centers in the United States. Patients are also enrolled in trials in Mexico, Switzerland, France, and the United Kingdom. Developed through a large collaborative effort involving biomedical researchers nationwide, the retinal prosthesis is an implantable electronic device intended for patients blinded by diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.

The Integrated BioElectronics Research Group headed by Prof. Liu develops miniaturized electronics for interfacing with biological systems and replace lost biological functionality if required. We are part of the Biomimetic Microelectronic Systems Engineering Research Center (BMES ERC) – a National Science Foundation sponsored ERC for interdisciplinary research – partnering with University of Southern California and California Institute of Technology.

6/24/2008 PERMALINK
A microscalpel able to destroy a single cell while leaving nearby cells intact Mechanical engineering Assistant Professor Adela Ben-Yakar at The University of Texas at Austin has developed a laser microscalpel so precise that it can destroy a single cell while leaving nearby cells intact, which could improve the precision of surgeries for cancer, epilepsy and many other diseases.

"You can remove a cell with high precision in 3-D without damaging the cells above and below it," Ben-Yakar says. "And you can see, with the same precision, what you are doing to guide your microsurgery."

Femtosecond lasers produce extremely brief, high-energy light pulses that sear a targeted cell so quickly and accurately the lasers' heat has no time to escape and damage nearby healthy cells. As a result, the medical community envisions the lasers' use for more accurate destruction of many types of unhealthy material. These include small tumors of the vocal cords, cancer cells left behind after the removal of solid tumors, individual cancer cells scattered throughout brain or other tissue and plaque in arteries.

A commercially available femtosecond laser system and microscope was developed recently for LASIK and other eye surgeries, but the system's bulk limits its usefulness. Ben-Yakar's laboratory has overcome technological challenges to create a microscope system that can deliver femtosecond laser pulses up to 250 microns deep inside tissue. The system includes a tiny, flexible probe that focuses light pulses to a spot size smaller than human cells.

6/24/2008 PERMALINK
For first time ever embryonic stem cells successfully coded to become brain cells Scientists at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research have, for the first time, genetically programmed embryonic stem (ES) cells to become nerve cells when transplanted into the brain. The research (I wanted to get this up as fast as possible, but as I posted the link from their press release it is not yet active. It is also on their main page so I assume it will go active shortly. You may need to try again later) showed that mice afflicted by stroke showed tangible therapeutic improvement following transplantation of these cells. None of the mice formed tumors, which had been a major setback in prior attempts at stem cell transplantation.

The team was led by Stuart A. Lipton, M.D., Ph.D., professor and director of the Del E. Webb Neuroscience, Aging, and Stem Cell Research Center at Burnham. Dr. Lipton is also a clinical neurologist who treats patients with these disorders. Collaborators included investigators from The Scripps Research Institute.

"We found that we could create new nerve cells from stem cells, transplant them effectively and make a positive difference in the behavior of the mice," said Dr. Lipton. "These findings could potentially lead to new treatments for stroke and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease."

Conditions such as stroke, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's disease destroy brain cells, causing speech and memory loss and other debilitating consequences. In theory, transplanting neuronal brain cells could restore at least some brain function, just as heart transplants restore blood flow.

Researchers always prefer to talk about the disease curing aspects of their discoveries, but make no mistake about it, this technique holds the potential for reversing nearly all of the harmful neurological effects of aging.

6/24/2008 PERMALINK
Ubuntu Mobile Internet Device (MID) Edition Umbuntu, the first version of Linux user friendly enough for non-geeks to use has come out with a version especially designed for smaller mobile internet devices, the Ubuntu MID Edition. The Umbuntu folks say that it is just the right applications provide an uncompromised Web 2.0 experience: Web browsing, email, media, camera, VoIP, instant messaging, GPS, blogging, digital TV, games, contacts, dates/calendar, simple software updates... and lots more.

6/24/2008 PERMALINK
Nokia N810 & N800 personal net nodes upgraded Nokia has published the OS2008 feature upgrade for the N810 and N800. This release is based on Maemo 4.1 and provides the Seamless Software Update feature. If you haven't seen these devices, check them out. They are great ways to stay connected with something that will fit in your pocket along with the iPhone and iPod Touch from Apple.

6/24/2008 PERMALINK
Alzheimer's disease is a case of brake failure Rutgers researcher Karl Herrup and colleagues at Case Western Reserve University have discovered that a protein that suppresses cell division in brain cells effectively "puts the brakes" on the dementia that comes with Alzheimer's disease (AD). When the brakes fail, dementia results.

This discovery could open the door to new ways of treating Alzheimer's disease, which affects up to half the population over the age of 85.

Determining the protein’s previously unsuspected role in AD is an important piece of the puzzle and it brings a new perspective to the basis of AD. “It changes the logic from a search for a trigger that kicks off the dementia to the failure of a safety that has suppressed it,” said Herrup, chair of the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

6/24/2008 PERMALINK
The reason why disease susceptibility increases with age is found Researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that epigenetic marks on DNA-chemical marks other than the DNA sequence-do indeed change over a person's lifetime, and that the degree of change is similar among family members. The team suggests that overall genome health is heritable and that epigenetic changes occurring over one's lifetime may explain why disease susceptibility increases with age.

"We're beginning to see that epigenetics stands at the center of modern medicine because epigenetic changes, unlike DNA sequence which is the same in every cell, can occur as a result of dietary and other environmental exposure," says Andrew P. Feinberg, M.D., M.P.H, a professor of molecular biology and genetics and director of the Epigenetics Center at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. "Epigenetics might very well play a role in diseases like diabetes, autism and cancer."

If epigenetics does contribute to such diseases through interaction with environment or aging, says Feinberg, a person's epigenetic marks would change over time. So his team embarked on an international collaboration to see if that was true. They focused on methylation-one particular type of epigenetic mark, where chemical methyl groups are attached to DNA ... more

6/24/2008 PERMALINK
Saving babies from genetic defects

Scientists at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom have already created embryos with a technique that screens an embryo created by a man and a woman for any incurable genetic diseases. Then eliminating defective DNA from the two original parents. Replacing it by inserting a DNA snippet from one or more additional people with healthy DNA. Scientist could have the method perfected and ready for use in IVF clinics to eliminate all genetic defects very soon, unless pious pretentiousness prevents it.

Godly goofiness prevented blood transfusion from being used for a century after invention. The pious of those days were fervently convinced that the human spirit/soul was transported throughout the body in the blood stream. Thus, a transfusion was taboo as it might move one person's soul into another person's body, or so the devoutly deluded believed. All down through the ages, people claiming to be pro-life have killed millions in their religious squabbles, witch burnings, and by means of the various other anti-science prejudices they have attempted to impose on the rest of us. Sadly, they never seem to learn.

If you live in the United Kingdom, please let your politicos know you support this work to counteract the rants against it from the righteous ... more

6/24/2008 PERMALINK
Will data deludge make scientific method obsolete? Wired has an article wondering if the old ways of doing science are becoming obsolete. Perhaps even including the very heart of science itself, the scientific method as we now practice it.

At the petabyte scale, information is not a matter of simple three- and four-dimensional taxonomy and order but of dimensionally agnostic statistics. It calls for an entirely different approach, one that requires us to lose the tether of data as something that can be visualized in its totality. It forces us to view data mathematically first and establish a context for it later. For instance, Google conquered the advertising world with nothing more than applied mathematics. It didn't pretend to know anything about the culture and conventions of advertising -- it just assumed that better data, with better analytical tools, would win the day. And Google was right ... more

6/24/2008 PERMALINK
Micro fuel cells to power your personal tech Sony began showing off a prototype last month as did MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc., which has a micro fuel cell prototype targeted at hand held global positioning systems. Instead of changing batteries every few hours, we should soon be able to just squirt in a little fuel and have that last for days. And when it runs out away from any plug, just take out a tube of fuel and squirt in somemore.

6/24/2008 PERMALINK
A cool RES app for iPhone from Schmap Reality Enchancement Systems (RES) moves a step forward as Schmap the publisher of hundreds of city guides in the cloud has added a neat little rotate to map feature for iPhones. I'd love to see a map, then rotate to get tags (geo-specific user comments) function for any location in the world. ... more

6/24/2008 PERMALINK
How Ritalin works in brain to boost cognition Stimulant medications such as Ritalin have been prescribed for decades to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and their popularity as "cognition enhancers" has recently surged among the healthy, as well. What's now starting to catch up is knowledge of what these drugs actually do in the brain. In a paper publishing online this week in Biological Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison psychology researchers David Devilbiss and Craig Berridge report that Ritalin fine-tunes the functioning of neurons in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) - a brain region involved in attention, decision-making and impulse control - while having few effects outside it. Because of the potential for addiction and abuse, controversy has swirled for years around the use of stimulants to treat ADHD, especially in children. By helping pinpoint Ritalin's action in the brain, the study should give drug developers a better road map to follow as they search for safer alternatives.

At the same time, the results support the idea that today's ADHD drugs may be safer than people think, says Berridge. Mounting behavioral and neurochemical evidence suggests that clinically relevant doses of Ritalin primarily target the PFC, without affecting brain centers linked to over-arousal and addiction. In other words, Ritalin at low doses doesn't appear to act like a stimulant at all. "It's the higher doses of these drugs that are normally associated with their effects as stimulants, those that increase locomotor activity, impair cognition and target neurotransmitters all over the brain," says Berridge. "These lower doses are diametrically opposed to that. Instead, they help the PFC better do what it's supposed to do." A behavioral disorder marked by hyperactivity, impulsivity and the inability to concentrate, ADHD has been treated for more than a half-century with Ritalin, Adderall and other stimulant drugs. New reports also indicate these meds have lately been embraced by healthy Americans of all ages as a means to boost mental performance ... more

6/24/2008 PERMALINK
Neural implant that learns with the brain Devices known as brain-machine interfaces could someday be used routinely to help paralyzed patients and amputees control prosthetic limbs with just their thoughts. Now, University of Florida researchers have taken the concept a step further, devising a way for computerized devices not only to translate brain signals into movement but also to evolve with the brain as it learns.
Instead of simply interpreting brain signals and routing them to a robotic hand or leg, this type of brain-machine interface would adapt to a person's behavior over time and use the knowledge to help complete a task more efficiently, sort of like an assistant, say UF College of Medicine and College of Engineering researchers who developed a model system and tested it in rats.
Until now, brain-machine interfaces have been designed as one-way conversations between the brain and a computer, with the brain doing all the talking and the computer following commands. The system UF engineers created actually allows the computer to have a say in that conversation, too, according to findings published this month online in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers journal IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.
"In the grand scheme of brain-machine interfaces, this is a complete paradigm change," said Justin C. Sanchez, Ph.D., a UF assistant professor of pediatric neurology and the study's lead author. "This idea opens up all kinds of possibilities for how we interact with devices. It's not just about giving instructions but about those devices assisting us in a common goal. You know the goal, the computer knows the goal and you work together to solve the task."
"The status quo of brain-machine interfaces that are out there have static and fixed decoding algorithms, which assume a person thinks one way for all time," he said. "We learn throughout our lives and come into different scenarios, so you need to develop a paradigm that allows interaction and growth."
To create this type of brain-machine interface, Sanchez and his colleagues developed a system based on setting goals and giving rewards.
Fitted with tiny electrodes in their brains to capture signals for the computer to unravel, three rats were taught to move a robotic arm toward a target with just their thoughts. Each time they succeeded, the rats were rewarded with a drop of water. The computer's goal, on the other hand, was to earn as many points as possible, Sanchez said. The closer a rat moved the arm to the target, the more points the computer received, giving it incentive to determine which brain signals lead to the most rewards, making the process more efficient for the rat. The researchers conducted several tests with the rats, requiring them to hit targets that were farther and farther away. Despite this increasing difficulty, the rats completed the tasks more efficiently over time and did so at a significantly higher rate than if they had just aimed correctly by chance, Sanchez said. "We think this dialogue with a goal is how we can make these systems evolve over time," Sanchez said. "We want these devices to grow with the user. (Also) we want users to be able to experience new scenarios and be able to control the device." ... more

6/24/2008 PERMALINK
Major advance in medical use of nanoparticles

More than 15 years ago scientists discovered a way to stop a particular gene in its tracks. The Nobel Prize-winning finding holds tantalizing promise for medical science, but so far it has been difficult to apply the technique, known as RNA interference, in living cells. Now scientists at the University of Washington in Seattle and Emory University in Atlanta have succeeded in using nanotechnology known as quantum dots to address this problem. Their technique is 10 to 20 times more effective than existing methods for injecting the gene-silencing tools, known as siRNA, into cells.

Short pieces of RNA, the working copy of DNA, can disable production of a protein by silencing, or deactivating, a stretch of genetic code. Research laboratories regularly use the technique to figure out what a particular gene does. In the body, RNA interference could be used to treat conditions ranging from breast cancer to deteriorating eyesight.

The recent experiments used quantum dots, fluorescent balls of semiconductor material just six nanometers across (lining up 9,000 dots end to end would equal the width of a human hair). Quantum dots' unique optical properties cause them to emit light of different colors depending on their size. The dots are being developed for cellular imaging, solar cells and light-emitting diodes ... more

6/24/2008 PERMALINK
Animation teaches importance of humods tech Animation artist working to get young people involved in developing humods technologies. Most artist attack humods tech, it is so refreshing to see one that explicitly support it. The powerful payoff comes right at the end of this 5 minute animation.

6/24/2008 PERMALINK
Low vitamin D levels equals higher death risk Individuals with lower blood levels of vitamin D appear to have an increased risk of death overall and from cardiovascular causes, according to a report in the June 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. A recent consensus panel estimated that about 50 percent to 60 percent of older individuals in North America and the rest of the world do not have satisfactory vitamin D status, and the situation is similar for younger individuals, according to background information in the article. Blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, a measure of blood vitamin D levels, lower than 20 to 30 nanograms per milliliter have been associated with falls, fractures, cancer, immune dysfunction, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. These effects are thought to be mediated by the compound 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, which is produced by the body and also converted from 25-hydroxyvitamin D. ... more

6/24/2008 PERMALINK
Tethered molecules act as light-driven nanoswitches A new technique for attaching light-sensitive organic molecules to metal surfaces allows the molecules to be switched between two different configurations in response to exposure to different wavelengths of light. Because the configuration changes are reversible and can be controlled without direct contact, this technique could enable applications that can be controlled at the molecular scale including molecular motors, artificial muscles, and molecular electronics. ... more

6/23/2008 PERMALINK
Does cloud living cause attention deficit disorder? Nicholas Carr has written an article complaining that living out in the net cloud so much of the time is negatively effecting his mind. Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words, says Carr. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski. Carr says finding the focus necessary to read an entire book is much harder, thanks to his net use.
I have been a heavy net user since 1995, and yes, it effects you.
For one thing, articles as long as Carr's began to seem to me like 15% signal and 85% noise. When reading one you often have thoughts like, obviously this dude is getting paid by the word.
I greatly prefer the concise, fact-dense style of the rising net tribe of blog scribblers, to the long winded ramblings of the old dead-tree media guys.
And when you get used to being able to immediately look up any person, term, fact, song lyric or data point instantly, whenever you need it, being deprived of that net-extended consciousness and memory feels like a form of dementia.
Remember when four people could mutter at each other for 20 minutes, trying to remember some fact about a movie or book. I'm thrilled to have those days behind us.
When people stopped walking and began ridding trolley cars into the city to work, they could no longer stop and smell every single rose along the way, but they did get an hour added to their lives daily to expend anyway they pleased. The net does exactly the same.

6/23/2008 PERMALINK
The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer With the right lifestyle, experts say, chances are that you may live up to a decade longer. What’s the prescription for success? National Geographic Explorer Dan Buettner has traveled the globe to uncover the best strategies for longevity found in the Blue Zones: places in the world where higher percentages of people enjoy remarkably long, full lives. The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer blends the unique lifestyle formulas found in the Blue Zones with the latest scientific findings in an attempt to define a recipe for adding years to your life ... more

6/23/2008 PERMALINK
Gene linked to IQ also correlates to longevity A gene linked to determination of IQ also correlates to longevity, a research team at the University of Calabria in Italy have discovered. The gene codes for an enzyme called succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH), which destroys GABA, a neurotransmitter that dampens brain activity and causes drowsiness. It is uncertain at this time if the correlation is a direct effect of the gene, or a side effect of the intelligent simply making better choices that allow them to live longer than the less intelligent ... more

6/23/2008 PERMALINK
Recoding measles virus to upgrade immune cells Rather than infecting the cells that line the airways first, as has long been thought, the measles virus has been found to penetrate our immune cells. This new understanding of the measles virus’s infectious route has allowed researchers to explore reprogrammed measles viruses to create a very safe attenuated virus capable of reprogramming immune cells to target specific diseases such as cancer. And any new method for recoding immune cells could also hold significant promise for mitigating the effects of aging. ... more

6/23/2008 PERMALINK
First non-viral cell-specific gene delivery method Researchers from Northwestern University and Texas A & M University have discovered a new way to limit gene transfer and expression to specific cell-types. They have also developed a novel gene delivery approach that uses an electric field to temporarily penetrate the plasma membrane of cells to insert the DNA. Dr. Steven R. Goodman, Editor-in-Chief of Experimental Biology and Medicine, stated "The exciting studies reported here are the first to demonstrate that non-viral gene delivery can be made cell-specific by controlling the nuclear entry of plasmid DNA, and as such, establishes a new paradigm for cell-selective gene delivery. Drs. David Dean, Jennifer Young and Warren Zimmer are to be congratulated on this ground-breaking study." ... more

6/23/2008 PERMALINK
Two cloud bots that can keep all your nodes in sync As we do increasing amounts of our work and communications over a personal net node that we carry with us, the need to effectively sync and back up our data becomes critical. A number of cloud services are available to offering an automatic solution for online backup, secure file sharing with partners and colleagues, PC sync and remote PC access over the web. Two of these services are ... BeInSync + SugarSync

6/22/2008 PERMALINK
Mighty "morpheein" proteins able to shapeshift inside cells A small molecule that locks an essential enzyme in an inactive form could one day form the basis of a new class of unbeatable, species-specific antibiotics, according to researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center. Their findings, highlighted on the cover of the June 23 issue of the journal Chemistry & Biology, take advantage of an emerging body of science regarding "morpheeins" — proteins made from individual components that are capable of spontaneously reconfiguring themselves into different shapes within living cells ... more

6/21/2008 PERMALINK
The Gigabyte M704 Arrives UMPCportal thinks the 7″ LED backlit 1024×600 screen is top-notch, the bump up to 1.2ghz on the VIA C7 has a very noticeable effect, the webcam is much better and the mouse controls are much more usable. Best of all, the price has dropped down to 760 Euros ... more

6/21/2008 PERMALINK
Are double-strand breaks in DNA a cause of aging? Genome maintenance and in particular the repair of DNA damage is critical to ensure longevity needed for reproduction and as a consequence imperfections or defects in maintaining the genome may contribute to aging. There are many forms of DNA damage with double-strand breaks (DSBs) being the most toxic ... more

6/21/2008 PERMALINK
Latest mind-machine interface device Driving a model car by capacitive EEG helmet. System is based on steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP) in the visual cortex of the human brain ... more (PDF in German)

6/20/2008 PERMALINK
Advance in tags tech to RES-up your cell phone Turning your cell phone into a Reality Enhancement System (RES) is moving closer with Duke University engineers work on geotags. A team led by Roy Choudhury has developed a new software system that enables users to obtain location-specific, real-time information - either passively or directly - from other mobile phone users across the world. It will be as if every participating mobile phone works together, allowing each individual to access information throughout that virtual network. Iterested in trying that new Mexican restaurant? Tap into the virtual sticky notes (geotags) floating in the cloud within the restaurant and find what other network users thought of it. ... more

6/20/2008 PERMALINK
Two toy companies release fembot companions For some reason two Japanese toy makers Sega and WowWee have simultaneously come out with little fembot toys aimed at geeks rather than kids. Sega's is called E.M.A. for Eternal, Maiden, Actualization and WowWee's is called Femisapien. Sega's bot will even give you a kiss if you put your face near hers. Please don't ask me what this might mean, check out the video and figure it out for yourself.

6/20/2008 PERMALINK
On the path to personalized medicine A study published June 18 in the journal Pharmacogenetics and Genomics, shows how minor genetic differences between individuals alter the way a common drug affects the body. "This is a first step towards personalized medicine that is based not only on symptoms but also on the patient's own genetic 'baggage,'" said Dr Rima Rozen of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. "This trend definitely represents the medicine of the future." ... more

6/20/2008 PERMALINK
Diseases able to switch off your immune system Yale University researchers have shed new light how some bacteria can raise such havoc in humans. Some gram-negative pathogens secrete proteins into human cells. But exactly what those proteins did was not known. Yale's research shows that Ank proteins are secreted into immune system cells called macrophages, and once inside, are able to turn off mechanisms within the cell designed to destroy the bacteria. Because these bacteria tend to behave like viruses and actually invade cells, they might be susceptible to a vaccine that targets specific elements of the Ank protein and allow macrophages to complete the job, said Craig Roy, professor at the Yale School of Medicine. ... more

6/20/2008 PERMALINK
MIT solves the mystery of why brain scans work Imaging techniques such as fMRI and PET have transformed neuroscience by providing colorful maps of brain activity. The scans show blood flow trigger by neural activity, but until now exactly why blood flow is linked to neuronal activity has remained a mystery. "A causal link between neuronal activity and blood flow has never been shown," said study co-author Mriganka Sur, Sherman Fairchild Professor of Neuroscience and head of the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT.
Of the two major cell types in the brain, glia outnumber neurons nine to one. Astrocytes—the most common type of glia—extend their branching tendrils both around synapses—through which neurons communicate—and along blood vessels. Using a cutting-edge technique, Sur and colleagues found that astrocytes receive signals directly from neurons and provide their own neuron-like responses to directly regulate blood flow. They are the missing link between neurons and blood vessels, he said. When astrocytes are shut down, fMRI doesn't work ... more

6/20/2008 PERMALINK
Dancing microbots the width of a human hair Microscopic robots crafted to maneuver separately are able to work together without any obvious guidance and even assemble into self-organized structures after years of continuing research at Duke University. Formally known as microelectromechanical system (MEMS) microbots, the devices are of suitable scale for Lilliputian tasks such as moving around the interiors of laboratories-on-a-chip. Propelling themselves across such surfaces in an inchworm-like fashion impelled by a “scratch-drive” motion actuator, the microbots advance in steps only 10 to 20 billionths of a meter each, but repeated as often as 20,000 times a second. ... more ... watch

6/19/2008 PERMALINK
Nanotubes cause lost cartilage to regenerate Carbon nanotubes combined with electrical pulses could help regenerate cartilage naturally in the body. Scientists have long wrestled with how to aid those who suffer cartilage damage and loss. One popular way is to inject an artificial gel that can imitate cartilage’s natural ability to act as the body’s shock absorber. But that solution is temporary, requiring follow-up injections. Now Brown University nanotechnology specialist Thomas Webster has found a way to regenerate cartilage naturally by creating a synthetic surface that attracts cartilage-forming cells. These cells are then coaxed to multiply through electrical pulses. It’s the first study that has shown enhanced cartilage regeneration using this method; it appears in the current issue of the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research ... more

6/19/2008 PERMALINK
Blocking DR3 cell receptors prevents autoimmune disorders Researchers from the National Institutes of Health, have identified a promising new target for autoimmune disease treatment -- a cell-surface receptor called DR3. Their research in mice, published on line in the journal Immunity, suggests that blocking this receptor can slow or stop the damaging inflammation characteristic of autoimmune diseases, potentially without leaving the body vulnerable to serious infections, as many current therapies do ... more

6/19/2008 PERMALINK
Why humans need to develop humods tech quickly Stephen Hawking and many other prominent scientists have pointed out that humanity lives in a very dangerous universe and it is unwise of us to continue keeping all of our marbles in one basket. I've previously posted that this gives us a stronger incentive to develop life extension and human cognition enhancement as quickly as possible. Because these technologies are likely to prove essential to any hopes our species may have of spreading outward to inhabit other star systems and astronomers tell us, to avoid an early extinction of our species. Asteroids and comets are the biggest astronomical threat that we know of, but click below to read about another frightening risk, a binary star called WR-104 that appears have the potential to snuff out humanity at any time. ... previous post ... more

6/19/2008 PERMALINK
Cloning a cure for cancer Cloning billions of immune cells from a cancer patient and injecting them back appears to have cleared all tumors from through the patient's body. The experimental treatment was attempted only after all other conventional methods had failed. ... more

6/19/2008 PERMALINK
Playing online game helps life extension research Proteins are the main workhorses of our bodies, fostering chemical reactions, enable cells to recognize intruding viruses, and making copies of our DNA. Understanding everything possible about the designing of proteins is essential for the development of robust life extension technologies. So a leading protein researcher has teamed up with computer scientists to create an online game for developing useful protein structures and is enlisting net gamers to help. The game can be seen in the video below ... more

6/19/2008 PERMALINK
World's fastest computer doing humods research

Less than a week after Los Alamos National Laboratory's Roadrunner supercomputer began operating at a world-record petaflop/s data-processing speeds, Los Alamos researchers are already using the computer for humods-related research. They are running a computer model that mimic the extremely complex neurological processes of more than 1 billion visual neurons and trillions of synapses in the human visual system. Based on the results of the inaugural trials, Los Alamos researchers believe they can study in real time the entire human visual cortex—arguably a human being's most important sensory apparatus. ... more