As fundamental scientific knowledge about how the nervous system works has increased over the past few decades, the possibility has emerged that we may one day be able to use electrical stimulation (or inhibition) to treat – even to functionally cure – conditions where it has been damaged by disease or injury. Scientists are now … Continue reading Interfacing with the nervous system: Studies in mice and rats show the way.
Part 6. Many voices speaking of animal research – Time well invested at the University of Guelph
We recently wrote about the many existing venues, activities, and materials designed to encourage public dialogue and informed discussion about animal research. Many individuals, institutions, and organizations contribute to public outreach and education efforts, and also take active roles in dialogue about continuing changes in practice and policy concerning animal welfare and the conduct of … Continue reading Part 6. Many voices speaking of animal research – Time well invested at the University of Guelph
Animal rights activists protest Curiosity driven research
The last couple of days was nothing but jubilation at NASA/JPL after the landing of the rover Curiosity on Mars. President Obama congratulated scientists on the occasion by stating: The successful landing of Curiosity -- the most sophisticated roving laboratory ever to land on another planet -- marks an unprecedented feat of technology that will … Continue reading Animal rights activists protest Curiosity driven research
Understanding Cyborg Jellyfish
While I was on vacation I missed a fascinating story about how scientists at Harvard University and Caltech have created an artificial jellyfish - termed a medusoid - using rat heart cells on a silicone matrix in order to demonstrate that it is possible to reverse-engineer a muscular pump, as described in this informative report on CBC News. This … Continue reading Understanding Cyborg Jellyfish
Part 5. Many voices speaking of animal research
We recently wrote about the many existing venues, activities, and materials designed to encourage public dialogue and informed discussion about animal research. Many individuals, institutions, and organizations contribute to public outreach and education efforts, and also take active roles in dialogue about continuing changes in practice and policy concerning animal welfare and the conduct of … Continue reading Part 5. Many voices speaking of animal research
Cancer Stem Cells: Mouse studies lead to paradigm shift in cancer research
For the past 15 years one of the most intriguing ideas in cancer research has been that the growth and spread of most – if not all – cancers is driven by cancer stem cells. The hypothesis is that only a tiny proportion of cancer cells, cancer stem cells, have the stem cell-like ability to … Continue reading Cancer Stem Cells: Mouse studies lead to paradigm shift in cancer research
Fighting the White Death: A new treatment for drug resistant TB
For most people born in the United States in the past half century tuberculosis (TB) is a disease you only read about in the history books, to which it was consigned by the development of antibiotics such as streptomycin in the aftermath of the second world war. However, the reality of TB in the world … Continue reading Fighting the White Death: A new treatment for drug resistant TB
Natural Antibiotic Casts a Net Against Bacteria
A "natural antibiotic" protects the body against bacteria by tangling them in a net, not poking holes in them, UC Davis researchers have found. Experiments with genetically-modified, or transgenic mice were crucial to the discovery, along with cell cultures, biochemistry and sophisticated studies of how small proteins assemble together. It's an entirely new mechanism of … Continue reading Natural Antibiotic Casts a Net Against Bacteria
Speaking of Research 