Inventing
a product that allows drinkers to enjoy
all the benefits of alcohol and none of its drawbacks was a goal of scientist
David Nutt for over a decade. He developed a synthetic alcohol substitute he
calls Alcarelle, which could eliminate the downsides of alcohol consumption,
from hangovers to alcohol-related cancers
and even physical addiction.
An advisory panel to the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for the creation of a global registry to monitor gene-editing research in humans. The recommendations of the 18-person committee are aimed at improving transparency and responsibility in the field. An advisory committee did not recommend banning human gene-editing research, but researchers will have to register with the government before beginning an experiment.
A person living in the modern world today faces more traumas and ordeals in a day than the entire lifetime of a similar person living a hundred years ago. Humanity has come a long way from inventing the wheel to wireless implants that heal nerves. This rapid development has caused considerable repercussions on mankind’s emotional wellbeing.
New measles outbreaks constantly
appear around the globe and vaccination hesitancy and skepticism is at least in
part to blame. Latest clinical evidence unequivocally denies any link between
autism and the vaccine for measles, mumps, and
rubella, in hopes of mitigating the re-emergence
of potentially fatal diseases.
Researchers from the University of California have modified brewer’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to manufacture cannabis
compounds including the psychoactive chemical THC in a world’s first. This
technology could soon provide researchers with cheaper, more efficient and
reliable access to medicinal cannabis compounds that are found in trace amounts
in nature.
Scientists from Europe and the U.S. have managed to restore hearing in an adult mouse model. The mice suffered from so-called DFNB9 deafness, a genetic hearing disorder that represents one of the most frequent causes of congenital deafness. These findings could open doors to new gene therapies for other forms of deafness.
Indian researchers are criticizing a government proposal by which graduate
students who publish in select journals
will be paid extra money. Such a practice
could degrade the quality of research and increase scientific misconduct,
critics say. Months-long protests of academics against the proposal have just concluded
in India and new ones are already on the
horizon.
The Internet has an abundance of articles and posts about cancer. People want to educate themselves more about the harms and threats that simple everyday things may bring, that can potentially cause cancer.
Humans are social beings and loneliness can have a lasting impact on our physical well-being. According to scientists from the Brain Dynamics Lab, modern life is leading people toward greater isolation which can trigger many disorders. Their plan is to tackle loneliness with medication, and doing so, prevent the onset of harsher psychological problems that may follow.
Researchers from the Chinese
Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Neuroscience in Shanghai have been the first
to clone genetically-altered primates. Five infant macaques share the exact
same genes, derived from a fibroblast taken from the skin of a donor monkey.
This technique could theoretically produce an unlimited number of replicas and provide
clear benefits for medical testing.
