US President Barack Obama recently announced a new research project aimed at mapping the human brain, pledging an initial $100 million to develop new technologies which can see every interaction between brain cells. The BRAIN project, short for Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies, is hoped to do for neuroscience what the Human Genome Project did for genetics research, and use newly developed technologies to facilitate huge steps forward in treating brain diseases.
Author: Adam Morris
Results from the European Space Agency’s Planck mission have revealed that the Universe is approximately 13.82 billion years old, 80 million years older than previously thought. The Planck mission centres on a space telescope which observes microwaves and radio waves from all over the Universe. The light from furthest away was first emitted when the universe was only 380,000 years old, 0.003% of its current age. By tracing it back, the light reveals a more detailed picture of a universe only a trillionth of a trillionth of a second old, the tiny ‘quantum fluctuations’ of which have now stretched to…
The balance of chemicals present in your exhaled breath can be used to diagnose medical conditions, and reveal details about your body’s unique chemistry. These compounds are some of the body’s waste products – metabolites, and have already been shown to reveal conditions such as lung infections and stomach cancer. But new research has found that the levels of compounds in breath can act as a “fingerprint”, being unique and stable enough to distinguish individuals from one another. But while it is unlikely to be used in identification, the system promises easy prescription of personalised medicine, tailored to your body.
Researchers at Stanford University have found a way of turning the tissues of brain samples translucent – close to transparent, by embalming the brain in acrylamide, which hardens to a translucent gel when heated, and formaldehyde, which binds the acrylamide to the brain’s molecules. Applying an electric current takes away all matter which isn’t bound to the acrylamide gel, removing the fatty cell membranes which made the brain opaque but leaving the contents of the cells. Combined with marker molecules, used to trace chemicals in the brain, the CLARITY technique allows researchers to see exactly what is going on. Current…
Recent advances in genetic science have brought the possibility of cloning extinct animals closer to reality. A recent TEDxDeExtinction conference brought together scientists and ethicists to discuss the resurrection of extinct species, the consensus was that the process is within reach. But should it be done? Bringing a species back from extinction can be a complicated affair; amongst other procedures it can require obtaining or constructing the entire genetic code of the species, manipulating stem cells, combining all the elements of a fertilised egg and finding an appropriate surrogate to give birth to the individual of a long-lost species. But…
“I’m placing you under arrest for the future murder of Sarah Marks, that was to take place today…” So began Minority Report, the 2002 film about a team who arrested individuals before they had actually committed a crime. The methods in the film were science fiction, but a revolution in Big Data, using huge data sets to reveal patterns and make predictions, promises to bring such fantasy closer to reality. Using data in such a way is nothing new, but rising availability of the analysis tools brings that power to all new areas. By drawing on historical data and combining…
10% of Welsh farmers illegally killed badgers last year A study involving Dr Paul Cross from Bangor’s SENRGY estimates that one in ten farmers in Wales illegally killed badgers last year. Badger culling has become a hot topic in recent years, with several attempts to introduce widespread culling by government and farmer unions, despite considerable scientific evidence questioning their effectiveness on bovine TB. This evidence suggests that, in the absence of official culling, farmers are taking the process into their own hands; an action which could severely worsen the situation. The study used innovative questioning methods to protect the anonymity…
Asteroid passed close to Earth On the night of last Friday, the 15th of February, an asteroid the size of an Olympic swimming pool shot by us, travelling at 8 miles a second, and skirting just below the level of many television satellites. NASA estimated that if asteroid DA14 had hit Earth, the resulting impact would have been 1,000 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Thankfully, there was little chance of that, the trajectory of the asteroid had been plotted soon after it was spotted by amateur astronomists, and found to steer just clear of Earth. No…
Once owl monkeys in Central and South America meet their partner, they pair for life, having a baby once a year and never cheating or “divorcing”. But sometimes, lone adult owl monkeys who have yet to find their partner will attempt to break up established pairs, fighting viciously to drive one of the monkeys out. But new research suggests that these monkeys who are forced to form a new pair have fewer babies than owl monkeys in pairs which have never been broken up. Males who have remained with the same partner have, on average, 25% more offspring in ten…
Doctors rely on the results of clinical trials to know whether a drug is safe and effective to prescribe, and patients trust in that prescription. But these clinical trials are conducted by pharmaceutical companies who are riddled with corruption. A new campaign spearheaded by Ben Goldacre, author of Bad Pharma, and supported by various medical and patient groups, aims to change that. What’s the problem? Evidence from clinical trials is the most important factor for doctors deciding whether to prescribe treatments, but these trials are conducted by the same pharmaceutical companies who created the drugs, and they do everything they…
This year sees the return of Bangor Science Festival, a series of events running from 15-22 March with interactive demonstrations, debates, talks and activities for all ages. The Hidden Worlds Exhibition takes place on Saturday 16th, and welcomes visitors into university science facilities including the aquarium and natural history museum, as well as tours and talks on the cutting-edge research taking place in the North West Cancer Research Institute. Amongst a variety of films, talks and activities, there is also an exhibition of science photography and art. For those wanting to get their hands dirty, there is a Wild Science…
Fossil hunters in the high Arctic made an exciting discovery this week; fossilised fragments of bone from a long extinct species of camel, which once made the forests of Ellesmere Island its home. Camels actually originated in North America, 45 million years ago, and crossed into Asia via the Bering Strait around 7 million years ago, but they have since gone extinct in their original territory. The camel fossils found on Ellesmere Island suggest a camel which stood 3 metres tall at the hump, a whole third taller than modern dromedary (single hump) camels. The discovery sheds further light on…
Doctors in Mississippi appear to have successfully cured HIV in a two-year-old, who was born with the virus but now tests negative, after a triple-blast of anti-retroviral drugs. The mother of the baby only received her HIV-positive result during labour, far too late in her pregnancy for the doctors to carry out standard procedure, so doctors treated the baby with three different anti-retroviral drugs immediately after birth. Despite initially testing positive, levels of HIV in the child’s bloodstream were undetectable after only a month. Doctors then lost contact with the mother and child, and it wasn’t until a year later…