The Secret to Longer Life for Ants

A vaccine candidate for a neglected tropical disease, and calls to extend the 14-day limit on embryo research.

In this episode:

00:46 A vaccine candidate for an important livestock disease

African animal trypanosomiasis is a parasitic disease that kills millions of cattle each year, affecting livelihoods and causing significant economic costs in many sub-Saharan countries. Developing a vaccine against the disease has proved difficult as the parasite has a wealth of tricks to evade the immune system. This week however, a team of researchers have created a vaccine candidate that shows early promise in mice.

Research Article: Autheman et al.

08:27 Research Highlights

A tapeworm infection helps worker ants live longer (at a cost), and how humanity’s shift to farming influenced plant-life in pre-industrial times.

Research Highlight: Tapeworm infestation gives lowly ants long life

Research Highlight: Our radical changes to Earth’s greenery began long ago — with farms, not factories

11:21 New guidelines for stem cell research

For the first time since 2016, the International Society for Stem Cell Research has updated its guidelines for biomedical research involving human embryos. We discuss the rapid advances in the field over the past five years, and how the new guidelines have had to change to keep pace with them.

News: 14-day limit on growing human embryos in lab dropped by advisory body

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