Exploring Comets and Advancements in Stem Cell Research

Guest: Dr. Malin Parmar to talk about her latest paper in Cell Stem Cell regarding Parkinson’s disease. This paper is very important and made main stream news everywhere. Resources and Links CERN’s Large Hadron Collider Adds Two New Subatomic Particles to the List – CERN's researchers have added two new subatomic particles that are six times as massive as protons. Brain Structure Rediscovered – A Stanford graduate student Jason Yeatman has discovered what he thought was a new brain structure, known as the vertical occipital fasciculus, and later finds out that it was actually originally discovered in the late 19th century and got lost from the literature for more than 100 years. ‘Text Neck’ Is Becoming an ‘epidemic’ and Could Wreck Your Spine – This article warns us that hunching over your smartphone can cause back pain, posture problems. Alcoholism Damages Brain's White Matter, Scans Show – Alcoholism damages white matter throughout the brain and this damage can be detected with brain scans according to the researchers. A Man Lost in Musical Time – This article identifies the first documented beat deafness, a condition in which a person can't feel music's beat or move in time to it. The Fault in Our Stars Might be a Virus – This article describes how the starfish on the western coast of North America started wasting away, a condition known as sea star wasting syndrome potentially caused by a new virus called sea star-associated densovirus or SSaDV. Stupidity Virus' Lives In People's Throats, Crosses Over From Algae In Lakes – A virus commonly found in algae somehow made its way into people's throats, reducing their ability to perform certain tasks. Genome-Wide Scan Demonstrates Significant Linkage for Male Sexual Orientation – Scientists have found even more evidence that sexual orientation is largely determined by genetics, not choice. Why Killing Babies Makes Testicles Grow – Nearly half of mammal species surveyed in a new study practice infanticide and scientists believe this leads to larger testicles in males. Scientists Develop Barcoding Tool for Stem Cells – This article is about the new technology that tracks descendants of different stem cells or progenitor cells. Eradicating Malaria: How Parasites' Genetic 'Barcodes' Can Stop the Spread – Identifying the geographic origin of malaria outbreaks could help prevent and speed up the eradication of the disease. How Cartilage Cells Sense Forceful Injury – Scientists have found a substance in the tarantula venom that could block the channels responsible for cartilage cell death. Bubble Boy’ Disease Cured with Stem Cells – Researchers have treated more than two dozen patients with a treatment made from their own bone marrow cells. Female Stem Cells Could be Better for Heart Repair, Disease Treatment – This article suggests that female stem cells derived from animal muscle tissue, generated more muscle fiber and survived better when repairing injured cells according to a team of researchers. Bifunctional Ectodermal Stem Cells Around the Nail Display Dual Fate Homeostasis and Adaptive Wounding Response toward Nail Regeneration – This article discusses the regenerative potential of skin appendages particularly the nails following injury. Sox2-Mediated Conversion of NG2 Glia into Induced Neurons in the Injured Adult Cerebral Cortex – This article proposes that the conversion of nonneuronal cells into induced neurons can be an innovative strategy toward brain repair. hPSC-Derived Maturing GABAergic Interneurons Ameliorate Seizures and Abnormal Behavior in Epileptic Mice – This article focuses on the study of hPSC-derived maturing GABAergic interneurons as a potential support to restorative cell therapy for epilepsy. SCNT-Derived ESCs with Mismatched Mitochondria Trigger an Immune Response in Allogeneic Hosts – This article shows that mismatched mitochondria in nuclear-transfer-derived embryonic stem cells (NT-ESCs) possess alloantigenicity and are subject to immune rejection.