Glaucoma is an eye disease where rear optic nerve damage causes a loss of vision. This damage can be caused by the buildup of fluid in the eye due to the inability to drain such fluid out of the front of the eye. The fluid normally travels through the trabecular meshwork in the anterior chamber, […]
The physical aging process is commonly dreaded; not many look forward to the decline of their strength or increased susceptibility to various diseases. These natural side effects of aging seem inevitable, but a recent study regarding the development of a novel therapeutic mechanism reveals that this may not be the case. A team of researchers
On February 4, 2023, Boston hit the coldest temperature recorded since 1886 at minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit. While most of us were snug in our blankets with a warm mug of tea in hand, others were not as lucky. Lithobates sylvaticus, commonly known as the wood frog, is a fascinating vertebrate model of freeze tolerance
Biological antifreeze: Wood frogs and organ cryopreservation Read More »
When we think of pathogens, our minds jump to evil little microorganisms — be it viruses, bacteria, or parasites — that infect and wreak havoc on us from the outside. But we hardly think that such pathogens can originate within our own bodies and that they do not even have to be alive. Deadly prion
Protein prions: The strangest pathogen of them all Read More »
Cloning is evolving from sci-fi movies into laboratories. The idea of creating life — or even creating products of life — has always enticed humanity. Despite this fascination, the concept of cloning; whether of cells, animals, or humans; still fills most with unease and even disgust. Despite its unsettling connotations, billions of dollars have been
DMT earned its nickname as the “spirit molecule” in the 1990s when over half of Dr. Rick Strassman’s research subjects vocalized experiencing something extraordinary. His experimentation had initially concerned the physiological effects of the molecule, but he couldn’t ignore its inherent psychoactive influences after about 200 of his participants reported undergoing a “religious” transformation with
The spirit molecule: Our body’s natural psychedelic Read More »
If you come home from concerts with disheveled hair, a leather jacket, and neck pain, chances are you are a headbanging metalhead. Whether you listen to Led Zeppelin or obscure Turkish death metal, headbanging is a form of musical appreciation common for artists and fans. Can rocking too hard cause brain injury? Crowds are connected
Can your brain handle the beat? Read More »
Modern scientists rely heavily on cell culture in laboratories to understand how cells work in order to provide possible cures for diseases. Brain cells are some of the most difficult cells to study simply because there’s a lack of access. Scientists have been able to grow brain cells previously by use of induced pluripotent stem
A salmon’s life begins with death. Hundreds of miles inland, adult salmon swim against fierce currents, passing hundreds of predators to reach the stream they were born in. There, they spawn and lay thousands of eggs in nests, called redds. For eggs to hatch and new life to begin, mature salmon commit themselves to death