A paper about electrical activity in cultured human brain cells got a lot of attention this week:
Scientists Just Detected Brain Waves in Mini Lab-Grown Brains
Mini-brains grown in a lab show neural activity like preterm babies
The study, published in Cell Stem Cell, was about cortical organoids, three dimensional blobs of brain-like tissue that are created from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Researchers Trujillo et al. recorded electrical activity from the organoids as ...read more
DNA obtained from an ancient woman's remains have established a genetic link between modern-day Indians and the Indus Valley Civilization's people. (Credit: Vasant Shinde)
Two new genetic studies published this week offer some rare insights into the Indus Valley Civilization, one of the earliest human civilizations. The work helps illuminate where these people, who created one of the cradles of civilization, came from. Just as importantly, it also reveals where they went.
The Indus Valley ...read more
GC1052-DF2 is a large, but very diffuse galaxy located some 65 million light-years away. The galaxy is thought to contain a negligible amount of dark matter. This image was captured by the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope. (Credit: NASA/ESA/P. van Dokkum (Yale University))
Some 60 million light-years from Earth, not too far from our local galactic neighborhood, a strange little galaxy is causing a cosmic stir. This little island universe holds far fewer stars than yo ...read more
With cases of STIs on the rise, basic methods of protection are more important than ever.(Credit: Purple Anvil/Shutterstock)
When it comes to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), we all know the classics: Syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea and the like. But these health-class terrors are not the only microbes that can get passed on through sexual contact.
There are more than 30 known STIs, and four in particular are becoming more common at a worrying rate. Some are developing antibiotic re ...read more
Wynn, James. Citizen Science in the Digital Age: Rhetoric, Science, and Public Engagement. The University of Alabama Press, 2017. 224 pages. Paperback $US 24.95.
Citizen scientists have repeatedly faced resistance from skeptics questioning their experience, training, and ability, but recent technological advances have brought citizen science into the digital age, transforming many aspects of the process. This ranges from the experience of being involved in a project as a citizen scientis ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine