Aging is a biological process that no one can avoid. Ideally, growing old should be a time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Aging also has a darker side, however, often linked to disease.Every second, your cells perform billions of biochemical reactions that fuel essential functions for life, forming a highly interconnected metabolic network. This network enables cells to grow, proliferate, and repair themselves, and itsdisruption can drive theaging process.But does aging cause metab ...read more
Aquatic animals delivered a one-two predatory punch millions of years ago. A combination of different teeth marks on “sea cow” bones show that a crocodile snatched the creature’s skull and drowned it with a “death roll”— essentially rotating underwater while grasping the sea cow in its jaws. When the croc was done dining, sharks showed up to finish the leftovers. The study, in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, provides a rare example of a creature being attacked by two differen ...read more
Rapamycin has been called a potential miracle drug, capable of slowing the effects of aging — everything from greying hair to age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s. And even though the bacteria that produces rapamycin was discovered about six decades ago, the drug still isn’t used or prescribed often. In the early phases of testing, experts discovered many side effects.“We’re the dog that caught the car — nobody seems to know what to do,” says Arlan Richardson, a biochemist at the ...read more
Imagine you are in a soccer match, and it’s tied. Each team will begin taking penalty kicks. The crowd is roaring, and whether or not your team wins the game depends on your ability to hit the shot. As you imagine this scene, are you able to picture the scenario with colors and details?Scientists are hard at worktrying to understand why some people can visualize these kinds of scenarios more easily than others can. Even the same person can be better or worse at picturing things in their mind a ...read more
As humans alter the planet’s climate and ecosystems, scientists are looking to Earth’s history to help predict what may unfold from climate change. To this end, massive ice structures like glaciers serve as nature’s freezers, archiving detailed records of past climates and ecosystems – including viruses.We are a team of microbiologists and paleoclimatologists who study ancient microorganisms, including viruses preserved within glacier ice. Along with our colleagues Lonnie Thompson, and V ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine