“A fascinating new study is suggesting that a shift in gut bacteria in our middle-age could trigger a process that plays a role in cognitive decline in our later years. And diet may be the key to encouraging the growth […]
“Rice University synthetic biologists have hacked bacterial sensing with a plug-and-play system that could be used to mix-and-match tens of thousands of sensory inputs and genetic outputs. The technology has wide-ranging implications for medical diagnostics, the study of deadly pathogens, […]
“A new study is suggesting a great number of individuals are self-treating problematic alcohol consumption with strong doses of LSD or psilocybin. The research rekindles interest in a strong vein of study from the 1950s and 1960s into LSD and […]
“In a milestone for synthetic biology, colonies of E. coli thrive with DNA constructed from scratch by humans, not nature.” The NYT asks, “is this artificial life?” The methodology here reminds me of the Ship of Theseus. | learn more
“The results from the first randomized controlled human trial into [Fecal Matter Transplants] for obesity suggest modulating the microbiome of humans to treat obesity may be more complicated than researchers had hoped.” Although it worked in animal models, it didn’t […]
Scientists estimate that there are 10x more viruses than bacteria that live in and on our bodies. Just when I thought that bacteria were the most interesting tiny things in the human body… | learn more
“A provocative new study is suggesting the same bacteria responsible for gum disease is also the primary pathogenic cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Not only that, but a new drug developed to inhibit these bacterial toxins and treat Alzheimer’s is moving […]
“Researchers at Northwestern University have used a non-invasive form of magnetic brain stimulation to improve the memory of older adults. After just five short sessions the older adults scored as well as a younger cohort on a variety of memory […]
This goes way beyond CRISPR-Cas9. Remarkable stuff! “David R. Liu shares a breakthrough: his lab’s development of base editors that can rewrite DNA.” | learn more
“Esketamine represents the first depression drug in years to be approved that works via a completely different mechanism in the brain, as compared to the previous generation of medications. For many with treatment-resistant depression, the new drug offers newfound hope […]