“Scientists think they have achieved the first gene editing inside the body, altering DNA in adults to try and treat a disease.” | learn more
“Researchers corrected synaptic dysfunctions in the brain involved in memory loss, using an epigenetic approach.” | learn more
“The research set out to exhaustively analyze the metabolic profile of blood samples as subjects underwent an extensive stretch of fasting. … ‘Contrary to the original expectation,’ says [researcher] Teruya, ‘it turned out that fasting induced metabolic activation rather actively.’” | learn […]
“Thanks to fMRI scanning, we’ve known for decades that when people speak, or hear others, it activates specific parts of their brain. However, it’s proved hugely challenging to translate thoughts into words. A team from Columbia University has developed a […]
“Emerging evidence suggests that the brain encodes abstract knowledge in the same way that it represents positions in space, which hints at a more universal theory of cognition.” | learn more
“Researchers from the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Naples Federico II in Italy discovered that when gut microbes from healthy human infants were transplanted into germ-free mice, the animals were protected from an allergic reaction […]
Dr. Francis Collins, the Director of the NIH, didn’t miss this opportunity to share the breakthroughs chosen by the journal Science. Of course, they helped fund many of them. Amazing stuff all around. | learn more
The interesting thing to me here is the methodology. They used nutrient biomarkers in blood instead of surveys to understand diet, and fMRI scans rather cognitive tests to understand brain activity. “A new [University of Illinois] study links higher levels […]
“Alongside new discoveries in gut-brain communication and the genesis of Alzheimer’s disease, the FDA advanced acceptance of psychedelic medicines, from psilocybin to marijuana.” | learn more
This is interesting and important because of the difficulty humans have using precise vocabulary to describe smells. “A more precise smell vocabulary can also help doctors diagnose neurodegenerative diseases.” | learn more