“In a novel experiment, researchers were able to trigger insulin production in human cells by sending electrical currents through an “electrogenetic” interface that activates targeted genes.” ~ learn more
“The researchers tested AOH1996, a small molecule PCNA inhibitor, in more than 70 cancer cell lines and several normal control cells. They found that AOH1996 selectively kills cancer cells by disrupting the normal cell reproductive cycle. It targets something called transcription replication conflicts, which occur when mechanisms responsible for gene expression and genome duplication collide.” ~ learn more
Everyone can find 3 seconds per day, right? “In 2022, researchers from Australia’s Edith Cowan University, in collaboration with Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Japan, found that doing eccentric bicep contractions for just three seconds a day for five days a week significantly improved muscle strength.” ~ learn more
“How a Montreal copywriter swindled victims out of $200 million by pretending to be a legendary psychic.” ~ learn more
“As the historian David Courtwright notes in his book Forces of Habit, the past five centuries have been profoundly shaped by the rise of several drugs which have one big thing in common: they became global commodities during the early modern period.” ~ learn more
“People imprisoned/convicted ever and respondents arrested last year are similarly concerned with crime as the general public and overwhelming majority of them say too little is been done to stop it.” ~ learn more
“Vial is inventing new technology with the goal of reducing the cost of clinical trials by an order of magnitude. … For the first time, Vial is providing a glimpse into Act II: Battery Bio. Building on its substantial cost advantage in trial execution, Vial is venturing into the world of full-stack drug discovery.” This reads a bit like a sales pitch, but I think the author (who has no…
“There are two types of common discontinuities in AI. One is when performance jumps much more than expected - e.g. you double the amount of data you have but triple the performance of the output from that. The other is when you max out on one technique and need an entirely new approach to keep making progress.” ~ learn more
Scurvy is a horrible and dangerous disease that results from a vitamin C deficiency. Mostly, it afflicted sailors who ate only preserved food for months at sea. The cure was repeatedly discovered and lost over time. This article builds on that story to make a very impactful point about our world’s weirdness. ~ learn more
Instead of admitting that a new kind of radar allowed British WW2 pilots to shoot down their German adversaries at night, “they invented a propaganda campaign that claimed their pilots had developed exceptional eyesight by eating "an excess of carrots." Unfortunately we are often on the receiving end of this sort of misinformation. ~ learn more