While this isn't news, it's still on the same topic as medical science and it super interesting not only because of the implications, but also where the discovery happened.
To create the cheap "prairie insulin," scientists at the University of Calgary genetically engineered the human gene for insulin into the common plant safflower. Once the gene activates, the flower begins producing insulin faster than traditional methods that utilize pigs, cows, yeast, or bacteria.
Nasa researchers have found the building blocks of DNA, the genetic molecule that is essential to all life forms, in meteorites, pieces of space rock that have fallen to Earth. The discovery suggests that similar meteorites and comets may have impacted Earth and assisted in life formation here.
There's a big difference between finding DNA and amino acids that are components of DNA. It's still a cool discovery though.
This wasn't a discovery of amino acids either. This was two of the bases that help make up DNA.
Could be a big step in the 'where did life come from' debate if you can show that the more chemically complex building blocks of DNA (i.e. nitorgenous bases vs. deoxyribose or phosphate) are found in space.
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Everyone knows scientists insist on using complex terminology to make it harder for True Christians to refute their claims.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid, for example... sounds impressive, right? But have you ever seen what happens if you put something in acid? It dissolves! If we had all this acid in our cells, we'd all dissolve! So much for the Theory of Evolution, Check MATE!
‘Breakthrough’ method rids patients of advanced cancer
"In what is being hailed as a potential cancer breakthrough, three men suffering late-stage leukemia have been cured using their own, genetically reprogrammed immune systems.
The technique transforms blood-borne T-cells into “serial killers” that hunt down and obliterate cancer cells, leaving healthy tissue unharmed, according to a pair of studies published simultaneously in two prominent journals."
"This gene coaxed the T-cells to create an antibody — known as chimeric antigen receptor or CAR — that would specifically target structures on the surface of cancer cells. The newly armed T-cells were then injected back into the respective patients where they sought out and bound themselves to the cancer cells and killed them.
More importantly, however, the reprogrammed hunters caused other T-cells to multiply each time they attacked, creating more killers with each slain cancer cell.
“Within three weeks the tumours had been blown away, in a way that was much more violent than we ever expected,” Dr. Carl June, a senior study author, said in a statement.
“In addition to an extensive capacity for self-replication the infused T-cells are serial killers. On average each infused T-cell led to the killing of thousands of tumour cells,” said June, a University of Pennsylvania pathologist."
so why isn't this getting more press? it sounds like a pretty huge deal in cancer research, with 3 people already being cured. i'd think news like this would be pretty huge
so why isn't this getting more press? it sounds like a pretty huge deal in cancer research, with 3 people already being cured. i'd think news like this would be pretty huge
I thought the same, the Globe is running the story as well so I don't think it's fraudulent. Maybe because it's only 3 patients?
With the daily avalanche of medical discoveries, I expect immortality pills will be available within the decade.
The thing is, even though life expectancy is getting longer, the age cieling doesn't seem to be getting much higher. I guess that isn't a bad thing though. The last thing this planet needs is more in-the-way people.
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YAY! Discovery's new series, Curiosity The questions of life, last nights episode on youtube. Guests will include Stephen Hawking, Morgan Freeman, Michelle Rodriguez, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Spurlock, Adam Savage, Mike Rowe, Brendan Fraser, Eli Roth, Robin Williams, and many more.
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For those interested in that new Discovery series, you might want to also pick up Brian Greene's Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality for a good introduction to modern theoretical physics. You don't get the dramatic music, though, but I guess you could play some while you read it. A highly recommended read.
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