Every now and then I collect a bunch of recent science good news that I’ve come across. Here are some past ‘good news’ posts.
Today’s post includes such a recent collection and some funny stuff too at the end.
Enjoy! BTW, science is not necessarily all about stem cells, right?
- Talk about good news. 1,000th Condor chick born! The hard-won comeback of the California condor
- More hope on new ways to battle HIV. Simpler HIV treatment and prevention strategies take center stage
- Humming brain? Our humming brains help us learn rapidly
- I love space stuff and it’s always good news when a space ship deploys properly. LightSail 2 unfurls solar sail and begins travelling through space. Note that the 2 L’s in the spelling of “traveling” reflects the UK origin of this article.
- Literal brain drain. Very cool mouse study. See image above from the work. Brain’s Fluid Drains via Lymphatic Vessels at the Base of the Skull. Here’s the original Nature paper.
- First CRISPR inside humans coming soon and it’s for vision loss.
Of course at least one thing on stem cells, right?
What do you think about the recent launch of iPSC-derived neural organoid experiments to the International Space Station? They are described on the NASA.gov website.
Two such experiments were sent up last Thursday: one from UCSD on neural development, and the other, a joint effort of Aspen Neuroscience, the New York Stem Cell Foundation, Summit for Stem Cell Foundation, and National Stem Cell Foundation, was to use patient-specific iPSCs to generate dopamine neuron organoids (for Parkinson’s disease) and cortical neuron organoids (for multiple sclerosis). We added matched iPSC-derived microglia to the organoids to observe their behavior- a model of neuroinflammation in the brain. Obviously, I’m pleased that we got onboard.
But what do you think?
I think it’s really cool! What’s your hypothesis about the effects of no gravity/space on the cells?