I’m fascinated by the idea of making food from cells grown in a lab and especially the newest idea of lab-grown chocolate. While lab-grown meat has gotten the most attention, (see my recent post on test-tube meat: Not Old MacDonald’s Farm: is the future lab-grown meat?) I’d say that the coolest application of making food from […]
Biotech California Cultured aims to sell lab-grown chocolate Read More »
The day after Easter and thoughts might turn to all those chocolate bunnies, eggs, etc…..leading to a question: is death by chocolate possible? What is the amount of chocolate you or I would have to eat in order to die? Could we even get close on a holiday like Halloween or Easter? It seems like
Death by chocolate? Let’s crunch the numbers for people Read More »
Readers of The Niche have asked me many questions about stem cells for autoimmune disease but the puzzle of why women get these conditions more often than men hasn’t come up before here. For instance, why is MS so much more common in women than men? It’s remained somewhat of a mystery over the years.
Where do things stand with the investigative approach of stem cells for diabetes? 33% of Type 1 Diabetes Patients Insulin-Free With Stem Cells, Medscape. Not the best headline given the few number of participants here. If your study has only two subjects and one responds, someone is going to say, “50% of people had a
Weekly reads: Vertex stem cells for diabetes update, new CRISPR , immortality Read More »
Eight years ago two new Nature papers broke on the scene reporting supposed STAP cells with one of the senior authors, Charles Vacanti of Harvard, most well known previously for making the so-called “Vacanti mouse” along with his brother Joseph. The Vacanti mouse had a bioengineered human ear growing on its back. While STAP cells
Recommended reads: Dux, 3D printed ear brings Vacanti mouse to mind, AMD, more Read More »
When I think of cookies, I first think of chocolate chip, peanut butter, or macaroons, but an arguably more important kind these days is the type of thing that websites implant on your computer sometimes to monitor your web activities. Not delicious. I did a little experiment inspired by the New York Times Privacy Project.
Computer cookies gone wild, your privacy, & an ‘off’ experiment Read More »
What are human lab rats? And I don’t mean humans in a clinical trial. I’m one of those people who can accurately be called “lab rats” in the sense of a scientist loving being in the lab doing experiments, analyzing data, and so forth. Ever since I started as a lab technician in 1990, I
Do Human Lab Rats Dream about Science? Read More »
Note that you can register for ISSCR Stockholm here and the early registration deadline is today, March 11. Even without ISSCR Stockholm is a city worth visiting! There is no Eiffel Tower, Colosseum or Big Ben but Stockholm is one of Europe’s best kept secrets and the most beautiful European city I have visited. This
Tips for Visiting Stockholm During ISSCR 2015 by Heather Main Read More »
A grant deadline is no picnic. Like thousands of scientists around the US, I too am working on a big NIH grant proposal due in a matter of a few days. If you are also in this boat, how are you all feeling right now since it is October 1st? How would you complete this sentence:
Home stretch on October grant deadline NIH grant & I’m…(fill in the blank) Read More »
Think you know Mitt Romney? I don’t feel like I do. I hope those sandwiches he’s handing out are PB&J….. Here are the 10 most surprising things about Romney that you might not know. 10. He’s fluent in French. Nothing wrong with that, but his very anti-European rhetoric doesn’t seem to fit with this. See
Most surprising things to know about Romney Read More »