Posts tagged science
Stephen Hawking marks 70th birthday with speech to leading cosmologists
‘Look up at the stars and not down at your feet,’ says scientist, unable to attend symposium in person due to ill health Stephen Hawking, the world’s most famous living scientist and a symbol of the triumph of willpower over adversity, has celebrated his 70th birthday , revealing he did not learn to read properly until he was eight years old, and that his schoolfriends had made a bet that he “would never come to anything”. A public symposium in Cambridge was told that, far from being top of the class, he was never more than half-way up.
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Stephen Hawking marks 70th birthday with speech to leading cosmologists
Stroke survivors have their say on research priorities
Scottish stroke survivors have been highlighting the research they want to see done into the condition What are the best ways to improve cognition after a stroke? How can stroke survivors and families be helped to cope with speech problems?
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Stroke survivors have their say on research priorities
Myelin Repair a Reality, says MS Society Research
Groundbreaking MS Society research has shown that damage to myelin can be reversed using stem cells.
The results come from the Cambridge Centre for Myelin Repair and the Edinburgh Centre for Translational Research, two of the Society’s major investments. The charity hopes that these results will lead to clinical trials in people with MS in the next five years and the possibility of treatment within 15 years.
Chief Executive Simon Gillespie said: “For people with MS this is one of the most exciting developments in recent years. It’s hard to put into words how revolutionary this discovery could be and how critical it is to continue research into MS. We’re delighted to have funded the first stage of this work and we’re now considering funding it further.” (more…)
MS Frontiers 2009 – Nerve Damage, Repairs and Protection
Professor Robin Franklin, from the University of Cambridge, discusses the subject of Myeline repair in 2009.
Vitamin D: The Wild Wild West
Got milk? You may need a couple cups more than today’s food labels say to get enough vitamin D for strong bones. But don’t go overboard: Long-awaited new dietary guidelines say there’s no proof that megadoses prevent cancer or other ailments – sure to frustrate backers of the so-called sunshine vitamin.
The decision by the prestigious US based Institute of Medicine, the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, could put some brakes on the nation’s vitamin D craze, warning that super-high levels could be risky.
“More is not necessarily better,” cautioned Dr. Joann Manson of Harvard Medical School, who co-authored the Institute of Medicine’s report being released Tuesday. (more…)
New Treatment Target for Alzheimer’s
US scientists have found that boosting levels of a protein, EphB2, improves nerve cell function and memory in mice with Alzheimer’s. Their findings, published in Nature, highlight potential new treatment targets.
EphB2 amounts are abnormally low in an area of the brain responsible for memory in mice with Alzheimer’s, as well as people with the disease. The researchers showed how amyloid, the toxic protein that builds during Alzheimer’s, interacts with EphB2 causing it to be broken down.
The authors suggest that either boosting EphB2 or stopping amyloid from binding to it provides potential approaches to treating Alzheimer’s disease. (more…)
