Welcome everybody to Episode 47, be sure to visit stemcellpodcast.com for current and past episodes and to sign up for our newsletter. This is a short episode in preparation for our trip to Sweden so there will be no interview segment, just info on the latest research papers and happenings. We begin as always with our Science Roundup sponsored by Thermo Fisher. In this episode we discuss topics ranging from, more sports stars getting stem cell therapy, a mutation that eliminates prion disease, a perspective on aging by studying stem cells, chimps getting drunk in the wild on there own, a Nobel laureate who made awful comments regarding women in science and your birthdate as a predictor of disease. We then finish off the show with a listener submitted rant on pedestrians not waiting for cars to pass before walking into road. Enjoy!
Below are all of the papers mentioned on the show. We are working on a way to categorize all of the research papers we mention and possibly even provide audio summaries. Enter in your name and e-mail address below, and we will notify you of when this feature is available.
Resources, Links and Research Papers Mentioned In This Session Include:
Scientists Film Death Of White Blood Cell For First Time And Discover Alert System – In this article, Australian and US scientists capture on video each stage of death of a human white blood cell, revealing the dying cells apparently try to alert their neighbors by ejecting molecules into nearby cells, possibly to alert them to the potential presence of a pathogen.
Sun Like It Hot: Philae Comet Probe Wakes Up, Phones Home Again – According to this article, European Space Agency has confirmed that the Philae probe on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has been in contact again, and that the lander is getting more than enough sunshine on its solar panels to power itself continuously.
Molecules Reach Coldest Temperature Ever – This article describes how the MIT researchers chilled a gas of sodium potassium 500 nanokelvin.
New Study: Chimps Go Bananas Over Palm Wine – According to this article, scientists report that chimps in western Africa have taken to purloining drinks from vats of palm wine left unguarded by humans.
Autism Risk May Be Influenced By Age Gap Between Parents – In this article, researchers have demonstrated with the largest ever multinational study of parental age and autism risk that the children of teen mothers, older parents and parents with an age gap of 10 years or more have a higher risk of autism spectrum disorder than other children.
Nobel Prize-Winning Professor Tim Hunt Resigns After Sexist Remarks About 'Girls' In Lab – This article reports that the Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Tim Hunt stepped down from his position at the University College London after making sexist comments at the World Conference of Science Journalists in South Korea.
Your Birth Month May Predict Your Health Issues: Heart Disease Rates Higher March To June – This article explores the relationship between the month a person is born and their risk for disease according to the algorithm created by scientists from Columbia University.
Traditional Medicine: Thunder God Vine As Potential Obesity Treatment – According to this article, an extract from the thunder god vine, long used in traditional Chinese medicine, reduces food intake and causes up to a 45% decrease in body weight in obese mice because of its weight-loss compound called Celastrol, which produces its potent effects by enhancing the action of an appetite-suppressing hormone called leptin.
Virotherapy: Skin Cancer Successfully Treated With Herpes-Based Drug – This article describes how ‘Virotherapy’ uses modified herpes virus to attack melanoma cells and has potential to overcome cancer even when disease has spread throughout the body.
Pop Music's Most Important Revolution? That Would Be Hip-Hop, Science Reveals – In this article,
