Sergio P. Acebrón got his PhD in Biochemistry in the University of the Basque Country (Bilbao-Spain). Currently he is a researcher at the German Cancer Research Center (Heidelberg-Germany). His research is focused in a specific cell communication process named "Wnt signaling" that is essential during embryogenesis and, when misregulated, can lead to cancer. Sergio is co-author of the essay book "Actúa" and has contributed to different Spanish newspapers, Science TV programs and online blogs.
A human body harbors around 37 trillion [1012] cells that came from a single fertilized egg by a process known as mitotic division or mitosis. While the first cellular divisions of an embryo occur without gaining mass, most of the following ones are linked to cell growth and are required for the correct development and […]
Can you guess the sequence of the DNA strand that is analyzed in this experiment? (Feel free to use the comments!). One does not need to be a biochemist to figure it out. Start from the bottom of the picture. Just jump from one step of the “ladder” to the next, even if it is […]
In 1907, Daniel, a miner working in Mauer, near Heidelberg (Germany), found a jaw of unequivocally human origin. The bone was a complete jaw but lacked the characteristic prominent chin of our species, Homo sapiens. The fossil was identified as the first of a new species, Homo heidelbergensis , a 600,000 year-old ancestor. The oldest […]
Proteins are sophisticated machines that perform most of our cellular activities. Proteins are codified in the cellular DNA and synthesized as linear chains that need to get properly folded in a 3D structure to become functional. This state is named native structure. Several perturbations can challenge the native structure of the proteins converting them into […]
A study published last year in The Lancet showed that a daily dose of aspirin reduces the risk of dying from several types of cancer. According to the authors’ data, long-term daily intake reduces the probability of dying from solid tumours by more than 30%. These results are consistent with known effects of aspirin blocking […]