Acute B-cell progenitor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is a clonal hematopoietic neoplasm characterized by the proliferation and accumulation of B-lymphoid progenitor cells throughout the bone marrow. Although important studies have characterized the underlying biological pathways that underpin therapy failure , resistance and subsequent relapse remain a leading cause of cancer-related deaths . One approach to […]
Cells in upper airway may trigger coughs to block water When a drink goes down the wrong way or reflux gurgles up, neuroendocrine cells in the upper airway set off coughing or other reflexes by telling the nervous system to expel the water or acid. Full Story: Live Science Sinking cities put millions of people […]
The human oral microbiota is highly diverse and has a complex ecology, including numerous species and strains of bacteria, microeukaryotes, archaea and viruses. This oral microbiome interfaces with the immune system of the human host and has an important role in not only the health of the oral cavity, but in the health of the […]
Amniotic fluid contains cells, cells shed by the growing fetus and which could be used to build “mini organs” in vitro, as a new study reports . What do we mean by “mini organs”? This so-called organoids are 3D cellular systems that aim to replicate the structure and function of real organs but at a […]
Condensed matter • Nanotechnology • Particle physics • Physics
Superconductors can carry large electrical currents without any resistance. One situation where they don’t carry currents without resistance is when there is too much current. By designing microscopic electronic components made from very thin superconductors, researchers can use this effect to create a switch, like a transistor. Nanowire superconducting switching devices (called nanocryotrons, or nTrons […]
Blind quantum computing promises widespread access A breakthrough method to securely connect a quantum computing server to an independent computer over existing fiber optic networks could allow home or office computers to access quantum computing through the cloud,. The method dubbed blind quantum computing uses unique combinations of quantum memory and photons to ensure data […]
A team of researchers has successfully synthesized the first 2D heavy fermion material. The new material is a layered intermetallic crystal composed of cerium, silicon, and iodine (CeSiI) . Heavy fermion compounds are a class of materials with electrons that are up to 1000x heavier than usual. In these materials, electrons get tangled up with […]
I will close this series by commenting on the most conspicuous element of the contemporary debate about whether science points towards the existence of some kind of ‘cosmic purpose’: the possibility that the universe we observe is only a vanishingly small part of a mega-infinity of worlds – the multiverse, and more specifically, the inflationary […]
Many books have been published on the history of science. Each one provides a specific insight, and together they offer a fairly complete overview of the evolution of a substantial part of the intellectual heritage of mankind. The book I will review in these lines is, from that point of view, one more. One more […]