Specially engineered antibody blocks most HIV strains in monkeys A potent tri-specific antibody that targets nearly 100% of HIV strains and prevents infection in monkeys has been developed by National Institutes of Health scientists and pharmaceutical firm Sanofi. The antibody combo bolsters the immune system and blocks development of the virus. BBC Lager beer yeast […]
Something weird is happening in Mexico these days. Two powerful earthquakes have hit the country in two weeks. The second one occurred exactly on the same date of the thirty-second anniversary of the most damaging quake known in the country and the early warning system did not work properly. Even more: two hurricanes are causing […]
In 1882, Heinrich Hertz devoted himself to the study of electromagnetism, including the recent and still generally unappreciated work of Maxwell. Two years later he began his famous series of experiments with electromagnetic waves. During the course of this work, Hertz discovered the photoelectric effect, which has had a profound influence on modern physics. The […]
Recently a deal between the biopharmaceutical companies Gilead and Kite Pharma was announced. Under the agreement, Gilead will buy Kite for a stunning USD 11 billion, shifting the focus of Gilead from infectious diseases to the field of oncology, just like that. But why write a post on MI about such apparently business-related issue? Kite […]
Online courses are rapidly expanding. They can reach more students and reduce drastically the costs of teaching. They are, thus, an attractive option for both students and schools. Being a recent development, there is still little research to assess their performance. A first group of studies used the method of randomly assigning students to an […]
Single-strand DNA robot developed to transport tiny cargo A tiny robot made from a strand of DNA that can transport cargo has been developed by researchers at the California Institute of Technology and is one of the first steps towards developing general-purpose DNA robots. New Scientist The mysterious seismic event following nuclear test Researchers around […]
Chemistry • Condensed matter • DIPC Biochemistry • DIPC Photochemistry • Pharmacy
The combination of catalysis and bioorthogonality promises have an impact on drug discovery and bioimaging. Bioorthogonality, a term coined by Carolyn R. Bertozzi in 2003, refers to any chemical reaction that can occur inside of living systems without interfering with native biochemical processes. Hence, catalytic turnover can boost the efficiency of bioorthogonal chemical reactions, unveiling […]
Interior of a human blood vessel. Something looks wrong, very wrong. Bacteria have entered the circulation, and the immunological system is reacting. All the alarms are on fire, while an army of white blood cells comes by, getting ready to unleash hell on the invaders. Suddenly, among these security agents, a neutrophil stands out. It […]
One of the most popular ideas within the new and fashionable transhumanism craze is that, in the future humans, will be able of reaching a kind of ‘immortality’ by decoding the information contained in your brain, ‘uploading’ it to some kind of memory device, and making it live on a computer (see, e.g., Seung 2012) […]
Geneticists pan paper that claims to predict a person’s face from their DNA Reviewers and a co-author of a paper by genomics entrepreneur Craig Venter claim that it misrepresents the risks of public access to genome data. Nature Immune cells can trigger fungus in lungs to self-destruct Immune cells in the lungs release an enzyme […]