Brief News Items

Remember all that DNA that was thought to be "Junk DNA?" Now it looks like that "junk" produces about half a million varieties of RNA of unknown function. Scientists at the University of Oxford have used such an RNA to regulate the DHFR (dihydrofolate reductase) gene, which indirectly controls dividing cells. This research may provide new ways to halt the growth of tumours.

Using yeast, nematodes, fruit flies, and mice, researchers at the Buck Institute are beginning a massive screening of 120,000 chemical compounds for lifespan extension effects. “We believe this is the first true chemical exploration of lifespan extension across multiple species,” said Gordon Lithgow, PhD, Buck Institute faculty member and project leader. “Our aim is to discover and develop novel compounds; at the very least we hope to identify 100 chemically distinct compounds that slow aging...

Veterinary opthalmologists at the University of Missouri-Columbia are implanting an Optobionics chip into the eyes of cats suffering with a degenerative retinal condition similar to retinitis pigmentosa in humans. Besides helping slow the advance of the disease, studies suggest that the electric currents generated by the chips may be regenerating damaged photoreceptors surrounding the implants.

MIT researchers are developing a super-strong nanofiber with similarities to Lycra. I cannot wait to get back to the gym to see what type of workout fashions this discovery will inspire.

Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia have learned more about the musculoskeletal system of neurons--how movement of growing neural processes in the developing nervous system is carried out.

A recent MIT report on geothermal energy appears to be promoting many of the ideas discussed by this blog last summer. The "hot rocks" approach, using technology borrowed from oil drilling and exploration, holds a lot of hope for clean sustainable energy for the indefinite future.

This Tech Review Online article looks into the secretive Texas company EEStor, makers of a "new, more powerful" type of ultracapacitor that is claimed can replace storage batteries in many applications. I have expressed doubts about many of EEStor's claims, but I am always willing to be proven wrong.

This news blurb looks at the possibility of using the anesthetic Ketamine as an ultra-fast treatment for depression. Although I have administered this anesthetic, I never had the opportunity for long-term followup of depressed or non-depressed patients. But this idea is certainly intriguing.

Finally, this Wired News feature discusses new developments in "Teledildonics", the technology of "sex at a distance." It is fun to keep up with this technology, certainly, and I will have more to say about this story over at Al Fin, You Sexy Thing.