Spoiled Meat Detector
 | |
| Image Credit: Suat Eman FreeDigitalPhotos.net | |
Sometimes looks can be deceiving, especially when it comes to packaged meat. Vacuum sealing of meat products makes it difficult to determine if the meat is fresh or spoiled. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Modular Solid State Technologies (EMFT) in Munich have developed a sensor film that can detect rotten food. The film can be easily placed inside food packages and changes color if the food becomes spoiled.
When meats decay through degradation by microbes such as bacteria, they produce molecules known as amines. Amines are responsible for the odor of rotten meat. As the amines are released in the air, the sensor film detects them and changes color from yellow to blue. According to researcher Dr. Anna Hezinger, "Once a certain concentration range is reached, the color change is clearly visible and assumes the task of warning the consumer. Unlike the expiration date, the information on the sensor film is not based on an estimate but on an actual control of the food itself." The sensor film provides a low cost means of measuring food safety and protecting customers.
Learn more about this study, see:
- Sensor Determines If Packaged Meat Has Spoiled (Science Daily)
Cerebrum
 |
|
| Credit: Alan Hoffring/National Cancer Institute | |
The cerebrum, also known as the telencephalon, is the largest portion of the brain. It encompasses about two-thirds of the brain mass and lies over and around most of the structures of the brain. The outer portion (1.5mm to 5mm) of the cerebrum is covered by a thin layer of gray tissue called the cerebral cortex. The cerebrum is the most highly developed part of the human brain and is responsible for controlling functions such as voluntary motor functions, thinking, perceiving and also producing and understanding language.
The cerebrum is divided into right and left hemispheres that are connected by the corpus callosum. Each hemisphere is in turn divided into four lobes. The left cerebral hemisphere controls functions of the right side of the body and the right cerebral hemisphere controls functions of the left side of the body. The cerebrum or telencephalon, along with the diencephalon comprise the two major divisions of the prosencephalon (forebrain).
Learn more about the brain, see:
Molecules Inhibit Cancer Cells
 | |
| Credit: NYU School of Medicine | |
Researchers from the Cancer Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center have discovered certain molecules that can stop cancerous cell growth. These molecules inhibit cancerous cell growth by interrupting an important cellular communication pathway known as the Wnt signaling pathway. The Wnt pathway controls cell-to-cell communication and its abnormal activity is associated with the development of several types of cancer including breast, skin and colon cancers.
According to researcher Ramanuj DasGupta, "Our study demonstrates that the three newly identified compounds are capable of blocking cell proliferation in cancerous human tumor biopsy cells. These molecules hold a lot of promise towards future Wnt-based drug development for cancer treatments." In laboratory tests, the inhibiting molecules stopped cancerous cell growth in human colon cancers without disturbing other cell functions. The researchers believe that this means that drug treatments could potentially be developed that would target Wnt signaling pathway related cancerous cells without causing harm to normal cells. They caution that more exploratory research of these molecules is needed before future drug development can take place.
Learn more about this study, see:
- Small Molecules Inhibit Growth of Human Tumor Cells (Science Daily)
How To Streak a Bacterial Culture
 | |
| Credit: Bill Branson / Clinical Center Communications | |
Bacterial culture streaking allows bacteria to reproduce on a culture medium in a controlled environment. The process involves spreading bacteria across an agar plate and allowing them to incubate at a certain temperature for a period of time. Bacterial streaking can be used to identify and isolate pure bacterial colonies from a mixed population. Microbiologists use bacterial and other microbial culture streaking methods to identify microorganisms and to diagnose infection.
The streaking method involves applying bacteria to an agar plate using an instrument such as an inoculating loop or sterile toothpick. The loop or toothpick with microbes on the tip is moved in a zig-zag horizontal pattern on the agar plate. After about 1/3 of the plate is covered, the plate is rotated and the loop/toothpick is used to spread bacteria to other areas of the plate. Once the streaking process is finished, the plate is incubated allowing the bacteria to grow and reproduce. For complete instructions on this process, see How To Streak a Bacterial Culture.
More Biology How Tos:
Recreating Brain Cells From Skin Cells
 | |
Credit: Gong Chen laboratory, Penn State University | |
In an attempt to better understand the biological processes involved with schizophrenia, researchers have reconstructed brain cells of schizophrenic patients from their own skin cells. The skin cells were genetically reprogrammed into becoming induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These types of stem cells can develop into a variety of different types of cells of the body. The researchers cultured the iPSCs and induced them into developing into neurons. After comparing these brain cells with those derived from healthy individuals, it was discovered that the neurons of schizophrenic patients made fewer connections with one another than did those of healthy neurons.
According to researcher Gong Chen, "What's so exciting about this approach is that we can examine patient-derived neurons that are perhaps equivalent to a particular patient's own neural cells. Obviously, we don't want to remove someone's brain cells to experiment on, so recreating the patient's brain cells in a Petri dish is the next best thing for research purposes. Using this method, we can figure out how a particular drug will affect that particular patient's brain cells, without needing the patient to try the drug, and potentially, to suffer the side effects." The researchers believe that this model for studying schizophrenia is a safer way of screening for drugs that could potentially reverse the disorder. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by strong delusions, hallucinations, and degenerating thought processes.
Learn more about this study, see:
Coronary Arteries
 | |
| Credit: Patrick J. Lynch, medical illustrator: Licenses | |
Arteries are vessels that carry blood away from the heart. The coronary arteries are the first blood vessels that branch off from the ascending aorta. The coronary arteries supply oxygenated and nutrient filled blood to the heart muscle. There are two main coronary arteries: right coronary artery and left coronary artery. Other arteries diverge from these two main arteries and extend to the bottom portion of the heart.
In the cardiac cycle, blood enters the heart, is pumped to the lungs to pick up oxygen, travels back to the heart, and is pumped out to the rest of the body via the aorta. The right and left coronary arteries shuttle oxygen rich blood to the heart itself. Some of the arteries that extend from the main coronary arteries include the posterior descending artery, left anterior descending artery, and left circumflex artery.
Learn more about the heart, see:
The Amygdala
 | |
| Credit: NIMH Clinical Brain Disorders Branch | |
The amygdala is an almond shaped mass of nuclei located deep within the temporal lobe of the brain. It is a limbic system structure that is involved in many of our emotions and motivations, particularly those that are related to survival. The amygdala is involved in the processing of emotions such as fear, anger and pleasure. The amygdala is also responsible for determining what memories are stored and where the memories are stored in the brain. It is thought that this determination is based on how huge an emotional response an event invokes.
The amygdala is involved in several functions of the body including arousal, autonomic responses associated with fear, and hormonal secretions. Scientific studies of the amygdala have led to the discovery of the location of the neurons in the amygdala that are responsible for fear conditioning. Fear conditioning is an associative learning process by which we learn through repeated experiences to fear something. Our experiences can cause brain circuits to change and form new memories.
Learn more about the brain, see:
New Method For Reprogramming Stem Cells
 | |
| Credit: Edward Morrisey, PhD; University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine | |
Researchers have discovered a more efficient method for creating reprogrammed stem cells. With this new method, known as the microRNA method, about 10,000 induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be produced from every 100,000 adult human stem cells used. The current method for producing iPSCs only yields less than 20 of these reprogrammed cells from every 100,000 adult human cells used. Induced pluripotent stem cells are genetically altered adult stem cells that are induced or prompted in a laboratory to take on the characteristics of embryonic stem cells. These cells can develop into a variety of different types of cells and tissues. The researchers used fibroblast cells from skin tissue to create the iPSCs.
The current method for producing iPSCs involves genetic manipulation of adult stem cells that lead to the expression of four different genes known as transcription factors. According to Scientific Director at the Penn Institute for Regenerative Medicine Edward Morrisey, "This is the first time we've been able to make induced pluripotent stem cells without the four transcription factors and increase the efficiency by 100-fold." The microRNA method could lead to the development of a cellular "storehouse" of iPSCs that could be used in tissue regeneration.
Learn more about this study, see:
- New Highly Efficient Way to Make Reprogrammed Stem Cells (Science Daily)
Tangerines Burn Fat and Combat Obesity
 | |
| | |
Researchers have discovered that tangerines provide wonderful health benefits. A substance, Nobiletin, found in tangerines was shown to prevent obesity and help protect against diabetes and atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is an accumulation of plaque in the arteries that can result in heart attack and stroke. The discovery was made using mice as test subjects. Two groups of mice were fed a diet high in fat and simple sugars. One group however also received Nobiletin. The group with no Nobiletin became obese and showed signs of metabolic syndrome. These signs include raised levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, and glucose. The group that received Nobiletin showed no signs of metabolic syndrome and were of normal weight.
According to researcher Murray Huff, "The Nobiletin-treated mice were basically protected from obesity and in longer-term studies, Nobiletin also protected these animals from atherosclerosis... This study really paves the way for future studies to see if this is a suitable treatment for metabolic syndrome and related conditions in people." Nobiletin was shown to be effective at preventing obesity by inducing the body to burn fat and inhibiting genes that promote fat production. Previous studies have shown that a substance in grapefruit can also protect against obesity. According to the researchers however, Nobiletin appears to be ten times more effective at protecting against obesity than the grapefruit substance.
Learn more about this study, see:
- Substance in Tangerines Fights Obesity (EurekAlert)
Gigantic Dinosaur Discovered
 | |
| Credit: © Robert Nicholls | |
A new species of dinosaur has been discovered in eastern China that is thought to be a relative of T. rex. This carnivorous dinosaur, Zhuchengtyrannus magnus, is estimated to have been 36 feet long, stood 13 feet tall, and weighed nearly 6 tons. Belonging to a group of enormous theropods called tyrannosaurines, Zhuchengtyrannus magnus had a huge powerful jaw, small arms, and hands with two fingers.
Information about the find is published in the scientific journal Cretaceous Research. According to lead author Dr. David Hone, "Zhuchengtyrannus can be distinguished from other tyrannosaurines by a combination of unique features in the skull not seen in any other theropod. We named the new genus Zhuchengtyrannus magnus - which means the 'Tyrant from Zhucheng' - because the bones were found in the city of Zhucheng, in eastern China's Shandong Province." The fossilized remains of the dinosaur were discovered along with several other dinosaur remains in an area that used to be a large flood plain. It is believed that the bodies were washed into the plain during floods and later became fossilized.
Learn more about this study, see:
- Long Lost Cousin of T. Rex Identified by Scientists (Science Daily)