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Scientists have made clumps of human tissue that behave like early-stage embryos, a feat that promises to transform research into the first tentative steps of human development.

The clumps of cells, named blastoids, are less than a millimetre across and resemble structures called blastocysts, which form within a few days of an egg being fertilised. Typically blastocysts contain about 100 cells, which give rise to every tissue in the body.



By studying blastoids, scientists hope to learn how newly formed embryos develop in the run-up to implantation, and understand why so many miscarriages occur at this delicate stage in human pregnancy.

Further work will use the cells to understand how particular birth defects can arise and investigate the impact of environmental toxins, drugs and even viral infections on healthy embryonic development.

Galápagos rock formation Darwin’s Arch collapses from erosion
Boat tourists reportedly saw the rocky structure collapse into the Pacific Ocean

Rhi Storer
Tue 18 May 2021 13.56 BST

Darwin’s Arch, a rock formation south-east of Darwin Island in the Galápagos archipelago, has collapsed due to natural erosion, Ecuador’s environment ministry said.

Images on the ministry Facebook page on Tuesday show two rocky pillars left at the northernmost island of the Pacific Ocean archipelago, which lies 600 miles (1,000km) off South America.

The post said: “This event is a consequence of natural erosion. Darwin’s Arch is made of natural stone that at one time would have been part of Darwin Island, which is not open to visits by land.

“This site is considered one of the best places on the planet to dive and observe schools of sharks and other species.”


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/ ... om-erosion

The saguaro is to the American southwest what the Empire State Building is to New York City: A breathtaking icon and a symbol of the region. A cactus that branches like a tree, the saguaro can grow to be 40 feet tall with roots spread over 100 feet of ground. They can live for longer than 150 years, meaning there are saguaros alive today that were born when Ulysses S. Grant was president. As the colder seasons give into warmer ones, the saguaro famously sprouts beautiful white flowers that blossom from the tips of their trunks and arms.

At least, that is what they normally do. Arizona news outlets are reporting that many of the cacti are budding on their sides, a phenomenon never seen before. It is a development that has researchers curious — and a little worried.

Obviously, something changed in the saguaros' environment that triggered a mass mis-sprouting. Some researchers believe the culprit may be environmental.

Dr. Benjamin T. Wilder, a desert ecologist and Director of the University of Arizona's Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, told Salon by email that he suspects the unusual growths may have been caused by normally reproductively active areoles (the bumps on cacti that produce clusters of spines) being damaged by last summer's drought — particularly since the summer was extremely hot and dry. This could have caused the cactus to revive older areoles, which would be lower on the stem, in order to create flowers.

Thorny issue: Ancient cacti uprooted for border wall construction
Environmental activists allege hundreds of saguaro cacti have been wrongly uprooted

Gino Spocchia
Tuesday 30 June 2020 16:54

The Trump administration has been accused of destroying hundreds of ancient saguaro cacti in Arizona as Donald Trump’s border wall construction continues across the state.

Environmental activists allege that “hundreds and hundreds of ancient saguaros” have been pulled down since border wall construction began.

That includes saguaro uprooted within the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, an International Biosphere Reserve home to the protected cacti.

Arizona state law prohibits anyone from harming, shooting or removing saguaros, which can grow to more than 45 feet in height and live up to 200 years, according to the US National Parks Service.


https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 91101.html

Uninformed wrote: ↑Mon Oct 04, 2021 6:28 pm “Sense of touch and heat research wins Nobel Prize”:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-58787438

Scientists who discovered how our bodies feel the warmth of the sun or the hug of a loved one have won the Nobel Prize.
David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian, from the US, share the 2021 prize in Medicine or Physiology for their work on sensing touch and temperature.
They unpicked how our bodies convert physical sensations into electrical messages in the nervous system.
Their findings could lead to new ways of treating pain.
Heat, cold and touch are crucial for experiencing the world around us and for our own survival.
But how our bodies actually do it had been one of the great mysteries of biology.

Tiredretiredlawyer wrote: ↑Thu Dec 16, 2021 7:44 pm My sympathy and empathy. At least fibromyalgia fatigue and pain are not everyday.

noblepa wrote: ↑Fri Dec 17, 2021 10:10 pm

Tiredretiredlawyer wrote: ↑Thu Dec 16, 2021 7:44 pm My sympathy and empathy. At least fibromyalgia fatigue and pain are not everyday.

For my wife, they are.

noblepa wrote: ↑Fri Dec 17, 2021 10:10 pm

Tiredretiredlawyer wrote: ↑Thu Dec 16, 2021 7:44 pm My sympathy and empathy. At least fibromyalgia fatigue and pain are not everyday.

For my wife, they are.

NATIONAL FIBROMYALGIA AWARENESS DAY

Each year on May 12th, millions of people observe National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. This day shares the spotlight with other May 12th awareness days such as International Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, International Awareness Day for Chronic Immunological and Neurological Diseases or International Awareness Day for MCS, ME/CFS and FM, which are observed globally.

Fibromyalgia affects more than 12 million Americans. It is a musculoskeletal syndrome and causes a variety of symptoms. Some of them include:

widespread pain
tender points
incapacitating fatigue
anxiety
depression
migraines/chronic headaches
irritable bowel syndrome
irritable bladder
insomnia
hypersensitivity to cold/hot
swelling
fibro fog (inability to concentrate/focus)
difficulty remembering
numbness
stiffness
decreased energy
noise, light and odor sensitivity
skin sensitivity
Symptoms may come and go, lasting a few minutes, an hour, a day, a week, a month, or a year. While there is no cure for fibromyalgia, a variety of treatments and therapies focus on reducing the amount and frequency of pain. They also aim to improve sleep. Therapies such as exercise, massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic care aim to manage symptoms without pharmacological interventions. Prescriptions manage pain, improve sleep, and combat depression, too.

Phoenix520 wrote: ↑Fri May 13, 2022 10:13 pm I see you.

Lani wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 2:17 am

Phoenix520 wrote: ↑Fri May 13, 2022 10:13 pm I see you.

Glad there is now some help with the condition.

In the mid-1990's, I was hospitalized with a virus. (Ross River Fever - Aussies know about that.) Then also had a bacterial illness while in the hospital. Had a really great death experience! It 's just that it hurts to get to that experience. And I was VERY angry about being returned to my body.

I never recovered. Finally, I was sent to a rheumatologist. He said that I had Fibromyalgia . I was so happy that I was going to have help! Instead he forced me to leave the office, saying I had a middle age female mental illness. Seriously, the doc grabbed my arm and threw me out of the office.

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Lani wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 7:37 pm Yep, but misogynist doctors don't help. I met a lot of women on my job who were also told Fibro was a female mental illness. One woman was taken to family court by her ex who tried to get custody of their son, based on her having a mental illness - Fibro. (He lost.) Even the director of the disability rights office believed that and complained about us taking Fibro cases.

But it' not just Fibro. Woman were often (probably still often) sent home from ER during a heart attack because many women experience it as stomach or abdomen pain, not chest pain. A medical study I read reported that as many as 80% of women who have a heart attack do not have chest pain. The study was posted on Fogbow a few years ago.