To return to the Moon, astronauts need new spacesuits

Space engineer Pablo de Leon has designed two spacesuit prototypes for the Moon and for Mars, and knows how long development takes.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/to-return-to-the-moon-astronauts-need-new-spacesuits

One-stop clinics, a rare lifesaver for Zimbabwe's sick

Blessing Chingwaru could barely walk without support when he arrived at the specialist Rutsanana clinic in Harare complaining of chest pains and fatigue.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/one-stop-clinics-a-rare-lifesaver-for-zimbabwes-sick

Thai farmers on the cash trail with snail slime

Giant snails inch across a plate of pumpkin and cucumber in central Thailand, an "organic" diet to tease the prized collagen-rich mucus from the molluscs, which to some cosmetic firms are now more valuable than gold.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/thai-farmers-on-the-cash-trail-with-snail-slime

Technology, temporary help keeps farmers on job longer

At 79 years old, Art McManus says he's still able to hop on the tractor and maintain the 160 acres of cherry trees at his orchard in Traverse City, Michigan.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/technology-temporary-help-keeps-farmers-on-job-longer

The exploration of space in 10 key dates

From the Soviet Union's pioneering satellite to the first man on the Moon 50 years ago, here are 10 key dates in space exploration.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/the-exploration-of-space-in-10-key-dates

Physicist studying how extreme weather in space affects satellites

A physicist at The University of Texas at Arlington is developing a new scale to measure weather storms in space that could lead to a better understanding of how those storms impact Earth.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/physicist-studying-how-extreme-weather-in-space-affects-satellites

Take a bath 90 minutes before bedtime to get better sleep

Biomedical engineers at The University of Texas at Austin may have found a way for people to get better shuteye. Systematic review protocols—a method used to search for and analyze relevant data—allowed researchers to analyze thousands of studies linking water-based passive body heating, or bathing and showering with warm/hot water, with improved sleep quality. Researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering found that bathing 1-2 hours before bedtime in water of about 104-109 degrees Fahrenheit can significantly improve your sleep.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/take-a-bath-90-minutes-before-bedtime-to-get-better-sleep

Discovering how diabetes leads to vascular disease

A team of UC Davis Health scientists and physicians has identified a cellular connection between diabetes and one of its major complications—blood vessel narrowing that increases risks of several serious health conditions, including heart disease and stroke.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/discovering-how-diabetes-leads-to-vascular-disease

Biologist leads pioneering study on stress

A biologist at Louisiana State University conducted a pioneering research study that could help us to better understand the role of dopamine in stress resilience in humans through analyzing wild songbirds. This study could lead to increased prevention and treatment of stress-related disorders.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/biologist-leads-pioneering-study-on-stress

New research finds private practice physicians less likely to maintain electronic records

Modernizing health records by making them electronic has gained momentum as technology evolves and policies push health care toward digital solutions. But the same trend has not been evident for physicians who remain in private practice, new research finds.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/new-research-finds-private-practice-physicians-less-likely-to-maintain-electronic-records

New genome editing technology for plant breeding

Researchers have developed a new genome editing technology for rice, combining adenine-to-guanine single-base editing technology and Cas9 with an extended targeting scope. They report that it is possible to efficiently introduce base substitution mutations in rice genes and plan to expand the research to citrus fruit breeding.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/new-genome-editing-technology-for-plant-breeding

Molecular cause for severe multi-organ syndrome

Three unrelated families on three continents (from continental Portugal, the United States and Brazil), all with healthy ancestors, had children with a very rare multi-organ condition that causes early-onset retinal degeneration, sensorineural hearing loss, microcephaly, intellectual disability, and skeletal dysplasia with scoliosis and short stature.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/molecular-cause-for-severe-multi-organ-syndrome

Sediment libraries show marine ecosystems are accumulating oil pollution faster than ever

Marine sediments tell the history of an environment, including oil spills. By "reading" sediments from the past century, a research team has now determined how much oil hydrocarbon is accumulated in different vegetated coastal habitats of the Arabian Gulf and the significance of this for environmental management.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/sediment-libraries-show-marine-ecosystems-are-accumulating-oil-pollution-faster-than-ever

Astronauts less likely to faint on Earth if they exercise in space

Nearly 50 years after man's first steps on the moon, researchers have discovered a way that may help astronauts spending prolonged time in space come back to Earth on more stable footing, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/astronauts-less-likely-to-faint-on-earth-if-they-exercise-in-space

Economic, fast and efficient cell-type targeting

It is a remarkable proof for the concept of IOB: working closely hand in hand, our molecular and clinical researchers have developed a library of 230 adeno associated viral vectors (AAVs), each with a different synthetic promoter. A number of these AAVs specifically target expression to neuronal and glial cell types in the mouse and non-human primate retina in vivo, and in the human retina in vitro.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/economic-fast-and-efficient-cell-type-targeting

Novel mechanism of inheritance detected

Non-Mendelian, oligogenic inheritance could be an unrecognized and important element for occurrence of hereditary retinal degenerations (HRDs, comprising retinitis pigmentosa) which are caused by ultra-rare mutations and cause progressive blindness.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/novel-mechanism-of-inheritance-detected-1

Novel mechanism of inheritance detected

Non-Mendelian, oligogenic inheritance could be an unrecognized and important element for occurrence of hereditary retinal degenerations (HRDs, comprising retinitis pigmentosa) which are caused by ultra-rare mutations and cause progressive blindness.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/novel-mechanism-of-inheritance-detected

Do plant cells hold the roadmap for surviving climate change?

Do plant scientists hold the key to saving vulnerable populations in a changing climate? How should plant researchers prepare to deploy their knowledge to maintain food security in the future—as well as to promote renewable energy, sequester carbon pollution from the atmosphere, and even synthesize medicine?

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/do-plant-cells-hold-the-roadmap-for-surviving-climate-change

Largest genomic study on type 2 diabetes in sub-Saharan African populations

National Institute of Health researchers have reported the largest genomic study of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in sub-Saharan Africans, with data from more than 5,000 individuals from Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya. Researchers confirmed known genomic variants and identified a novel gene ZRANB3, which may influence susceptibility to the disease in sub-Saharan African populations. The gene could also influence the development of T2D in other populations and inform further research.

* This article was originally published here

Big Sugar and neglect by global health community fuel oral health crisis

Oral health has been isolated from traditional healthcare and health policy for too long, despite the major global public health burden of oral diseases, according to a Lancet Series on Oral Health, published today in The Lancet. Failure of the global health community to prioritise the global burden of oral health has led to calls from Lancet Series authors for the radical reform of dental care, tightened regulation of the sugar industry, and greater transparency around conflict of interests in dental research.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/big-sugar-and-neglect-by-global-health-community-fuel-oral-health-crisis