Anitbodies Aid Nerve Repair

Antibodies are essential for successful regeneration after nerve damage reports a team from Stanford University School of Medicine. This finding may explain why nerve damage in the central nervous system, which lacks antibodies, isn't naturally repaired -- circulating antibodies can gain access to and help repair damage in the peripheral nervous system. Apparently, antibodies may be necessary to clear away the myelin insulation that coats the axon of nerve cells -- degenerating myelin is strongly inhibitory to regenerating axons.

Seems to me that this research could possibly lead to a treatment for central nervous system damage -- stroke and spinal-cord trauma.

Senate plan puts off space shuttle retirement

I went to NewsDaily's website to read a Reuters article, Senate plan puts off space shuttle retirement.

According to this article The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee passed a three-year NASA plan that adds one more space shuttle mission to the International Space Station and supports President Obama's request to end the Constellation program involving the Moon.

NASA already has two space shuttle missions to the ISS planned before the space shuttle program is retired.

Multifunctional Nanoparticle Enables New Type of Biological Imaging

I went to ScienceDaily's website to read this article Multifunctional Nanoparticle Enables New Type of Biological Imaging.

According to this article, University of Washington researchers have developed a nanoparticle that allows a more precise form of medical imaging by combining magnetic properties and photoacoustic imaging to eliminate background noise.

University of Washington (2010, July 28). Multifunctional nanoparticle enables new type of biological imaging. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 28, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100727112831.htm

Comic-Con 21010

The San Diego Comic-Con was this past weekend: http://www.comic-con.org/.

Monthly Meeting

Our regular monthly meeting is this coming Sunday at Books-A-Million in Colonial Heights around 2:00 PM. Everyone with an interest in sci-fi is welcome!

Linus Pauling Bio

Here's a nice, short bio of Linua Pauling I like: http://www25.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/linuspauling.html.

Cometary Planet?

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a planet that is so close to its star that its atmosphere has become super-heated and its out-gassing is creating a comet-like tail it is being described as a cometary planet: http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/jul/HQ_10-167_Hubble_Finds_Planet.html.

Comets in Our Solar Sytem Not Originally from our Solar System?

Here's an interesting article about a new theory that many, if not most, of the comets in in our solar system originally came from other star systems: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/science.1187535.

Creating Pluripotent Stem Cells from Somatic Cells

Here's an interesting interview with Michael West about induced pluripotent cells. These cells are created from somatic (body) cells and can be equivalent to embryonic stem stem cells if the length of the telomeres is completely reset -- this is explained in the article. Dr West is a Bioengineering Professor at UC Berkely: http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2010/jun2010_Immortal-Stem-Cells-for-Anti-Aging-Therapies_01.htm.