It was the drug of choice on university campuses, the drug that spawned psychedelic culture as well as countless jail sentences and fines, but LSD actually has respectable roots—roots that a McMaster University researcher is uncovering.
“Far from being fringe medical research, trials of LSD were once a legitimate branch of psychiatric research,” explains Erika Dyck, a doctoral researcher in the Department of History at McMaster. “LSD produced a “model psychosis,” meaning people
The ups and downs of the stock market reflect investors’ balance between greed and fear, goes an old saying. Until now, though, economists have not had a way to incorporate such emotions into their models of investors’ strategies. However, in the September 1, 2005, issue of Neuron, Camelia M. Kuhnen and Brian Knutson of Stanford University report the identification of two key brain regions activated before people make risk-seeking versus risk-aversion investment mistakes.
They said
The human brain is composed of billions of cells, each a separate entity that communicates with others. The chemical interaction of those cells determines personality, controls behavior and encodes memory; but much remains to be understood.
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed tools for studying the chemistry of the brain, neuron by neuron. The analytical techniques can probe the spatial and temporal distribution of biologically import
Using a new, more sensitive-testing approach they developed for fungi, Penn State food scientists have found that mushrooms are a better natural source of the antioxidant ergothioneine than either of the two dietary sources previously believed to be best.
The researchers found that white button mushrooms, the most commonly consumed kind in the U.S., have about 12 times more of the antioxidant than wheat germ and 4 times more than chicken liver, the previous top-rated ergothioneine
Chemists and biologists at Northwestern University have found a way to detect and estimate the size and structure of a miniscule toxic protein suspected of triggering Alzheimer’s disease. The findings, researchers say, could help scientists better understand the underlying mechanisms of the disease and lead to the development of new treatments that could slow or possibly arrest its progression.
The findings also could potentially be used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease in livin
It’s not a new material, but a new application of silver hollandite could make a big impact in diesel emissions control. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed an inexpensive method of synthesizing nano-sized silver hollandite and have found the material has unique catalytic properties that can completely oxidize nitrogens of oxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.
These chemical reactions caused by the silver hollandite are key to reducing pollutants i
Stealth nano particles may some day target tumor cells and deliver medication to specific body locations, according to Penn State chemical engineers.
“Mainly we have focused on chemotherapy drugs,” says Dr. Michael Pishko, professor of chemical engineering and materials science and engineering. “But others are considering using this delivery system to deliver genes in gene therapy.”
The researchers first produce nano-sized powders of the drug they wish to deliver and encap
A temporary under-the-skin sensor could monitor a variety of health indicators for soldiers, athletes, diabetics, infants, and critically ill patients without wires and at a distance, according to a team of Penn State chemical engineers.
“We were asked to develop micro sensors for metabolic monitoring of troops,” says Dr. Michael Pishko, professor of chemical engineering and materials science and engineering. “These implantable sensors are intended to monitor the physiology of t
Penn State food scientists have shown that the amount of health-linked polyphenols present during roasting or baking influences the toasty aroma developed by oats and might be used to limit the generation of off-flavors in oat products.
Polyphenols are a large family of naturally occurring plant components that have been associated with a wide variety of health benefits. Flavonoids and some anti-oxidants belong to the polyphenol family and have been shown to have heart-healthy
Experts call for $30 million action plan to save mankind’s closest relatives
A combination of natural and man-made threats is killing gorillas and chimpanzees in Central Africa, and experts say $30 million is needed for special programs to save some of mankind’s closest relatives from disappearing.
An action plan drafted by more than 70 primatologists and other experts who met in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, in May designates 12 areas for emergency program
Several neurologically based afflictions, such as Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer diseases, have been correlated to a higher than normal presence of a specific type of enzymes, called transglutaminases (TGase) in the human body. TGases, whose function is to catalyze covalent bonds among proteins, are commonly found in several different human tissues.
In the presence of unusually high levels of these enzymes, some proteins tend to form denser clusters than normal
Immunohistochemical analysis combined with fibronectin and tenascin enables the diagnosis of fibroproliferative lung diseases to be carried out with greater reliability. Fibroproliferative lung disease is a lung function pathology covering some 200 diseases, amongst the most common being pulmonary fibrosis. These results were provided by Ana Echegoyen Silanes when she recently defended her PhD thesis at the Public University of Navarra.
200 different diseases
Lung fun
Scientists from the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) have again achieved a breakthrough in research on hepatitis. The researchers, connected to Ghent University, have discovered the function of one of the most important proteins involved in hepatitis. Using a mouse model, they have shown that the protein prevents inflammation of the liver as well as the death of liver cells. This discovery can form the basis for the development of a new therapy in the battle against hepat
ESA’s X-ray observatory, XMM-Newton, has for the first time allowed scientists to study in detail the formation history of galaxy clusters, not only with single arbitrarily selected objects, but with a complete representative sample of clusters.
Knowing how these massive objects formed is a key to understanding the past and future of the Universe. Scientists currently base their well-founded picture of cosmic evolution on a model of structure formation where small structures
Puffins on the island of Craigleith, in Scotland, are being forced out by giant alien plants. Puffin numbers have halved in recent years as the invasive tree mallow took over the island, growing in the manure-rich burrow entrances and preventing the puffins from breeding.
Although Atlantic puffin numbers are increasing rapidly across most of the east coast of Scotland, at Craigleith near North Berwick the reverse has been the case. The decline has been blamed on the rapid exp
The world-class reputation of the University of Leicester’s Department of Physics and Astronomy has been recognised in a €1.6M (approximately £1.1M) grant from the European Union.
Supported by this award, the SPARTAN project will help address the challenge of developing European space infrastructure in the 21st century, to provide a capability independent of NASA.
SPARTAN creates a centre of excellence in research training in the Space, Planetary and Astrophysical Scie
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