Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children in the past 30 years, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The numbers are staggering, and it's a statistic that we can clearly see when we're out at the park or grocery store.
But anyone who has ever fed their child fast food knows that it's hard to go back once kids get a taste for junk food. So, what can we do? Well, a June study in the journal Psychological Science study may give us an answer.
Researchers conducted an experiment with preschool-age children to test the theory that the kids would be able to understand the concepts of good nutrition. Hold on to your seats, folks! They found that not only did these kids understand the concepts, but those who read books about nutrition were more likely to make healthy choices. Of course, they weren't reading Fundamentals of Human Nutrition; they were given age-appropriate books that weren't too detailed, but outlined some basic concepts of healthy eating.
So, that should cover the "how to get kids to eat healthy" part? Knowledge is power. But what happens when that isn't enough? What happens when your food budget is all but depleted and you still have three days left in the week? Well, we probably could have guessed this one on our own, but a June study from researchers at Dartmouth University shows that when shoppers are given a choice to buy for nutrition or price, they will choose the item with the lower price tag.
But that's doesn't mean you have to ?give in to that sugary-cereal sale just yet. You may not have to compromise.
Check out my best tips for creating healthy meals on a budget:
Add brown rice instead of French fries: Guess what? Pound for pound, brown rice is cheaper than the fries. You can probably even get a pound of dry rice for under $2.
A cheap, yummy and healthy snack: Mix nonfat Greek yogurt with granola and berries.The big splurge here is the fresh fruit, so during the off-season, consider buying frozen and blending it into a puree. Each serving of Greek yogurt may set you back $1, but it has a ton of protein to fuel those nutrition-loving minds.
Use frozen vegetables: Frozen veggies are usually very affordable, and you'll often find them on sale. There isn't really a time limit on when you have to use them, either, so it's a good investment when money is tight. They work great in stir-fries, stews and casseroles.
Make pita pizzas. Buy some whole-wheat pitas and top them with healthy pizza toppings. The pita and marinara sauce totals about $0.80 per serving, but of course, your total cost will depend on your choice of toppings. Here are some inexpensive ideas: canned pineapple (drained), black olives, mushrooms, baby spinach, garlic and leftover chicken (but not necessarily on the same pizza).
Healthy Bites appears on MyHealthNewsDaily on Wednesdays. Deborah Herlax Enos is a certified nutritionist and a health coach and weight loss expert in the Seattle area with more than 20 years of experience. Read more tips on her blog,?Health in a Hurry!
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - If immigration reform sputters in the deeply divided U.S. Congress, supporters are planning to push President Barack Obama to act on his own to help 11 million illegal residents, lawmakers and immigration advocates said. Immigration law experts, some senators and House Democratic aides speculated that if Congress cannot agree on a wide-ranging immigration bill this year, Obama could use his executive authority to stop deporting parents of children living in the United States illegally. Many of those children have won temporary reprieves on deportation and broadening the protection to their parents would be a way of keeping immigrant families together. Navigating around Congress comes with plenty of drawbacks, though, since anything Obama could do would not be as lasting as enacting a law. Furthermore, he could not use his own powers to make sweeping changes, such as creating a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented. Any such measures are certain to provoke a reaction from Republicans. But immigrant groups would argue that some action from the White House is better than putting up with existing conditions. Obama also could sidestep Republican opposition to legislation by helping a broader spectrum of illegal residents who have been in the United States for prolonged periods, say 10 years or more, for temporary legal status if they have clean records. "You could make a persuasive policy argument that those are the people who have most fully sunk roots into communities, most convincingly demonstrating they're contributing in the labor market," said Doris Meissner, a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute. "Many are paying U.S. taxes and raising families in their adopted country." With Congress in a five-week recess and many Republicans balking at "amnesty" for those living in the United States illegally, chances are worsening for passing a comprehensive immigration bill this year, even with the Senate's bipartisan backing in June for such a measure. "There's a huge degree of effort and support going into immigration reform and if it fails (in Congress), all of that effort and support will turn right back on the administration to do something for constituents that have been hurting and are important to the president," Meissner said. Senior Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, who voted for the Senate-passed bill, told Reuters, "There are a lot of people speculating" about the demands for Obama to act unilaterally if legislation fails. Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who helped write the Senate bill, concurred, saying, "I have always suspected that's a real possibility." But Hatch and Rubio both warned Obama against taking matters into his own hands, even if legislation fails. Bill Hing, a University of San Francisco professor who specializes in immigration law, said in a telephone interview: "I think it's going to begin ... with just huge pressure on the administration to cut back on its Secure Communities" program. Controversial among city and county governments, this federal program gathers fingerprints and other information from local law enforcement that can be used to identify undocumented people. Hing said the program has been aggressively used by the administration and the result has been the deportation of many for minor violations such as traffic infractions.
PRESIDENTIAL MUSCLES After spending most of his first term as president refusing to use his executive powers to ease deportations of illegal immigrants, Obama flexed his presidential muscles in mid-2012. With his campaign for re-election gearing up, he had his Department of Homeland Security temporarily halt deportations of undocumented children who were brought to the United States by their parents, often at a very young age. Seeing the effectiveness of that executive action and the absence of successful legal challenges, Obama could be emboldened to expand it with the stroke of his pen. Presidential action may be the least desirable outcome for supporters of immigration reform, however, because it is a temporary remedy that can be reversed by future presidents and because there are only limited steps that can be taken. "The importance of legislation is that it's a permanent fix," said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum. He also said Obama could not order a "pathway to citizenship" for the 11 million but could ease their short-term deportation fears. Legal status leading to citizenship is a key demand of immigration groups as they seek passage of legislation. Executive branch action also would not create more high-tech visas or new categories of temporary work permits. The Senate legislation would accomplish those things, much to the pleasure of U.S. business. Further complicating matters, Obama would have to make a political calculation before acting, assessing the potential impact of any administration directives on 2014 congressional elections. For now, backers of immigration legislation do not want to acknowledge this executive branch avenue since it detracts from their message that Congress will manage to pass a bill this year. "I don't want to even entertain that thought," Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican who helped write the Senate-passed bill, said of potential Obama action. Senator Charles Schumer, the leading Democratic author of the bill said, "I'm not even going to get into that," and insisted he is "more optimistic every day" of legislation passing the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Even the White House tried to squelch speculation. "The only way to fix this problem is for Congress to pass comprehensive reform. There are no other options," a spokesman said. Any steps by Obama likely would prompt an outcry from Republicans who would again accuse him of trampling the Constitution by deciding which laws he was going to enforce and which ones he was going to ignore. That was their reaction in mid-2012. "I think the White House has to be careful," Hatch said. "They've been doing an awful lot of unilateral legal action without authority and if that keeps up, the president is going to find himself in real difficulty." (Editing by Fred Barbash and Bill Trott)
We?re at that time in the NBA offseason where there isn?t much going on, so any small bit of news of a free agent inching closer to deciding on a new destination becomes an element of interest.
The mini-frenzy created by Greg Oden?s signing with the Heat on Friday qualifies, considering he hasn?t played in the NBA the last three years and is still, even by his own account, a substantial ways away from contributing at the NBA level.
The interest surrounding Antawn Jamison isn?t nearly as strong, but with the list of contending teams he?s considering, he may be able to impact a playoff run, even at this late stage of his career.
The Clippers, as they did near the beginning of free agency, seem to be interested in Jamison?s services.
Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported that Doc Rivers is scheduled to have dinner with Jamison on Saturday ? presumably at an establishment with a slightly stronger menu selection than the Chili?s where Oden supposedly had dinner with Erik Spoelstra.
Jamison can still score, but defensively he is a liability, and that?s putting it mildly. But another veteran at the end of the bench for a team as deep as the Clippers can?t hurt, and if Rivers wants Jamison in place, he shouldn?t have much trouble convincing him to switch teams in Los Angeles.
Mechanism that allows bacteria to infect plants may inspire cure for eye diseasePublic release date: 4-Aug-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dustin Hays neinews@nei.nih.gov 301-496-5248 NIH/National Eye Institute
By borrowing a tool from bacteria that infect plants, scientists have developed a new approach to eliminate mutated DNA inside mitochondriathe energy factories within cells. Doctors might someday use the approach to treat a variety of mitochondrial diseases, including the degenerative eye disease Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON). The research, published online today in Nature Medicine, was funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Mitochondria convert fuel from food into a form of energy that cells can use. They also make enzymes for a variety of cell functions, and in humans they are the only cell component other than the nucleus that houses genes. Mitochondrial gene mutations can lead to a variety of health problems including muscle weakness, heart disease, and blindness in the case of LHON. Most cells contain thousands of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copies. People with mitochondrial disease often have both mutant and normal mtDNA within their cells. No cures exist for mitochondrial diseases and few effective treatments are available.
Searching for strategies to repair mitochondrial gene defects, a group of investigators at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine explored proteins called transcription activator-like (TAL) effectors. In nature, TAL effectors are found only in certain types of plant-infecting bacteria. They enable the bacteria to use plant DNA to multiply and spread infection.
Scientists recently began using TAL effectors to modify DNA in a variety of organisms. In the lab, TAL effectors can be fused with DNA-breaking proteins called nucleases. These TAL effector nucleases (TALENs) can be used to add or remove specific genes or correct gene mutationstechniques that fall under the broad category of genome editing. During the past few years, scientists have begun adapting TALENs and other genome-editing tools for gene therapy. Until now, scientists had only used TALENs to edit genes in the cell nucleus. Today's report marks the first time TALENs have been used to edit mitochondrial genes.
"Mitochondrial-targeted TALENS (mitoTALENs) represent the most promising hope for an effective treatment of diseases caused by mutations in mtDNA," said Carlos T. Moraes, Ph.D., a professor of neurology and cell biology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and principal investigator of the study. "Our research demonstrates that mitoTALENs can substantially decrease or eliminate mutant mtDNA without harming normal mtDNA."
Using cells in the lab, the investigators designed mitoTALENs to bind and cut mitochondrial DNA that had a specific mutation in the gene Complex I, which causes LHON. The scientists then tested whether the mitoTALENs eliminated the mutant mtDNA.
Analysis revealed a temporary drop in cells' total mtDNA, which was due to a reduction in mutant mtDNA. "Once the mitoTALENs bound and cut the DNA at the specified target, the mutant mtDNA was degraded," said Moraes. "The drop in total mtDNA stimulated the cells to increase their mtDNA by replicating the unaffected molecules. Two weeks later, mtDNA levels had returned to normal. But since the mutant mtDNA was destroyed, the cells had mostly normal mtDNA."
Reducing but not necessarily eliminating all mutant mtDNA from a person's cells would be sufficient to treat many mitochondrial diseases, Moraes said. Mutant mtDNA typically does not cause signs of disease until it makes up 80 percent or more of the total mtDNA in a cell, which helps explain why age of onset, the constellation of symptoms, and disease severity varies among individuals with the same mutation. "A modest reduction in mutant mtDNA is likely sufficient to effectively treat disease," he said.
"The science in this project advances an imaginative and very clever approach that may one day lead to a therapeutic strategy for mitochondrial diseases," said Houmam Araj, Ph.D., director of the lens/cataract and oculomotor/neuro-ophthalmology programs at the NEI.
Symptoms of LHON include an abrupt loss of central vision at about age 20 in one eye followed shortly thereafter by the other eye. Although a variety of gene mutations are linked to the disease, most cases involve Complex I mutations, which cause degeneration of the nerves in the back of the eye that transmit visual information to the brain. Neurological problems such as tremors may also occur.
Getting mitoTALENs into cells in tissues presents a formidable challenge, however. The scientists plan next to test the approach in animals.
###
Additional Miller School members of the research team included Sin L. Williams, Ph.D., Sandra R. Bacman, Ph.D., Milena Pinto, Ph.D., and Susana Peralta, Ph.D.
The research was supported in part by the National Eye Institute (EY010804), the National Institute on Aging (AG036871), and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS079965).
Reference: Bacman SR, et al. Specific elimination of mutant mitochondrial genomes in patient-derived cells by mitoTALENs. Nature Medicine. Published online Aug. 4, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nm.3261.
The National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, leads the federal government's research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs that result in the development of sight-saving treatments. For more information, visit http://www.nei.nih.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.
NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Mechanism that allows bacteria to infect plants may inspire cure for eye diseasePublic release date: 4-Aug-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dustin Hays neinews@nei.nih.gov 301-496-5248 NIH/National Eye Institute
By borrowing a tool from bacteria that infect plants, scientists have developed a new approach to eliminate mutated DNA inside mitochondriathe energy factories within cells. Doctors might someday use the approach to treat a variety of mitochondrial diseases, including the degenerative eye disease Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON). The research, published online today in Nature Medicine, was funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Mitochondria convert fuel from food into a form of energy that cells can use. They also make enzymes for a variety of cell functions, and in humans they are the only cell component other than the nucleus that houses genes. Mitochondrial gene mutations can lead to a variety of health problems including muscle weakness, heart disease, and blindness in the case of LHON. Most cells contain thousands of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copies. People with mitochondrial disease often have both mutant and normal mtDNA within their cells. No cures exist for mitochondrial diseases and few effective treatments are available.
Searching for strategies to repair mitochondrial gene defects, a group of investigators at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine explored proteins called transcription activator-like (TAL) effectors. In nature, TAL effectors are found only in certain types of plant-infecting bacteria. They enable the bacteria to use plant DNA to multiply and spread infection.
Scientists recently began using TAL effectors to modify DNA in a variety of organisms. In the lab, TAL effectors can be fused with DNA-breaking proteins called nucleases. These TAL effector nucleases (TALENs) can be used to add or remove specific genes or correct gene mutationstechniques that fall under the broad category of genome editing. During the past few years, scientists have begun adapting TALENs and other genome-editing tools for gene therapy. Until now, scientists had only used TALENs to edit genes in the cell nucleus. Today's report marks the first time TALENs have been used to edit mitochondrial genes.
"Mitochondrial-targeted TALENS (mitoTALENs) represent the most promising hope for an effective treatment of diseases caused by mutations in mtDNA," said Carlos T. Moraes, Ph.D., a professor of neurology and cell biology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and principal investigator of the study. "Our research demonstrates that mitoTALENs can substantially decrease or eliminate mutant mtDNA without harming normal mtDNA."
Using cells in the lab, the investigators designed mitoTALENs to bind and cut mitochondrial DNA that had a specific mutation in the gene Complex I, which causes LHON. The scientists then tested whether the mitoTALENs eliminated the mutant mtDNA.
Analysis revealed a temporary drop in cells' total mtDNA, which was due to a reduction in mutant mtDNA. "Once the mitoTALENs bound and cut the DNA at the specified target, the mutant mtDNA was degraded," said Moraes. "The drop in total mtDNA stimulated the cells to increase their mtDNA by replicating the unaffected molecules. Two weeks later, mtDNA levels had returned to normal. But since the mutant mtDNA was destroyed, the cells had mostly normal mtDNA."
Reducing but not necessarily eliminating all mutant mtDNA from a person's cells would be sufficient to treat many mitochondrial diseases, Moraes said. Mutant mtDNA typically does not cause signs of disease until it makes up 80 percent or more of the total mtDNA in a cell, which helps explain why age of onset, the constellation of symptoms, and disease severity varies among individuals with the same mutation. "A modest reduction in mutant mtDNA is likely sufficient to effectively treat disease," he said.
"The science in this project advances an imaginative and very clever approach that may one day lead to a therapeutic strategy for mitochondrial diseases," said Houmam Araj, Ph.D., director of the lens/cataract and oculomotor/neuro-ophthalmology programs at the NEI.
Symptoms of LHON include an abrupt loss of central vision at about age 20 in one eye followed shortly thereafter by the other eye. Although a variety of gene mutations are linked to the disease, most cases involve Complex I mutations, which cause degeneration of the nerves in the back of the eye that transmit visual information to the brain. Neurological problems such as tremors may also occur.
Getting mitoTALENs into cells in tissues presents a formidable challenge, however. The scientists plan next to test the approach in animals.
###
Additional Miller School members of the research team included Sin L. Williams, Ph.D., Sandra R. Bacman, Ph.D., Milena Pinto, Ph.D., and Susana Peralta, Ph.D.
The research was supported in part by the National Eye Institute (EY010804), the National Institute on Aging (AG036871), and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS079965).
Reference: Bacman SR, et al. Specific elimination of mutant mitochondrial genomes in patient-derived cells by mitoTALENs. Nature Medicine. Published online Aug. 4, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nm.3261.
The National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, leads the federal government's research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs that result in the development of sight-saving treatments. For more information, visit http://www.nei.nih.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.
NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Here are some habits to be your home cool with no air conditioning. First we will appear by the side of ways to cool an existing, conventional dwelling with ways that use a smaller amount energy.
One of the best habits to be a home cool devoid of air conditioning is to install a whole residence enthusiast. These work top in the belatedly sunset and by night. They budge sky in from end to end windows and up and absent of the attic. Whole house fans help stay together the within of your home cooler and reduce happy high temperature beginning imminent in from end to end the ceiling as they create the attic cooler. These work top in areas located around north of Dallas, in provisos of latitude, and areas where the nighttime temperatures are extremely cool, such as cities by incredibly far above the ground altitudes.
A swamp cooler or else evaporative cooler too workings glowing in areas where the humidity level is short. They are much supplementary economical to run than air conditioning, even if they do consume a fair total of wet in the summertime. Swamp coolers can assist cool the home with no air conditioning through evaporative cooling and the only energy worn is by the fan and small hose down pump.
Ceiling fans are another good means to remain your home cool devoid of air conditioning. Remember that ceiling fans only cool you, not the room, as a result revolve them rancid when your leave, our utilize an infrared sensing control to rotate them on when you enter the room. Such sensors are available by the side of Smarthome.com
If you cannot afford a complete dwelling aficionado, you might utilize despicable pack fans in the windows of your home. Place a couple small package fans in windows on the side of the home that the breeze frequently comes from and face them inmost as a result that they blow atmosphere addicted to the room.
When maintenance your home cool with no air conditioning try to dress cooler. Wear dumpy cover shirts and shorts and you will experience enhanced. Think of it as a humid trip on home and have bags of cool drinks on hand.
Shading The Windows
Solar screens are an central division of keeping a home cool devoid of air conditioning. They prevent up and about to eighty percent of happy solar warmth beginning ingoing a home from side to side the windows. To locate them, perceive your confined fair-haired pages otherwise the web meant for solar display installers in your area. Solar screens typically charge regarding $60 for a single window.
To more lessen solar temperature add in youru home, you might also deem installing retractable awnings over big goblet windows. This method works glowing to maintain solar high temperature put on by the side of bay, specially on homes with south and west facing windows.
Use Cool Colors
Back in the days before sky conditioning was extensively old in homes, you never saying no matter which but light dyed homes in seats where the climate was humid. There was a reason designed for choosing these light ensign besides the availability of contemptible fair paint. Light decorated paint does not absorb as a large amount solar energy and your home will continue a great deal cooler. If you don't suppose me, utilize an infrared blemish thermometer and aim it by a shadowy painted element of the identical partition in opposition to. a part of the wall that is painted brilliant pallid. The difference in warmth lying on a hot daylight hours will amaze you.
Plant Trees To Keep Your Home Cool Without Air Conditioning
A good quality technique to remain your home cooler is to plant quick mounting plants on the south and west sides of your home. This will assist shade the home and remain it much cooler in the summertime. Choose tree varieties that are hardy meant for your area and avoid those species of trees whose limbs break with no trouble in lofty winds, such as Chinaberry and Hackberry.
New Construction
If you are building a new house, you might want to invest a couple of thousand extra dollars in your insulation and added energy competent upgrades such as glowing barrier, solar upper floor fans, low down E windows, foliage, entire dwelling fans. Since living devoid of air conditioning all of the time might exist impractical in a quantity of climates, want your HVAC unit astutely and seem intended for one with a SEER rating in excess of 15.
Ask your builder in relation to original methods of construction that can assist inferior your monthly energy bills and allow you to live lacking air conditioning. There are alternative construction methods such as Insulated Concrete Form otherwise ICF homes and spray foam lagging that can lend a hand create your new residence a good deal supplementary energy resourceful. Thermal mass fortifications can lend a hand order the within hotness of the home as a result construction methods such as adobe employment fine in a few climates. With such a home you may locate ceiling fans adequate to remain it cool, smooth in summer. Read More - klimatyzacja warszawa wola
About the Author: My name is Max from Lisieux doing my final year engineering in Nursing. I did my schooling, secured 90% and hope to find someone with same interests in Meteorology.
Image: FROM ?FOREBRAIN ENGRAFTMENT BY HUMAN GLIAL PROGENITOR CELLS ENHANCES SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY AND LEARNING IN ADULT MICE,? BY XIAONING HAN ET AL., in CELL STEM CELL, VOL. 12. NO. 3; MARCH 7, 2013. WITH PERMISSION FROM ELSEVIER
In spring a band of brainy rodents made headlines for zipping through mazes and mastering memory tricks. Scientists credited the impressive intellectual feats to human cells transplanted into their brains shortly after birth. But the increased mental muster did not come from neurons, the lanky nerve cells that swap electrical signals and stimulate muscles. The mice benefited from human stem cells called glial progenitors, immature cells poised to become astrocytes and other glia cells, the supposed support cells of the brain.
Astrocytes are known for mopping up excess neuro-transmitters and maintaining balance in brain systems. During the past couple of decades, however, researchers started suspecting astrocytes of making more complex cognitive contributions. In the 1990s the cells got caught using calcium to accomplish a form of nonelectrical signaling. Studies since then have revealed how extensively astrocytes interact with neurons, even coordinating their activity in some cases.
Perhaps even more intriguing, our astrocytes are enormous compared with the astrocytes of other animals?20 times larger than rodent astrocytes?and they make contact with millions of neurons apiece. Neurons, on the other hand, are nearly identical in all mammals, from rodents to great apes like us. Such clues suggest astrocytes could be evolutionary contributors to our outsized intellect.
The new study, published in March in Cell Stem Cell, tested this hypothesis. A subset of the implanted human stem cells matured into rotund, humanlike astrocytes in the animals' brains, taking over operations from the native mouse astrocytes. When tested under a microscope, these human astrocytes accomplished calcium signaling at least three times faster than the mouse astrocytes did. The enhanced mice masterfully memorized new objects, swiftly learned to link certain sounds or situations to an unpleasant foot shock, and displayed un-usually savvy maze navigation?signs of mental acuity that surpassed skills exhibited by either typical mice or mice transplanted with glial progenitor cells from their own species.
Alexei Verkhratsky, a glia researcher at the University of Manchester in England who was not involved in the mouse study, calls the work ?truly remarkable,? both conceptually and technically. He notes that the new results do not necessarily conflict with astrocytes' support role. Rather, Verkhratsky argues, the apparent advantages afforded by human astrocytes may be a consequence of their housekeeping abilities, underscoring the interdependence between glia and neurons.
This article was originally published with the title Human Cells Make Mice Smarter.
Kirobo, a knee-high talking robot, has blasted off from Japan for the International Space Station to test how machines can help astronauts with their work.
His mission is to be a companion to Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata onboard the ISS.
Kirobo was on board Konotori 4, an un-manned space cargo transporter, and is expected to reach the ISS on August 9.
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