910 posts · 586,797 views
I have big dreams [don't we all?], I want to change the world. That is why I started Lunatic Laboratories, a little project that I hope will one day be a household name. Who knows, maybe it will work out, but even if it doesn't, at least it will be fun to try.
Lunatic Laboratories
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- May 22, 2016
- 04:04 PM
- 506 views
How depression and antidepressant drugs work
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Treating depression is kind of a guessing game. Trying to find a medication that works without causing side effects can take months, or more likely, years. However, new research demonstrates the effectiveness of ketamine to treat depression in a mouse model of the disease and brings together two hypotheses for the cause of depression.
... Read more »
Ren, Z., Pribiag, H., Jefferson, S., Shorey, M., Fuchs, T., Stellwagen, D., & Luscher, B. (2016) Bidirectional Homeostatic Regulation of a Depression-Related Brain State by Gamma-Aminobutyric Acidergic Deficits and Ketamine Treatment. Biological Psychiatry. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2016.02.009
- May 21, 2016
- 03:44 PM
- 612 views
Bacteria in branches naturally fertilize trees
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
The bacteria in and on our bodies have been shown to be vital for human health, influencing nutrition, obesity and protection from diseases. But science has only recently delved into the importance of the microbiome of plants. Since plants can't move, they are especially reliant on partnerships with microbes to help them get nutrients.
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Doty, S., Sher, A., Fleck, N., Khorasani, M., Bumgarner, R., Khan, Z., Ko, A., Kim, S., & DeLuca, T. (2016) Variable Nitrogen Fixation in Wild Populus. PLOS ONE, 11(5). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155979
- May 20, 2016
- 03:52 PM
- 517 views
You are what you eat: Immune cells remember their first meal
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Scientists have identified the trigger for immune cells' inflammatory response -- a discovery that may pave the way for new treatments for many human diseases. Immune cells play essential roles in the maintenance and repair of our bodies. When we injure ourselves, immune cells mount a rapid inflammatory response to protect us against infection and help heal the damaged tissue.
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Helen Weavers, Iwan R. Evans, Paul Martin, & Will Wood. (2016) Corpse engulfment generates a molecular memory that primes the macrophage inflammatory response. Cell. DOI: http://dx.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016.04.049
- May 18, 2016
- 05:20 PM
- 620 views
Your friends have more friends than you do
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
No matter how smart and funny you think you are, those you follow on Twitter really do have a larger following than you. And the same holds true for Facebook. But there is no reason to feel badly about any of this. According to the research, it is all due to the inherently hierarchical nature of social media networks, where, in the social hierarchy of connections, people mostly either follow up or across; they rarely follow down.
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Momeni, N., & Rabbat, M. (2016) Qualities and Inequalities in Online Social Networks through the Lens of the Generalized Friendship Paradox. PLOS ONE, 11(2). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143633
- May 16, 2016
- 03:50 PM
- 477 views
Converting cells to burn fat, not store it
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Researchers have uncovered a new molecular pathway for stimulating the body to burn fat -- a discovery that could help fight obesity and cardiovascular disease.By focusing on a protein known as folliculin, and knocking out the gene that produces it in fat cells, the researchers triggered a series of biomolecular signals that switched the cells from storing fat to burning it.
... Read more »
Yan, M., Audet-Walsh., Manteghi, S., Rosa Dufour, C., Walker, B., Baba, M., St-Pierre, J., Giguère, V., & Pause, A. (2016) Chronic AMPK activation via loss of FLCN induces functional beige adipose tissue through PGC-1α/ERRα. Genes , 30(9), 1034-1046. DOI: 10.1101/gad.281410.116
- May 15, 2016
- 03:22 PM
- 509 views
Brain cells that aid appetite control identified
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
It's rare for scientists to get what they describe as "clean" results without spending a lot of time repeating the same experiment over and over again. But when researchers saw the mice they were working with doubling their weight within a month or two, they knew they were on to something.
... Read more »
Djogo, T., Robins, S., Schneider, S., Kryzskaya, D., Liu, X., Mingay, A., Gillon, C., Kim, J., Storch, K., Boehm, U.... (2016) Adult NG2-Glia Are Required for Median Eminence-Mediated Leptin Sensing and Body Weight Control. Cell Metabolism, 23(5), 797-810. DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2016.04.013
- May 14, 2016
- 04:04 PM
- 618 views
Bacteria are individualists
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
No two bacteria are identical - even when they are genetically the same. A new study from researchers reveals the conditions under which bacteria become individualists and how they help their group grow when times get tough. Whether you are a human or a bacterium, your environment determines how you can develop.
... Read more »
Schreiber, F., Littmann, S., Lavik, G., Escrig, S., Meibom, A., Kuypers, M., & Ackermann, M. (2016) Phenotypic heterogeneity driven by nutrient limitation promotes growth in fluctuating environments. Nature Microbiology, 16055. DOI: 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.55
- May 13, 2016
- 04:00 PM
- 534 views
Neuroscientists discover new learning rule for pattern completion
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Recently, scientists discovered a new learning rule for a specific type of excitatory synaptic connection in the hippocampus. These synapses are located in the so-called CA3 region of the hippocampus, which plays a critical role for storage and recall of spatial information in the brain. One of its hallmark properties is that memory recall can even be triggered by incomplete cues. This enables the network to complete neuronal activity patterns, a phenomenon termed pattern completion.
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Mishra, R., Kim, S., Guzman, S., & Jonas, P. (2016) Symmetric spike timing-dependent plasticity at CA3–CA3 synapses optimizes storage and recall in autoassociative networks. Nature Communications, 11552. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11552
- May 11, 2016
- 02:58 PM
- 535 views
Could flies help us understand brain injuries?
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Each year, an estimated 1.7 million people in the United States sustain traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These injuries occur most frequently from falling, but can also result from military combat, car accidents, contact sports or domestic abuse. Recently, physicians and researchers have become increasingly concerned that even mild cases of repetitive brain trauma could have long-term, unanticipated consequences.
... Read more »
Barekat, A., Gonzalez, A., Mauntz, R., Kotzebue, R., Molina, B., El-Mecharrafie, N., Conner, C., Garza, S., Melkani, G., Joiner, W.... (2016) Using Drosophila as an integrated model to study mild repetitive traumatic brain injury. Scientific Reports, 25252. DOI: 10.1038/srep25252
- May 10, 2016
- 04:55 PM
- 557 views
Research shows body image linked to overall life satisfaction
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
We're constantly bombarded by advertisements telling us we are too fat, too thin, not curvy enough, not flat enough -- or more often than not -- simply not enough. It shouldn't be a surprise to see that effect our day to day life, like it or not -- and it has. Researchers have just published results from a national study on the factors linked to satisfaction with appearance and weight.
... Read more »
Frederick, D., Sandhu, G., Morse, P., & Swami, V. (2016) Correlates of appearance and weight satisfaction in a U.S. National Sample: Personality, attachment style, television viewing, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Body Image, 191-203. DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.04.001
- May 9, 2016
- 03:29 PM
- 522 views
Epigenetic study of lactose intolerance may shed light on the origin of mental illness
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
A new study on the epigenetics of lactose intolerance may provide an approach to understanding schizophrenia and other complex, serious illnesses. While that may seem odd, both lactose intolerance and schizophrenia are inherited. In addition, neither condition emerges in the first years of life, but rather both appear years or even decades later.
... Read more »
Labrie, V., Buske, O., Oh, E., Jeremian, R., Ptak, C., Gasiūnas, G., Maleckas, A., Petereit, R., Žvirbliene, A., Adamonis, K.... (2016) Lactase nonpersistence is directed by DNA-variation-dependent epigenetic aging. Nature Structural . DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.3227
- May 8, 2016
- 03:15 PM
- 599 views
Digital media may be changing how you think
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Tablet and laptop users beware. Using digital platforms such as tablets and laptops for reading may make you more inclined to focus on concrete details rather than interpreting information more abstractly, according to a new study. The findings serve as another wake-up call to how digital media may be affecting our likelihood of using abstract thought.
... Read more »
Geoff Kaufman, & Mary Flanagan. (2016) High-Low Split: Divergent Cognitive Construal Levels Triggered by Digital and Non-digital Platforms. Association for Computing Machinery. DOI: 10.1145/2858036.2858550
- May 7, 2016
- 02:39 PM
- 457 views
Antibody therapy opens door to potential new treatment for HIV
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
The development of antiretroviral therapy, a combination of drugs that slows the replication of HIV in the body, has transformed the treatment of this infection. What was once a certain death sentence is now a chronic condition that people can live with for decades. But this therapy has drawbacks. There are side effects, including kidney problems, decreased bone density, and gastrointestinal problems. And if a person discontinues his or her treatment, even missing a few doses, the level of the v........ Read more »
Schoofs, T., Klein, F., Braunschweig, M., Kreider, E., Feldmann, A., Nogueira, L., Oliveira, T., Lorenzi, J., Parrish, E., Learn, G.... (2016) HIV-1 therapy with monoclonal antibody 3BNC117 elicits host immune responses against HIV-1. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf0972
Lu, C., Murakowski, D., Bournazos, S., Schoofs, T., Sarkar, D., Halper-Stromberg, A., Horwitz, J., Nogueira, L., Golijanin, J., Gazumyan, A.... (2016) Enhanced clearance of HIV-1-infected cells by broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1 in vivo. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf1279
- May 6, 2016
- 02:35 PM
- 584 views
Smartphones uncover how the world sleeps
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
A pioneering study of worldwide sleep patterns combines math modeling, mobile apps and big data to parse the roles society and biology each play in setting sleep schedules. The study used a free smartphone app that reduces jetlag to gather robust sleep data from thousands of people in 100 nations. The researchers examined how age, gender, amount of light and home country affect the amount of shut-eye people around the globe get, when they go to bed, and when they wake up.
... Read more »
Olivia J. Walch, Amy Cochran, & Daniel B. Forger. (2016) A global quantification of “normal” sleep schedules using smartphone data . Science Advances. info:/10.1126/sciadv.1501705
- May 2, 2016
- 02:45 PM
- 578 views
Origin of synaptic pruning process linked to learning, autism and schizophrenia identified
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Vaccines don't cause autism, but because the brain is so complex, we still don't know how much of it works so figuring out the real causes (as in more than one) of autism has been slow going. Well, researchers have identified a brain receptor that appears to initiate adolescent synaptic pruning, a process believed necessary for learning, but in this case it is one that appears to go awry in both autism and schizophrenia.... Read more »
Sonia Afroz, Julie Parato, Hui Shen Sheryl, & Sue Smith. (2016) Synaptic pruning in the female hippocampus is triggered at puberty by extrasynaptic GABAA receptors on dendritic spines . eLife. info:/
- May 1, 2016
- 02:17 PM
- 479 views
Influence of religion and predestination on evolution and scientific thinking
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Generally seen as antithetical to one another, evolution and religion can hardly fit in a scientific discourse simultaneously. However, in a new article, a biology researcher delves into observations on the influences a few major religions have had on evolutionists and their scientific thinking over the centuries.
... Read more »
Romero Jr., A. (2016) The influence of religion on science: the case of the idea of predestination in biospeleology. Research Ideas and Outcomes. DOI: 10.3897/rio.2.e9015
- April 30, 2016
- 02:55 PM
- 540 views
Salts in the brain control our sleep-wake cycle
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Insomnia, fun fact those of us who have served or are serving in the military have a much higher incidence of sleep problems. So if you are like me and have ever been prescribed something to help you sleep, you know that there are some unwanted side effects. For instance the time I lost memory of a whole day of interacting with people to the ambien I had taken the night before, not fun. Thankfully Danish researchers found that the level of salts in the brain plays a critical role in whether we a........ Read more »
Ding, F., ODonnell, J., Xu, Q., Kang, N., Goldman, N., & Nedergaard, M. (2016) Changes in the composition of brain interstitial ions control the sleep-wake cycle. Science, 352(6285), 550-555. DOI: 10.1126/science.aad4821
- April 29, 2016
- 04:10 PM
- 628 views
Don’t retweet if you want to remember
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
The whole of human intelligence, right at your fingertips. Sure it might not make the layman an engineer or physicist, but if we want to learn about a particular topic the internet can give us that information. But you better hold on tight before you lose it. New research finds retweeting or otherwise sharing information creates a “cognitive overload” that interferes with learning and retaining what you’ve just seen.
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Jiang, T., Hou, Y., & Wang, Q. (2016) Does micro-blogging make us “shallow”? Sharing information online interferes with information comprehension. Computers in Human Behavior, 210-214. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.02.008
- April 27, 2016
- 04:55 PM
- 660 views
Addiction, it’s in your genes… maybe
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Why does one person who tries cocaine get addicted, while another might use it and then leave it alone? Why do some people who kick a drug habit manage to stay clean, while others relapse? And why do some families seem more prone to addiction than others? According to a new study, the road to answering these questions may have a lot to do with specific genetic factors that vary from individual to individual.
... Read more »
Flagel, S., Chaudhury, S., Waselus, M., Kelly, R., Sewani, S., Clinton, S., Thompson, R., Watson, S., & Akil, H. (2016) Genetic background and epigenetic modifications in the core of the nucleus accumbens predict addiction-like behavior in a rat model. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 201520491. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1520491113
- April 27, 2016
- 04:42 PM
- 561 views
Measuring happiness on social media
by Dr. Jekyll in Lunatic Laboratories
Happiness. It’s something we all strive for, but how do we measure it — as a country? A global community? Not so surprisingly, researchers are turning to social media to answer these questions and more. In a newly published study, computer scientists used two years of Twitter data to measure users’ life satisfaction, a component of happiness.
... Read more »
Yang, C., & Srinivasan, P. (2016) Life Satisfaction and the Pursuit of Happiness on Twitter. PLOS ONE, 11(3). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150881
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