cool science
June 20, 2014
Nerve cell communication mechanisms uncovered, may lead to new therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative diseases
Story by Madison Knapp/ Bond Life Sciences summer intern Simple actions like walking, swallowing and breathing are the result of a complex communication system between cells. When we touch something hot, our nerve cells tell us to take our hand off the object. This happens in a matter of milliseconds. This hyperspeed of communication is instrumental in maintaining proper muscle function. Many degenerative diseases affecting millions of people worldwide result from reduced signaling speed or other cellular miscommunications within this intricate network. Michael Garcia, investigator at the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center and associate professor of biology at…
May 12, 2014
New screening tool gives scientists more control over genetic research
A tangled spool of yarn represents DNA, while the fingers holding the section represent the insulators just added by MU researchers to improve a scientific, screening tool. | Paige Blankenbuehler Here’s a scenario: You are trying to find a lost section of string in the world’s most massively tangled spool of yarn. Then try cutting that section of yarn that’s deeply embedded in the mess without inadvertently cutting another or losing track of the piece you’re after. For researchers, this problem is not unlike something they encounter in the study of genetic information in the tangled…