Wednesday, June 19, 2024

"12 recent scientific breakthroughs"

It's hard to keep up.

But if you don't, you end up working for someone who can.

From The Week, June 2024:

From cell reparation to reef restoration 

Scientists in many fields received little recognition for the last couple of years, as the world focused on the emergency push to develop vaccines and treatments for Covid-19. But that doesn't mean they weren't still busy researching a dizzying series of developments that are now being reported as major discoveries and achievements.

1. Restoring brain cells
Scientists have found a way to repair brain cells impaired by a rare genetic disorder. A study published in the journal Nature found that a drug called antisense oligonucleotide allowed human neurons to develop normally despite carrying a mutation due to a genetic disorder called Timothy syndrome. "It's the beginning of a new era for many of these diseases that we first thought were untreatable," Dr. Huda Zoghbi, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, said to NPR.