One pioneer’s dogged pursuit of personalized cell therapy

May 25, 2023 Various bloggers Biology and Life Sciences, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Science

Dompaminergic neurons derived from human embryonic stem cells. These cells degenerate in Parkinson’s disease. This photo was taken by Jeannie Liu in the lab of Jan Nolta at the University of California, Davis. CIRM on Flickr A recent Wall Street Journal article reminded me of the work of someone I came to know well while...

ChatGPT: author, acknowledgement, method, or tool?

May 23, 2023 Stephen Heard Biology and Life Sciences, General Science

Like everybody else, I’m fascinating by the fast-moving world of ChatGPT and its kin. Today: what do these tools mean for authorship, in a world where scientists are already using them to help them write their papers? Tools like ChatGPT are often referred to as “artificial intelligence”, but that’s a terrible label for them –...

Spotting the spotted wintergreen: Research on rare woodland plants in Ontario

May 19, 2023 Nature Conservancy of Canada staff Biology and Life Sciences, Environmental and Earth Sciences

How does a scientist study rare plants? First, you might want to know whether individual patches are growing or shrinking, and how the environment affects them.

Introducing the resurrection plant: An interview with Erikan Baluku

May 18, 2023 Paul Naphtali Biology and Life Sciences

Resurrection plants are a true miracle of nature. They comprise a group of plants that survive even if they can’t find water for months or years at a time. Many kinds of resurrection plants exist worldwide, including Selaginella lepidophylla from North America and the Oprheus flower (Haberlea rhodopensis) from Europe. Resurrection plants are also found...

Connect with Canadian Blood Services’ research and education network at our national transfusion conference!

May 18, 2023 Jenny Ryan Biology and Life Sciences, General Science, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Science

Connect with Canadian Blood Services’ research and education network at our national transfusion conference! Transplantation Organs and Tissues Plasma Stem Cells Transfusion Blood Thursday, May 18, 2023 Abby Wolfe The Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine (CSTM) annual conference, held in partnership with Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec, is just around the corner! The conference will...

ARM Sector Snapshot: Gene editing takes centre stage and 2023 approvals near

May 18, 2023 Various bloggers Biology and Life Sciences, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Science

Regular readers of Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) sector reports may have noticed that the organization is taking a new approach to sharing insights on the cell and gene therapy sector. In April, ARM launched a new format for distilling key data and trend insights. Let’s delve into the key highlights from April’s inaugural Sector...

What are Cat Pheromones and What Do They Do?

May 17, 2023 Zazie Todd Biology and Life Sciences, Health, Medicine and Veterinary Science

The chemical signals your cat leaves behind—and how they play an important role in your cat’s relationship with their environment and you.Photo: Scalia Media/ShutterstockBy Zazie Todd PhDThis page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.Get Companion Animal Psychology in your inbox.To some extent feline...

State of antibiotic resistance in Africa – featuring Jimmy Nkaiwuatei

May 17, 2023 Paul Naphtali Biology and Life Sciences

The past 100 years have seen a huge boost in quality of life. Antibiotics have played a big role in this development. They have acted as valuable tools in clearing microbial infections and helped ensure hygiene for people all over the world. However, antibiotic resistance (AMR) is threatening this progress. By 2050, we could see...

How AI can benefit conservation

May 17, 2023 Nature Conservancy of Canada staff Biology and Life Sciences, Environmental and Earth Sciences

How does artificial intelligence (AI) play a role in the work of the Nature Conservancy of Canada?

Wonderful Latin Names: Zyzyxia lundellii

May 16, 2023 Stephen Heard Biology and Life Sciences, General Science

It’s been a while since I’ve indulged in my obsession with weird and wonderful Latin names – I think the last one I blogged about was Ignotus aenigmaticus, last November. But my obsession hasn’t abated. (You’d think writing a whole book about eponymous Latin names might have gotten it out of my system – but...

Biology and Life Sciences