Stem Cell 'Breakthrough' for Parkinson's

Scientists in Sweden say they have made a “huge breakthrough” with stem cell research that may dramatically improve the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's is brought on when brain cells stop producing dopamine, a chemical that controls mood and movement. Scientists simulated Parkinson's in rats and then converted human embryonic stem cells into neurons that produced dopamine. Evidence showed that at least some of the Parkinson's brain damage was reversed. Although there have been no human clinical trials of neurons derived from stem cells, they may begin as early as 2017.

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News and Features Extinct Wooly Mammoth Could Walk the Earth Again within 5 Years

Scientists say that they have the capacity to clone a wooly mammoth within a five-year period.

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Humans Share Genetic Ancestry with Orangutans

For those who believe in the theory of evolution, the general consensus is that mankind evolved from chimpanzees. Chimps are man's most closely related living species. While that may be true, a new study published in the online journal, Genome Research, has a surprising new finding. Parts of the human genome are more closely related to the orangutan.

Orangutans may possibly be the most intelligent of the great apes. They utilize a variety of sophisticated tools, have a complex communication system, and make nests for sleeping in branches or foliage. They are native to the southeast Asian countries of Indonesia and Malaysia. The name, orangutan, is derived from the Malay language, translating to "man of the forest."

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Cancer Breakthrough at MIT

It took them 16,000 tries, but MIT scientists have finally identified a chemical that selectively targets cancer cells, a possible breakthrough in creating new treatments. “We now have a method that researchers anywhere in the world can use to find agents that can kill cancer stem cells and potentially treat cancer,” Piyush Gupta, a researcher at the Broad Institute and co-author of the study told Bloomberg. The chemical compound, salinomycin, works like a smart bomb, picking out stem cells that turn into cancer and destroying them. Next up is further testing on animals.

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Smile in the sky

The heavens have become even more personal, as this stunning image of a smile in the sky shows.

The 'upside-down rainbow', spotted over Sussex, is in fact not a rainbow at all.

Rather than being caused by raindrops, it is the result of freak atmospheric conditions rarely seen outside the North and South Poles.


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