New Technology Coming Our Way!

Emily Anthes came to Loyola University Chicago on Saturday, November 2nd to talk about her most recent book Frankenstein's Cat: Cuddling Up to Biotech's Brave New Beasts. I immediately became interested in learning about what scientists are currently researching and testing on. Emily Anthes reported to the audience about the scientists' work and I know that everyone was engaged. She talked about tapping into beetles brains and being able to navigate them. Then she went on to navigating mice and how scientists are able to stimulate certain neurons that would signal the mice to turn left or right. It was fascinating! 

After eating a delicious dinner I obviously researched more about biotechnology and found an article about how scientists accidentally found a gene that could be activated to regenerate cell growth. Lin28a is a gene that is silenced after a certain point in one's life. Scientists found that the Lin28a gene could be triggered back to its embryonic stage and cause a cascade of chemical reactions that generate energy. A scientist accidentally found this gene when he clipped off the toes and ears of mice as an identification technique and was surprised when they grew back. These scientists immediately became interested to find out if it could work on humans to grow limbs back but limitations are always present. By testing on mice, isolating genes, and incorporating technology into our studies, the young scientists and researchers of today can continue to achieve great lengths in the scientific world. Thanks to Emily Anthes talk, and after reading her book, I became very interested in learning more about this field of science and technology and finding out what experiment or idea could come true tomorrow.

URL: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=new-limb-regeneration-ins