In the first such process on record, scientists at Kyoto University have surgically implanted lab-grown heart cells into a patient. First, the research team harvested cells from the patient and regressed them to become “induced pluripotent stem cells” (IPSCs) by exposing them to a virus that transferred 24 selected genes into the cells. The new...
Tag: jan 19 2021
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SCIENTISTS BUILD WORKING HUMAN THYMUS
Using human stem cells, researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and University College London have, for the first time, grown a working human thymus. The thymus, sitting between the heart and the sternum, is essential in establishing the body’s immune system. Once that task is done, the thymus gradually wastes away until it virtually disappears...
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ARTIFICIAL NEURONS FUNCTION LIKE LIVING COUNTERPARTS
For years, scientists have been attempting to replicate in silicon the functions of neurons – the nerve cells that are the fundamental units of the human brain. Now researchers at the University of Bath claim to have done it. The achievement rests on three breakthroughs, the developers say: they developed a mathematical method to model...
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CANADIAN DOC DEBUNKS COVID FATALITY RATE
Would the average person believe that the median fatality rate for COVID for those under 70 years old is 0.05 percent? Yes, if you read the data we have provided in the Trends Journal. A newly released peer-reviewed study by Dr. Ari Joffe, a specialist in pediatric infectious diseases at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in...
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VAX COUNT IN U.S. AND BEYOND
As of 15 January, close to 12.2 million doses of the COVID vaccine have been administered, and nearly four people per hundred have received at least one dose, according to national statistics compiled by the CDC. States with the highest vaccination rates included West Virginia, Alaska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, averaging about seven vaccinations...
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THIS WEEK IN COVID COPS: “DIE HARD” EDITION
Fighting the COVID War has become something of a COVID Cop comedy. Sadly, however, the victims of clampdowns pay the price. The following is a rundown of some of the latest incidents related to COVID lockdown and enforcements, which range from repressive to ridiculous. Someone (probably not a fan) spied actor Bruce Willis browsing unmasked...
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RESTAURANTS REOPEN & RISK FINES FROM STATES
Restaurant owners across the U.S. have decided to reopen their establishments despite states’ COVID mandates and the risk of fines because they are at the end of their financial ropes. The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that restaurant owners in states such as Michigan, Illinois, and California are dealing with the stark reality there is no...
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NY NURSING HOME COVID DEATHS ON THE RISE
Nursing homes in New York announced last week that COVID remains a serious risk for their residents, and they reported at least 200 weekly deaths for the last three weeks of December, according to a report. The Wall Street Journal reported there have been more than 8,100 confirmed and presumed coronavirus deaths at these facilities in...
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DOLLAR GENERAL: GET JABBED FOR FREE
Discount chain Dollar General announced last week it intends to pay hourly employees four hours salary if they receive the COVID-19 vaccine, becoming one of the first major companies to announce such an offer. “We felt the right thing to do was to break down these barriers to vaccination,” Toss Vasos, the company’s chief executive,...
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AIRLINES & BUSINESSES: NO JAB, NO ENTRY
Tech companies and non-profits are working to develop digital passports for fliers to prove they have received the coronavirus vaccine, a report said. The Financial Times reported companies like Microsoft, Oracle, and Salesforce are working to make digital cards a reality. The project is called the “Vaccination Credential Initiative.” “Individuals are going to need to have...