WHO Recommends Use Of First Malaria Vaccine For Children In Africa
The WHO reccomends widespread use of the Mosquirix (RTS,S/AS01) malaria vaccine in areas with moderate to high malaria transmission risk. The vaccine can lead to a 30 percent reduction in severe malaria, and was found to have a strong safety profile. Up to 800,000 children have already received the shot. The vaccine requires four doses – the first three given a month apart at five, six, and seven months old, plus a final booster at around 18 months.
"Homebrew" Psilocybin Created By Scientists Using "Widely Available" Materials
Scientists claim to have developed an extremely cheap method of producing psilocybin – the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms – using a genetically edited strain of the E. coli bacteria. Magic mushroom genes coding for the biosynthesis of psilocybin were inserted into the microbe’s genome, and the compound can be produced in a rudimentary “homebrew style environment” that doesn’t even need to be sterilized.
Moon Rocks Collected By China's Chang’e-5 Are Much Younger Than Apollo Samples
The 1.731 kilograms of lunar rocks collected by Chang’e-5 date back around 1.96 billion years – much younger than the Apollo samples. This was the first sample return from the Moon in 44 years. It is now possible to study samples from a period in Lunar history that we did not have before, and the better we know the ages of terrains on the Moon, the better we can estimate the age of many other bodies in the Solar System.
Incredible Trilobite Fossil Reveals It Had Hundreds Of Eyes
A fossilized trilobite dating back 390 million years has revealed some unnerving secrets– they had hundreds of eyes, unlike any other animal. Other trilobites have eyes like a modern fly, but this one is different. Each compound eye contains 200 lenses, spread apart much further than other examples of compound eyes, with six sub-facets underneath. This may have allowed them to pick up tiny changes in brightness in low-light conditions, giving them a hunting advantage.
Electrical Brain Implant Successfully Treats Woman With Depression In Landmark Trial
The first patient to be treated for depression using a new form of electric brain stimulation has experienced dramatic and sustained improvement. Researchers implanted a device in the brain of a patient who had experienced major depressive disorder since childhood. They identified a pattern of brainwaves indicating depression and had the device respond only when it detected that pattern. Not only was this successful, Krystal said, but the results were almost instantaneous
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Henrietta Lacks' Descendants Sue Company They Believe Profits From Her Immortal Cells
On October 4, 1951, aged just 31, Henrietta Lacks died – but her cells didn't. Her cells became known as the "HeLa immortal cell line,” used in huge amounts of research to this day. Now, nearly 70 years after her death, Lacks' estate is now suing a biotechnology company, alleging that the company knew that HeLa cells were stolen from Ms. Lacks and chose to "use her body for profit anyway."
