Temporary End to the US Shutdown
Policy
End of U.S. Shutdown Won’t Mean Return to Business as Usual for Research Agencies
January 25, 2019 | Science
The longest U.S. government shutdown in history may soon be over, at least temporarily. But researchers shouldn’t expect their favorite federal research agency to be back to normal anytime soon. “Scientists will need to be patient,” warns Sarah Nusser, vice president for research at Iowa State University in Ames. “You’re not going to get all your questions answered immediately.”
Japan’s Approval of Stem-Cell Treatment for Spinal-Cord Injury Concerns Scientists
January 24, 2019 | Nature
Japan has approved a stem-cell treatment for spinal-cord injuries. The event marks the first such therapy for this kind of injury to receive government approval for sale to patients. “This is an unprecedented revolution of science and medicine, which will open a new era of healthcare,” says oncologist Masanori Fukushima, head of the Translational Research Informatics Center, a Japanese government organization in Kobe that has been giving advice and support to the project for more than a decade.
Science in the News
See the Top 10 Global Universities for Neuroscience and Behavior
January 23, 2019 | WTOP
Check out the latest ranking of global universities for degrees in neuroscience and behavior by U.S. News & World Report.
The Cerebellum May Do a Lot More Than Just Coordinate Movement
January 23, 2019 | Science News
Its name means “little brain” in Latin, but the cerebellum is anything but. The fist-sized orb at the back of the brain has an outsized role in social interactions, a study in mice suggests. Once thought to be a relatively simple brain structure that had only one job, coordinating movement, the cerebellum is gaining recognition for being an important mover and shaker in the brain.
New Science Details Discovery of Bacterial Pathogen in Brains of Alzheimer’s Patients and Possible Evidence of Disease Causation
January 23, 2019 | University of Louisville
New science uncovers how an unlikely culprit, Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) -- the bacterium commonly associated with chronic gum disease -- appears to drive Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. A paper published today in Science Advances details how researchers identified Pg in the brains of patients with AD.
New Tool Enables Imaging of Neural Activity with Near-Infrared Light
January 21, 2019 | University of Alberta
A new, groundbreaking tool for visualizing neural activity has implications for understanding brain functions and disorders, according to new research by University of Alberta scientists and a team of international collaborators. The tool, named NIR-GECO1, identifies when an individual neuron is active by monitoring for the presence or absence of calcium ions.
