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Neurons derived from stem cells.Credit: Silvia Riccardi/SPL
‘Reprogrammed’ stem cells for Parkinson’s
For the first time, neurosurgeons have implanted ‘reprogrammed’ stem cells into the brain of a patient with Parkinson’s disease. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells were created by causing skin cells to revert to an embryonic-like state. The iPS cells were then transformed into precursors to the neurons that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is reduced in people with Parkinson’s disease.
Koreas team up to tackle tuberculosis and malaria
North Korea and South Korea are set to expand public-health collaboration to fight contagious diseases. The move is an important step towards opening the countries’ borders to each other: South Korea has little recent experience with bacterial diseases, such as tuberculosis, that are more common in the North. By contrast, viral infections such as influenza, which are more common down South, could threaten the people of North Korea, where malnutrition has weakened some people immune systems
Italy’s olive-tree crisis intensifies
An incurable bacterium devastating southern Italy’s olive groves is spreading because of delays in implementing disease-containment measures. Some environmentalists and farmers oppose quarantine efforts, which can involve uprooting beloved, ancient trees. Delays have obliged the European Commission to move a buffer zone, meant to contain the disease, farther up Italy’s boot and to take the nation to court over its inaction.
Archaeological society ponders name change
Members of the American Schools of Oriental Research — or as many members prefer to call it, ASOR — are considering renaming the society on the grounds that its moniker is irrelevant and racist. “The ‘American’ doesn’t feel quite right. The ‘schools’ is obscure and the ‘oriental’ is problematic,” says ASOR president Susan Ackerman. “‘Research’ works for us. We do do research.”
Impact of China’s data-sharing crackdown
China has been cracking down on researchers and companies that break its strict rules for sharing citizens’ genetic material and information. Last month, for the first time, the ministry of science named and shamed offenders who shared DNA samples or published data without the government’s permission. Some researchers say that the rules are too onerous and hinder open science and international collaboration.
FEATURES & OPINION
The next disruptive force in clinical trials
Social media and patient advisory groups have given clinical-trial participants unprecedented power in how experiments are run — sometimes threatening the integrity of the research. Now, scientists are grappling with how best to work with the people they are trying to study.
Science in the Palestinian territories
Despite huge hurdles, some researchers and educators are doing what they can to develop a functioning scientific community in the Palestinian territories. A shifting political situation, violence, poor infrastructure, travel restrictions and limited financial support are among the challenges facing scientists in the region.
A 250-year-long educational experiment
The Jesuits were expelled from Brazil in 1767, and their sudden departure created a long-running natural experiment showing how one-time investments in education can endure for generations. People living near the ruins of Jesuit missions complete up to 15% more years of education and earn 10% more than residents of equivalent towns without ruins. Economist Felipe Valencia Caicedo emphasizes that the finding does not overwrite the negative effects of colonialism. “This paper is not saying missions are good,” says Caicedo. “This paper is saying even though people were converting indigenous people to Catholicism, while they were doing that they were also teaching them skills.”
