Self-repairing heart
In a world first, researchers have successfully induced pig hearts to self-repair themselves after damage. Pig hearts that had undergone myocardial infarction or heart attack underwent gene therapy to make the cardiac muscle cells proliferate – a capability generally lost a few days after birth.
Telomere shortening and stress
Telomeres are DNA-protein structures at the tails of chromosomes, which are thought to act as a molecular clock on ageing. Each time a cell divides, the telomeres shorten a bit, and when they become critically short the cell’s ability to divide is impaired.
Weather warning for chemicals
More research and better regulation are needed to guard against risks from chemical facilities at danger from extreme weather events, according to a new US study. These risks are already acute and are growing due to the effects of climate change.