disco Australia Aims to Give Employees the Right to Disconnect By www.littler.com Published On :: Fri, 09 Feb 2024 19:23:50 +0000 Australia’s Senate on Thursday, February 8, 2024, passed a bill that would prevent an employer from contacting employees outside of work hours. The bill gives the employee the right to refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact, or attempted contact, from an employer outside of the employee’s working hours without fear of being penalized, unless the employee’s refusal is unreasonable. Full Article
disco The Risks Of Employee Political Discourse On Social Media By www.littler.com Published On :: Tue, 17 Sep 2024 14:15:02 +0000 Bradford Kelley and James McGehee discuss the potential risks for employers when employees use social media for political purposes. Law360 View (Subscription required) Full Article
disco Right To Disconnect Plan May Erode Firms' Long-Hours Culture By www.littler.com Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2024 19:32:09 +0000 Ben Smith and Maya Beauville say the UK government's softened plan to grant employees the right to disconnect out of hours is unlikely to change the legal sector's entrenched long-hour culture anytime soon. Law360 View (Subscription required) Full Article
disco Editorial: Mass spectrometry-based proteomics in drug discovery and development - Frontiers By news.google.com Published On :: Tue, 23 Jul 2024 07:00:00 GMT Editorial: Mass spectrometry-based proteomics in drug discovery and development Frontiers Full Article
disco Proteomics approach to discovering non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers and understanding the pathogenesis of endometriosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis - Journal of Translational Medicine By news.google.com Published On :: Fri, 26 Jul 2024 07:00:00 GMT Proteomics approach to discovering non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers and understanding the pathogenesis of endometriosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis Journal of Translational Medicine Full Article
disco Application of Proteomics in Cancer: Recent Trends and Approaches for Biomarkers Discovery - Frontiers By news.google.com Published On :: Tue, 25 Jun 2024 19:46:28 GMT Application of Proteomics in Cancer: Recent Trends and Approaches for Biomarkers Discovery Frontiers Full Article
disco Service to Desplaines/Harrison Temporarily Discontinued (Service Change) By www.transitchicago.com Published On :: (Mon, May 2 2022 to TBD) #36 service to Desplaines/Harrison will be temporarily discontinued. Full Article
disco Los Bitchos' 'Talkie Talkie' is a raucous 1980s discotheque By www.npr.org Published On :: Fri, 01 Nov 2024 16:25:03 +0000 Heavily inspired by cumbia, the London-based band has a straightforward ethos: have fun.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy Full Article
disco University of Toronto cell biologists discover on-off switch for key stem cell gene - Discovery may propel advances in regenerative medicine By media.utoronto.ca Published On :: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 15:20:42 +0000 Discovery may propel advances in regenerative medicineTORONTO, ON – Consider the relationship between an air traffic controller and a pilot. The pilot gets the passengers to their destination, but the air traffic controller decides when the plane can take off and when it must wait. The same relationship plays out at the cellular level in […] Full Article Arts Media Releases Science University of Toronto
disco U of T librarians discover Johan Halvorsen’s long-lost violin concerto By media.utoronto.ca Published On :: Mon, 04 Jan 2016 18:01:18 +0000 Toronto, ON — Librarians at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music Library have discovered Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen’s violin concerto that was believed lost for over a century. Violinist Henning Kraggerud will perform the 21st-century premiere of the concerto under the direction of Bjarte Engeset in Stavenger, Norway in July 2016 as part of […] Full Article Arts Media Releases
disco Canadian collaboration to accelerate development of cancer treatments - NRC and CCAB invest over $1M to advance innovative therapies first discovered at UofT By media.utoronto.ca Published On :: Mon, 20 Mar 2017 18:40:32 +0000 NRC and CCAB invest over $1M to advance innovative therapies first discovered at UofTToronto, ON – An innovative collaboration between government, industry, and academia aims to accelerate the development of cancer treatments in Canada. The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the Toronto-based Centre for the Commercialization of Antibodies and Biologics (CCAB) have put […] Full Article Media Releases University of Toronto
disco Machine learning meets materials discovery: Researchers from IBM, Toyota, and Citrine Informatics speak at UofT By media.utoronto.ca Published On :: Mon, 17 Jul 2017 14:11:40 +0000 Toronto, ON – Machine learning and artificial intelligence are poised to revolutionize the way companies do business in the fields of healthcare, transportation, and materials research. With the launch of the new Vector Institute, Toronto is quickly becoming a hub for machine learning development. Following this momentum is a three-part limited edition CIFAR seminar series, […] Full Article Engineering Media Releases
disco Einstein proved right: LIGO, U of T astrophysicists detect gravitational waves - Discovery that confirms theory of relativity makes headlines around the world By media.utoronto.ca Published On :: Fri, 12 Feb 2016 12:56:32 +0000 Discovery that confirms theory of relativity makes headlines around the world “We see today that black holes exist in the universe and they do collide!” Associate Professor Harald Pfeiffer says (image courtesy NASA) For the first time, scientists have observed gravitational waves – ripples in the fabric of spacetime from a cataclysmic event in the […] Full Article Media Releases Science University of Toronto
disco University of Toronto physicists discover new laws governing the “developmental biology of materials” By media.utoronto.ca Published On :: Mon, 22 Feb 2016 18:47:38 +0000 Toronto, ON – When one atom first meets another, the precise nature of that interaction can determine much about what kinds of physical properties and behaviours will emerge. In a paper published today in Nature Physics, a team led by U of T physicist Joseph Thywissen reported their discovery of a new set of rules […] Full Article Media Releases Science University of Toronto
disco New long-lived greenhouse gas discovered by University of Toronto chemistry team - Chemical appears to have highest global-warming impact of any compound to date By media.utoronto.ca Published On :: Mon, 09 Dec 2013 17:18:21 +0000 Chemical appears to have highest global-warming impact of any compound to dateTORONTO, ON - Scientists from U of T’s Department of Chemistry have discovered a novel chemical lurking in the atmosphere that appears to be a long-lived greenhouse gas (LLGHG). The chemical – perfluorotributylamine (PFTBA) – is the most radiatively efficient chemical found to date, […] Full Article Arts Environment & Natural Resources Science University of Toronto
disco Researchers discover ‘epic’ new Burgess Shale site in Canada’s Kootenay National Park - Massive deposit may be world’s most important animal fossil discovery in decades By media.utoronto.ca Published On :: Tue, 11 Feb 2014 15:04:40 +0000 Massive deposit may be world’s most important animal fossil discovery in decadesKOOTENAY NATIONAL PARK, BRITISH COLUMBIA - Yoho National Park’s 505-million-year-old Burgess Shale – home to some of the planet’s earliest animals, including a very primitive human relative – is one of the world’s most important fossil sites. Now, more than a century after its […] Full Article Environment & Natural Resources Forestry Science University of Toronto University of Toronto Mississauga
disco Ancient, hydrogen-rich waters discovered deep underground at locations around the world - A quantum change in our understanding of how much of Earth’s crust may be habitable By media.utoronto.ca Published On :: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 19:50:28 +0000 A quantum change in our understanding of how much of Earth’s crust may be habitableTORONTO, ON — A team of scientists, led by the University of Toronto’s Barbara Sherwood Lollar, has mapped the location of hydrogen-rich waters found trapped kilometres beneath Earth’s surface in rock fractures in Canada, South Africa and Scandinavia. Common in Precambrian […] Full Article Environment & Natural Resources Media Releases Science University of Toronto
disco ZEISS Leads IMTS Visitors on a Journey to Discover Their Superforce By www.qualitymag.com Published On :: Wed, 11 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0400 ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions is presenting a hero's journey at the 2024 International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) booth #134302 in the East Hall, Level 3. Full Article
disco Hook Discovered By www.thecollectionshop.com Published On :: Hook Discovered by James Coleman is a(n) Limited Edition. The Edition is Limited to Limited Edition of 395 pcs Full Article
disco A New Discovery By www.thecollectionshop.com Published On :: 9/21/2015 A New Discovery by James Coleman is a(n) Limited Edition. The Edition is Limited to Limited Edition of 95 pcs Full Article
disco Canadian Blood Services discovery research lab contributes to new knowledge on neutrophils By www.blood.ca Published On :: Thu, 29 Aug 2024 14:37:37 +0000 Canadian Blood Services discovery research lab contributes to new knowledge on neutrophils Plasma Transfusion Blood Thursday, August 29, 2024 Abby Wolfe Dr. Donald R. Branch’s work as a discovery scientist at Canadian Blood Services focuses on immunotherapy, seeking to further enhance understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in autoimmune diseases. Based in Toronto, Dr. Branch’s laboratory develops models of rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and multiple sclerosis in mice. These models are particularly useful in examining how cells affected by these conditions respond to current therapeutic agents like intravenous immunoglobulin – a blood product made from human plasma commonly known as IVIg – and investigating potential alternative therapeutics. Over the years, Dr. Branch’s lab research findings have included the discovery of a special reagent that makes identification of antibodies easier by “zapping" autoantibodies, answers around unexpected side effects of IVIg therapy, and insights around recipients’ responses to bone marrow transplantation. It has also earned him numerous awards and accolades, including four from AABB, the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies. Dr. Don Branch, Canadian Blood Services senior scientist New knowledge about neutrophils Recently, contributions from Dr. Branch’s lab helped a U.K.-based team of researchers discover new information about how neutrophil function and activity is regulated. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that are part of the body’s normal immune response. A person’s neutrophil levels may be affected by infections as well as chronic or acute illnesses. Patients who have very low neutrophil counts and/or persistent infections may receive a boost to their neutrophil levels via granulocyte transfusion therapy. However, in some diseases, overactivation of neutrophils can also create an inflammatory environment and harm healthy tissue. The research has been published in the high-impact scientific journal, Nature. This publication has filled a gap in knowledge about the mechanisms involved in maintaining balance between neutrophils’ infection-fighting power and inflammation-causing potential. As Dr. Branch describes: “This research by Dr. Brown and team shows that the myeloid inhibitory C-type lectin enzyme, which is known as MICL, controls neutrophil activity in rheumatoid arthritis. It is likely that MICL also regulates neutrophil activity in general. This suggests that if therapeutics can be designed to target MICL, they may be useful in controlling inflammation and infection. It is a fundamental finding that will change our understanding of the biology of neutrophils.” Discovery research, like the study to which Don and Ruqayyah contributed, is essential to improving patient care in the long run. New biomedical insights are essential to crafting new drugs and new therapeutic approaches in a rational way. Dr. William (Bill) Sheffield, Canadian Blood Services senior scientist and associate director of research Discovery research expertise leads to new collaboration The special mouse model that Dr. Branch’s lab uses is known as K/BxN. In this model, two mouse populations are selectively bred to produce offspring whose genetic material carry an antibody that destroys bone cartilage. An arthritis-causing serum containing this destructive antibody can then be obtained from the mice for use as a reagent in research. This process is termed “serum-transfer arthritis” and has been used by many investigators in the study of treatments that may alleviate the condition. Knowledge of Dr. Branch’s lab’s expertise in this area prompted a connection to the team of researchers at the Universities of Exeter and Aberdeen in the U.K. for this study. Says Dr. Branch, “In 2021, I supported a successful application to Canadian Blood Services’ Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program (BEAP) by Dr. Maria Fernandes, a researcher from Héma-Québec who works with neutrophils. Through this collaboration, Dr. Fernandes was aware that I work on rheumatoid arthritis with K/BxN mice, and she also knew that Dr. Gordon Brown in the U.K. was looking to collaborate with a researcher in this area for some planned neutrophil research. My lab, which included postdoctoral fellow Dr. Ruqayyah Almizraq at the time, contributed to Dr. Brown’s research by providing the sera from our K/BxN mice. With this sera, Dr. Brown and his collaborators were able to induce rheumatoid arthritis and show that it could be resolved by removing the inhibition of a specific enzyme.” Science that is never boring The Branch lab is currently using these same mouse models to investigate whether a recombinant protein called IgG1 Fc hexamer could be an effective replacement for IVIg in the treatment of autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and ITP. While early results are promising, continued work is needed. In fact, back in 2018, Dr. Branch was asked in a previous R.E.D. blog post to describe what he found to be the most exciting part of science. Reflecting on the same question now, he reiterates that his response still rings true after 50 years in the field: The most exciting part of science is that when you do good science, you get more questions than you get answers, which means it is never boring. There is no end to imagination; new ideas, theories, experiments and discoveries occur often and provide a level of excitement to which many other professions cannot attest. Dr. Donald (Don) Branch, Canadian Blood Services senior scientist Canadian Blood Services – Driving world-class innovation Through discovery, development and applied research, Canadian Blood Services drives world-class innovation in blood transfusion, cellular therapy and transplantation—bringing clarity and insight to an increasingly complex healthcare future. Our dedicated research team and extended network of partners engage in exploratory and applied research to create new knowledge, inform and enhance best practices, contribute to the development of new services and technologies, and build capacity through training and collaboration. Find out more about our research impact. The opinions reflected in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Canadian Blood Services nor do they reflect the views of Health Canada or any other funding agency. Related blog posts Senior scientist wins prestigious award for discovering a ‘gold standard’ reagent used in transfusion medicine Tuesday, March 28, 2023 Aldis Brennan Dr. Donald Branch, Canadian Blood Services senior scientist, has received the Dale A. Smith Memorial Award for his discovery of the ZZAP reagent. This award, from the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB), recognizes the application of technology to the practice of transfusion medicine or biotherapies. Transfusion Blood Read full story, Senior scientist wins prestigious award for discovering a ‘gold standard’ reagent used in transfusion medicine Interactive lab tour helps undergraduate students learn from Canadian Blood Services senior scientist and team Thursday, March 16, 2023 Beth Binnington, Senior Research Assistant Students from the Undergraduate Pathology Alliance at Western University posed insightful questions to researchers during an interactive visit to the research laboratory of Dr. Donald Branch, Canadian Blood Services senior scientist in February 2023. Plasma Transfusion Blood Read full story, Interactive lab tour helps undergraduate students learn from Canadian Blood Services senior scientist and team Meet the researcher: Dr. Donald Branch Wednesday, February 28, 2018 Dr. Kendra Hodgkinson For this instalment of “Meet the researcher”, we met with Dr. Donald Branch, a scientist at Canadian Blood Services who studies infectious diseases and immunology. How long have you been with Canadian Blood Services? I started with the Canadian Red Cross at the Edmonton Blood Centre in December 1985... Plasma Transfusion Blood Read full story, Meet the researcher: Dr. Donald Branch Full Article
disco Dec 8 - Classroom Activity Types and Their Relationship to Cognitive Discourse Functions By www.eltcalendar.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 10:01:34 GMT Kobe JALT (Kobe Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching). December 8 (Sun), 14:00-15:30 in Kobe, Hyogo. Stephen McNamara (Kwansei Gakuin University). Full Article
disco NREL Discovers Humidity Is Why A/C Units Consume So Much Energy By www.achrnews.com Published On :: Thu, 25 Aug 2022 07:00:00 -0400 Colorado researchers found that on average, more than half of the energy consumed by residential air conditioners deals with the humidity on a hot day. Full Article
disco One Simple Test to Discover Restrictive Duct Systems By www.achrnews.com Published On :: Tue, 18 Aug 2020 07:00:00 -0400 A duct system is the part of an HVAC system that most homeowners don’t consider, yet it determines how well their equipment works. Full Article
disco SE-Radio Episode 264: James Phillips on Service Discovery By traffic.libsyn.com Published On :: Tue, 02 Aug 2016 23:35:07 +0000 Charles Anderson talks with James Phillips about service discovery and Consul, an open-source service discovery tool. The discussion begins by defining what service discovery is, what data is stored in a service discovery tool, and some scenarios in which it’s used. Then they dive into some details about the components of a service discovery tool and how reliability is achieved as a distributed system. Finally, James discusses Consul, the functions it provides, and how to integrate it with existing applications, even if they use configuration files instead of a service discovery tool. Full Article
disco How a Chance Encounter Led to a New Discovery in Sustainable Packaging By www.packagingstrategies.com Published On :: Tue, 07 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0500 In September, my wife and I did a half Ironman relay. While waiting for my wife to finish the swimming portion, I struck up a conversation with a cyclist who was with team Rockit™ Apple. Inevitably, the conversation eventually turned to packaging. Full Article
disco Regulation (EU) 2024/1860 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 amending Regulations (EU) 2017/745 and (EU) 2017/746 as regards a gradual roll-out of Eudamed, the obligation to inform in case of interruption or discontinuation of s By aims.niassembly.gov.uk Published On :: Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT Room 21, Parliament Buildings Full Article Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee
disco Old drug, new discovery: Scientists find novel use for ancient malaria remedy By scopeblog.stanford.edu Published On :: Wed, 30 Oct 2024 19:37:55 +0000 Stanford Medicine researchers on the hunt for an elusive cardiac fibrosis drug were surprised when a malaria drug with ancient origins emerged as their top candidate. The post Old drug, new discovery: Scientists find novel use for ancient malaria remedy appeared first on Scope. Full Article Artificial Intelligence (AI) Cardiology Cellular & Molecular Biology Data Sciences Digitally Driven Drug Development Global Health Innovation & Technology Malaria Medical Research Stanford Medicine Stanford School of Medicine Uniquely Stanford VF News Home
disco Legoland: Annual-pass discounts now available By www.orlandosentinel.com Published On :: Wed, 05 Apr 2023 09:46:00 +0000 Legoland Florida annual passes, hotel stays available at a discount Full Article
disco [ Y.4477 (11/21) ] - Framework for service interworking with device discovery and management in heterogeneous Internet of things environments By www.itu.int Published On :: Fri, 03 Dec 2021 10:28:00 GMT Framework for service interworking with device discovery and management in heterogeneous Internet of things environments Full Article
disco Discounts on UX Courses and Bootcamps for Black Friday 2021! By usabilitygeek.com Published On :: Wed, 24 Nov 2021 10:00:00 +0000 UX designers rejoice! This Black Friday, our friends over at the Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF) have a gift for you: 25% off UX design courses on new memberships and a $200 discount on UX Bootcamps for new and existing members. The offer is now open and ends at midnight on Cyber Monday, 29 November. […] The post Discounts on UX Courses and Bootcamps for Black Friday 2021! appeared first on Usability Geek Full Article Events Black Friday UX Bootcamps UX Courses
disco Contractor Pro Tip: Leave Installing and Disconnecting Lightning Protection to Specialists By www.roofingcontractor.com Published On :: Wed, 20 Sep 2023 11:11:30 -0400 Roofers face enough challenges; the importance of involving specialists for lightning protection systems to meet strict standards — and avoid potential issues with dissimilar metals and corrosion — is crucial for compliance. Full Article
disco Detienen a un hombre de 20 años por violar a una joven sueca a las puertas de una discoteca en Málaga By www.elmundo.es Published On :: Fri, 25 Oct 2024 10:19:45 +0200 La víctima conoció al supuesto agresor dentro de la discoteca y éste la condujo a pie hasta un lugar oscuro y la violó Leer Full Article Málaga Policía Nacional Andalucía Sucesos Agresiones sexuales
disco Dunbar sonríe en Padrón mientras Roglic y Mas le dan otro mordisco a O'Connor By www.elmundo.es Published On :: Wed, 28 Aug 2024 18:49:56 +0200 El líder cedió 37 segundos en meta tras una dura subida final en la que perdió tiempo Carapaz. Leer Full Article ciclismo Vuelta a España
disco FDA discourages use of laparoscopic power morcellation for hysterectomies By www.cbsnews.com Published On :: Thu, 01 Oct 2015 07:01:23 -0400 Dr. Jessica Shepherd, Assistant Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine explains why the FDA discourages use of a laparoscopic surgery for hysterectomies and removal of uterine fibroids. Full Article
disco Astronomers may have discovered the first planet outside of our galaxy By www.euronews.com Published On :: Tue, 26 Oct 2021 15:34:45 +0200 Astronomers may have discovered the first planet outside of our galaxy Full Article
disco Discord terrorist known as “Rabid” gets 30 years for preying on kids By arstechnica.com Published On :: Fri, 08 Nov 2024 19:32:46 +0000 FBI considers 764 terror network a top threat to kids online. Full Article Policy child sexual abuse materials cyber terrorism discord online child safety Terrorism
disco Goodbye Discover By www.discovermagazine.com Published On :: Wed, 31 Mar 2021 20:30:00 GMT The end of this Neuroskeptic era Full Article Mind
disco The Rediscovery of Synchronous Reluctance and Ferrite Permanent Magnet Motors Tutorial Course Notes By search.lib.uiowa.edu Published On :: Location: Electronic Resource- Full Article
disco Service-Oriented Computing – ICSOC 2015 Workshops WESOA, RMSOC, ISC, DISCO, WESE, BSCI, FOR-MOVES, Goa, India, November 16-19, 2015, Revised Selected Papers By search.lib.uiowa.edu Published On :: Location: Electronic Resource- Full Article
disco The Serengeti rules : the quest to discover how life works and why it matters By search.lib.uiowa.edu Published On :: Location: Sciences Library Library- QH501.C376 2016 Full Article
disco 1840: Discovery of the Black Obelisk of King Shalmaneser of ... By www.atour.com Published On :: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 12:50:00 UT 1840: Discovery of the Black Obelisk of King Shalmaneser of Assyria Full Article 1800-1899 A.D. Assyrian History
disco 1840: Introduction to The Discoveries at Nineveh By www.atour.com Published On :: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 01:01:00 UT 1840: Introduction to The Discoveries at Nineveh Full Article 1800-1899 A.D. Assyrian History
disco 1839: Discoveries at Nineveh By www.atour.com Published On :: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 12:31:00 UT 1839: Discoveries at Nineveh Full Article 1800-1899 A.D. Assyrian History
disco Aerospace Quick Disconnects and Couplings Market Global Outlook and Forecast 2023–2035 By www.avjobs.com Published On :: Fri, 4 Aug 2023 10:41:07 -0400 Aerospace Quick Disconnects And Couplings Market Global Outlook And Forecast 2023–2035 sharma saloni... Full Article market-share-and-size aerospace quick-disconnects couplings-market market-research-reports
disco Music Pearls of Beth-Nahrin: An Assyrian / Syriac Discograph... By www.atour.com Published On :: Wed, 26 May 2010 04:40:00 UT Music Pearls of Beth-Nahrin: An Assyrian / Syriac Discography Full Article Fine Arts Information
disco Q&A: Wurl?s Ria Madrid Discusses BrandDiscovery's Groundbreaking Generative AI for CTV Ads By www.streamingmedia.com Published On :: Mon, 01 Jul 2024 09:00:00 EST A Q&A with Ria Madrid of Wurl - she discusses BrandDiscovery, their new tech that makes it possible for marketers to precisely match CTV ads with the emotion and context of what viewers are watching to create positive attention, using Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions. Partners like Media.Monks are already driving impressive results for their clients through Wurl's solution, which uses scene-level contextual targeting to help advertisers align the emotional sentiment of their campaign creatives with content closest to the ad break. Full Article
disco Appreciating van Leeuwenhoek: The Cloth Merchant Who Discovered Microbes By scienceblogs.com Published On :: Tue, 06 Apr 2021 14:49:13 +0000 Appreciating van Leeuwenhoek: The Cloth Merchant Who Discovered Microbes Imagine trying to cope with a pandemic like COVID-19 in a world where microscopic life was unknown. Prior to the 17th century, people were limited by what they could see with their own two eyes. But then a Dutch cloth merchant changed everything. His name was Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, and he lived from 1632 to 1723. Although untrained in science, Leeuwenhoek became the greatest lens-maker of his day, discovered microscopic life forms and is known today as the “father of microbiology.” Visualizing ‘animalcules’ with a ‘small see-er’ Leeuwenhoek opened the door to a vast, previously unseen world. J. Verolje/Wellcome Collection, CC BY Leeuwenhoek didn’t set out to identify microbes. Instead, he was trying to assess the quality of thread. He developed a method for making lenses by heating thin filaments of glass to make tiny spheres. His lenses were of such high quality he saw things no one else could. This enabled him to train his microscope – literally, “small see-er” – on a new and largely unexpected realm: objects, including organisms, far too small to be seen by the naked eye. He was the first to visualize red blood cells, blood flow in capillaries and sperm. Drawings from a Leeuwenhoek letter in 1683 illustrating human mouth bacteria. Huydang2910, CC BY-SA Leeuwenhoek was also the first human being to see a bacterium – and the importance of this discovery for microbiology and medicine can hardly be overstated. Yet he was reluctant to publish his findings, due to his lack of formal education. Eventually, friends prevailed upon him to do so. He wrote, “Whenever I found out anything remarkable, I thought it my duty to put down my discovery on paper, so that all ingenious people might be informed thereof.” He was guided by his curiosity and joy in discovery, asserting “I’ve taken no notice of those who have said why take so much trouble and what good is it?” When he reported visualizing “animalcules” (tiny animals) swimming in a drop of pond water, members of the scientific community questioned his reliability. After his findings were corroborated by reliable religious and scientific authorities, they were published, and in 1680 he was invited to join the Royal Society in London, then the world’s premier scientific body. Leeuwenhoek was not the world’s only microscopist. In England, his contemporary Robert Hooke coined the term “cell” to describe the basic unit of life and published his “Micrographia,” featuring incredibly detailed images of insects and the like, which became the first scientific best-seller. Hooke, however, did not identify bacteria. Despite Leuwenhoek’s prowess as a lens-maker, even he could not see viruses. They are about 1/100th the size of bacteria, much too small to be visualized by light microscopes, which because of the physics of light can magnify only thousands of times. Viruses weren’t visualized until 1931 with the invention of electron microscopes, which could magnify by the millions. An image of the hepatitis virus courtesy of the electron microscope. E.H. Cook, Jr./CDC via Associated Press A vast, previously unseen world Leeuwenhoek and his successors opened up, by far, the largest realm of life. For example, all the bacteria on Earth outweigh humans by more than 1,100 times and outnumber us by an unimaginable margin. There is fossil evidence that bacteria were among the first life forms on Earth, dating back over 3 billion years, and today it is thought the planet houses about 5 nonillion (1 followed by 30 zeroes) bacteria. Some species of bacteria cause diseases, such as cholera, syphilis and strep throat; while others, known as extremophiles, can survive at temperatures beyond the boiling and freezing points of water, from the upper reaches of the atmosphere to the deepest points of the oceans. Also, the number of harmless bacterial cells on and in our bodies likely outnumber the human ones. Viruses, which include the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, outnumber bacteria by a factor of 100, meaning there are more of them on Earth than stars in the universe. They, too, are found everywhere, from the upper atmosphere to the ocean depths. A visualization of the human rhinovirus 14, one of many viruses that cause the common cold. Protein spikes are colored white for clarity. Thomas Splettstoesser, CC BY-SA Strangely, viruses probably do not qualify as living organisms. They can replicate only by infecting other organisms’ cells, where they hijack cellular systems to make copies of themselves, sometimes causing the death of the infected cell. It is important to remember that microbes such as bacteria and viruses do far more than cause disease, and many are vital to life. For example, bacteria synthesize vitamin B12, without which most living organisms would not be able to make DNA. Likewise, viruses cause diseases such as the common cold, influenza and COVID-19, but they also play a vital role in transferring genes between species, which helps to increase genetic diversity and propel evolution. Today researchers use viruses to treat diseases such as cancer. Scientists’ understanding of microbes has progressed a long way since Leeuwenhoek, including the development of antibiotics against bacteria and vaccines against viruses including SARS-CoV-2. But it was Leeuwenhoek who first opened people’s eyes to life’s vast microscopic realm, a discovery that continues to transform the world. By Richard Gunderman, Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. sb admin Tue, 04/06/2021 - 10:49 Categories Life Sciences Full Article
disco How to rediscover hope during election season By www.latimes.com Published On :: Thu, 12 Sep 2024 10:00:42 GMT In his new book 'Hope for Cynics,' Stanford psychology professor Jamil Zaki explains how cynicism became an American epidemic — and how to cure it. Full Article
disco 'How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter' authors say platform is 'a tool for controlling political discourse' By www.latimes.com Published On :: Fri, 13 Sep 2024 10:00:18 GMT 'Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter' explores what went wrong under the entrepreneur's ownership of the social media platform. Full Article
