skin cells

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Scientists Make Amazing 'Fairy Circle' Finding

The circles' layout matches those of skin cells

(Newser) - The Namibian desert is home to what are called " fairy circles ": strange formations of grassless earth surrounded by grass. Almost perfect circles, they're the subject of local myths, the BBC reports. Researchers still don't know what causes them, but new findings could help them figure it...

Babies' Foreskins Could End Animal Testing in Labs

Could one day be used to create artificial corneas, too

(Newser) - Babies' foreskins: The new wonder material? Maybe. They're already being used to make wrinkle creams , and now German scientists have developed a machine that uses the foreskin of young boys to grow artificial skin, reports the Local . For now, the researchers hope their innovation can be used for testing...

Scientists Make Neurons From Skin

New process promises major breakthroughs in neurobiology

(Newser) - A key scientific breakthrough will help researchers get around one of the major obstacles to testing conditions like Alzheimer's: a lack of brain donors. The team has found an efficient way to turn skin cells into neurons by adding a few short strands of genetic material, the Independent reports....

1,000 Species of Bacteria Crawling on Our Skin

(Newser) - We're not alone. A new study by the National Institutes of Health estimates that 1,000 different species of bacteria inhabit our skin, reports the Los Angeles Times. Some specialize in the terrain of the armpit or the belly button, while others prefer drier (and less populated) locales such as...

Third Team Turns Skin Into Stem Cells

First time cells were taken from a volunteer, not lab grown

(Newser) - A third team of scientists has successfully turn skin cells into stem cells that can be coaxed into becoming any kind of tissue. The American researchers are the first group to manage the feat with a volunteer's cells, not cells grown in a lab, which demonstrates that such cells could...

Severe Psoriasis Linked to Early Death

Researchers believe inflammation may affect organs

(Newser) - People suffering from severe psoriasis face a significantly increased risk of early death, according to new research. Those with a severe form of the inflammatory skin disease had a 50% increased risk of mortality compared with people without the disease, according to the study in the Archives of Dermatology. "...

Skin Stem Cells Cure Sickle Cell in Mice

Latest advance in revolutionary research

(Newser) - In the latest advance in revolutionary new stem cell research, scientists have cured sickle-cell anemia in mice using stem cells made from skin. It's the first proof that such cells can be used to cure hereditary diseases. But because the cure involved the use of viruses to alter DNA, significant...

Stem Cell Breakthrough Spares Embryos

Technique sidesteps both ethical and technical difficulties

(Newser) - Normal skin cells can be transformed into the equivalent of stem cells in mice, researchers report, and the new technique may revolutionize research on humans. Because it doesn't involve embryos or eggs, the process skirts the ethical quagmires surrounding human stem cell research; the easy availability of raw material and...

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