Showing the Way Forward: Wellcome announced that it plans on moving further away from the scientific paper paradigm championed by for-profit companies and ever closer to full Open Access. According to the statement on their website, “We want to make sure that the knowledge and discoveries which result from our funding are made freely available and used in a way that maximises their benefit to health.” If only more major publishers would follow their lead. Yes, we’re looking at you Elsevier, Wiley, AAAS, and Mary Ann Liebert. http://bit.ly/2Rz0a0o
Tangled Webs: A recent paper published by a team at the University of Oxford analyzed data from an experiment done by David Coles at the University of Sheffield in 2016. In the experiment, Coles separated photosynthetic green sulfur bacteria using mirrors. He then bounced white light between the two mirrors while closing the gap between the isolated bacteria until a few hundred nanometers separated them. He wanted to see whether the photosynthetic molecules in the bacteria could couple with the light in the gap. They did. Fast forward to the Oxford paper by Chiara Marletto et al. Using the same data, they point out that photons were simultaneously hitting and missing the photosynthetic molecules in the bacteria, a phenomenon used as an indicator for entanglement. If what they say turns out to be true, it represents the first example of quantum entanglement involving living organisms. Exciting indeed. (http://bit.ly/2PEkPDc)
Vestigial but still relevant: A recent study links the human appendix to the development of Parkinson’s Disease. Specifically, they found that “healthy human appendix contained intraneuronal α-synuclein aggregates.” The same α-synuclein are key components of Levy bodies, hallmarks of PD onset. (http://bit.ly/2RwlOlS)
Snails Pace: For over a decade, researchers have known that MDMA, the active ingredient in the party-drug Ecstacy and Molly, has worked wonders with patients suffering from PTSDs. It’s about therapeutic doses as opposed to let’s-go-to-a-rave dose. A recent study found that MDMA Therapy led to the elimination of symptoms in 76% of cases. With any luck, the treatment will pick up momentum. Just make sure to keep bottles of water in the room. (http://bit.ly/2PH45Lo)
On the Mend: Rafael Nadal will be sidelined for the near future with an ankle injury. Nadal has had a history of injuries, some chronic, some acute. In addition to an abdominal strain, Nadal’s team report that he “presents an intra-articulate free body bone (Intra-articular loose body) on his right ankle. An arthroscopy will be practiced to remove it & be able to be in perfect conditions for the beginning of next season” Nadal was born with Kohler’s Disease, a congenital foot problem. (http://bit.ly/2RAokrC)
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