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1,217 news posts in Mind and body

Life sciences

15 Dec 2015

A travel through Biochemistry and beyond: from textbooks to Mount Everest

An interview with Michele Samaja, Associate Professor in Biochemistry at the University of Milan and Guest Associate Editor for Frontiers in Pediatrics.   Before falling in love with Biochemistry, Professor Michele Samaja was about to leave the university after only one year. “After the classical courses in Chemistry, Physics, Organic Chemistry, Microbiology etc., I was rather discouraged by the tedious and repetitive teachings and textbooks,” he said, “I even started practicing as a TV-cameraman and as a downhill ski instructor.” Then, he finally incurred the right course. Needless to say, it was a course of Biochemistry. “Eventually I became increasingly stimulated in getting more and more insight in what appeared to me a young discipline with high impact in every biomedical branch.” Today Michele Samaja is an Associate Professor in Biochemistry at the University of Milan, and this discipline led him to interact with different kinds of scientists (from physiologists to hematologists, pathologists, pharmacologists and immunologists), with lots  of young PhD students and even with Sherpas from Nepal. What’s the main focus of your current research? The “genetic” imprinting that is leading my past and current research was given by a unique opportunity I had just after graduating, when I […]

Neuroscience

14 Dec 2015

VIDEO: Scientist views the human brain as a scientific adventure

Frontiers Science Hero: Egidio D’Angelo from Frontiers on Vimeo. For Prof. Egidio D’Angelo the brain provides many challenges that are waiting to be resolved, but for him it is like going on an adventure. “In many parts of the brain, you follow a track that moves from cellular and molecular properties up to microcircuit and into the complexity of brain connectivity. Investigating the brain is an adventure that, for a scientist, means connecting the lower level to the higher level of brain functioning. This is one of the most rewarding and interesting aspects of my work,” he said. D’Angelo has been a Professor of Physiology at the University of Pavia in Italy since 2006. He is teaching Physiology, Neurobiology and Neuroscience. D’Angelo is also the Specialty Field Chief Editor of Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, a multidisciplinary open-access journal devoted to better understanding the cellular mechanisms underlying the functions of the cells composing the nervous system across all species. D’Angelo and his team started by investigating the synaptic properties of the mossy fiber – granule cell synapse of cerebellum, with particular regard to the functional role of NMDA receptors. One of his research highlights includes the investigation of the cellular physiology […]

Health

01 Dec 2015

World AIDS Day 2015 – 1st December

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes HIV infection, which can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Since AIDS was clinically first observed in the USA in 1981, HIV infection has become one of the most important global health issues in the world. Held on 1st December annually since 1988, World AIDS Day gives people an opportunity to show support for people living with HIV and acknowledge those who have died. To support the global goal to stop the transmission of HIV, it is also a day to raise awareness about the prevention and control of AIDS.   Although HIV infection was first detected in 1981, with the disease it causes being named AIDS in 1983 and the virus itself HIV in 1984, it is important to note that AIDS did not originate in 1981. There are two viruses associated with AIDS: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-2 is less pathogenic than HIV-1 and is mostly restricted to West Africa. HIV-2 is structurally similar to a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) strain, SIVsm, which infects the sooty mangabey monkey. It is hypothesized that SIV crossed the species barrier to humans when contaminated animal blood entered cuts on the hands of people who were in […]

Neuroscience

20 Nov 2015

Staff Pick: Understanding auditory hallucinations

Laurence Pope is a Journal Operations Specialist at Frontiers. He studied biochemistry and science communication at Imperial College London before joining Frontiers in 2013. His staff pick this week comes from Frontiers in Human Neuroscience: The role of the primary auditory cortex in the neural mechanism of auditory verbal hallucinations. “We often assume that only people with schizophrenia and other mental disorders experience auditory hallucinations (or ‘hearing voices’). In fact about 5% of mentally healthy people also hear voices,  but these people can control how they respond to them, such as ignore them or record what they hear. It’s these people who may ultimately hold the key to better management of schizophrenia. “The authors of this study found that such people have a better ability to regulate their primary auditory cortex, the area of the brain responsible for processing sound, compared to people with schizophrenia. When auditory hallucinations occur mentally healthy people can direct their attention outwards, while people with schizophrenia have difficulty focusing on external sounds and direct their attention inwards. “These discoveries help bring us closer to understanding how auditory hallucinations occur and why such hallucinations affect people differently.”

Health

26 Oct 2015

Staff Pick: Energy drink consumption in Europe

This month’s Staff Pick comes from Tania Pernes. Tania is an Editorial Project Manager at Frontiers and is responsible for growing our Health Journals. The article she selected as her staff pick is currently the most successful article in Frontiers in Public Health with more than 28,000 views. Frontiers Staff Pick: Energy drink consumption in Europe: a review of the risks, adverse health effects, and policy options to respond As an athlete, my coach used to mention the potential of energy drinks on post-workout recovery or between high intense exercises. Personally I was never a fan of sugary drinks and was always skeptical about them. Fridays were the only days I could go out for a drink or two with my friends. After rejecting the energetic drinks at the gym, I consumed them at the club without even thinking about it. The lack of information from the young community, aggressive marketing strategies and the unawareness by those who we trust on a family level is quite a cocktail for our health. This article gave support to my skepticism regarding these drinks and I now better understand the risks and consequences to my health. I highly recommend this to anyone, but in […]

Life sciences

21 Oct 2015

Join us in Iguazú Falls, Brazil at the 11th International Congress of Plant Molecular Biology (IPMB 2015)

Going to IPMB 2015 in Iguazú Falls, Brazil? Meet Frontiers at the 11th International Congress of Plant Molecular Biology this October 25 – 30! Come chat with us about Open Access publishing, interactive peer-review, becoming an editor, or about hosting your very own Research Topic! With a Research Topic, you can spotlight your very own research area by editing a collection of cutting-edge peer-reviewed articles. Take a look at this successful Research Topic in Frontiers in Plant Science: Molecular basis of fruit development has had over 25’000 views and is available as a freely downloadable e-book! You can learn more about Research Topics in this brochure. We are looking forward to seeing you at IPMB 2015!

Life sciences

20 Oct 2015

Chemistry Week: Magnetic fluid sculpture

 By Brian Boyle Magnetic fields are everywhere. Every electric circuit creates one. They are utilized in such diverse applications as real time brain imaging (fMRI), and in developing future means of transport (MAGLEV trains). The earth itself, with its north and south poles, emits a magnetic field which protects us from dangerous solar radiation – and radiation from further afield. The `magnetospheres` interaction with this radiation is revealed, at least indirectly, in the beauty of the aurora borealis. Thankfully, we don`t have to trek to the poles to visualize the shape of magnetic fields. The unique behavior of ferrofluids, as they trace the field lines of readily available magnets in 3 dimensions, give us an insight into how different the world would look if we could see the magnetic fields which surround us on a daily basis. The key property of ferrofluids stem from the tiny particles of a compound dispersed in a liquid, all sharing one thing in common – ferromagnetism, or the tendency to respond strongly to magnetic fields. How tiny? A human hair is 75,000 nanometres across, with ferromagnetic particles typically from 1 to 10 nanometres. A common ferromagnetic metal is iron (Fe), and the most commonly […]

Life sciences

12 Oct 2015

Frontiers in Plant Science at International Congress of Plant Molecular Biology in Brazil

Frontiers in Plant Science (FiPS) is off to Brazil from October 25 – 29 for the triennial International Plant Molecular Biology meeting, held this year at Iguazú Falls. If you’re attending the 11th International Congress of Plant Molecular Biology (IPMB 2015) in Brazil this month, we’d love to see you at the Frontiers booth. Stop by to learn more about Frontiers in Plant Science — the third-largest journal overall in plant science, and ranked first for volume and impact factor among Open Access titles — or to meet the chief editors of the Plant Evolution and Development, Plant Metabolism and Chemodiversity, and Plant Systems and Synthetic Biology sections. We’ll have flyers, giveaways, and more, and will be happy to talk to you about joining our editorial board, hosting a Research Topic, our innovative interactive peer-review system and more. We look forward to meeting you at booth 10 in the exhibitors’ area, October 25 – 29! You can also find us on Twitter @FrontPlantSci