skin
dr. dolittle | May 26, 2015New research shows how octopus skin is able to respond to variations in light
dr. dolittle | February 21, 2015 Pictoral abstract showing the use of nanofibers from fish collagen in wound healing. Image from Zhou et al., 2015.
Researchers in China have discovered that collagen isolated from the skin of tilapia effectively reduce wound healing time in mice. The usefulness of collagen, a major structural protein found in connective tussues, in wound healing has been known. Using fish proteins instead of typical mammalian sources reduces the risk for potential pathogens.
Dr. Jiao Sun (Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine) and colleagues isolated collagen from the skin of tilapia and spun…
edyong | March 15, 2010We all know that as we type on our keyboards or click our mice, we leave behind fingerprints that could be used to deduce our identities. But these prints aren't the only remnants of our presence. Bacteria from our skins also linger on the things we touch and they could act as a sort of living fingerprint.
The thriving community of bacteria and other microscopic passengers on our skin has many traits of interest to a forensic scientist. For a start, they are remarkably personal in their membership and stable over time. Just 13% of the bacteria on my palm also live on yours, and even…
edyong | November 25, 2009What part of the body do you listen with? The ear is the obvious answer, but it's only part of the story - your skin is also involved. When we listen to someone else speaking, our brain combines the sounds that our ears pick up with the sight of the speaker's lips and face, and subtle changes in air movements over our skin. Only by melding our senses of hearing, vision and touch do we get a full impression of what we're listening to.
When we speak, many of the sounds we make (such as the English "p" or "t") involve small puffs of air. These are known as "aspirations". We can't hear them,…
edyong | November 23, 2009In the early days of the last US elections, Hillary Clinton's campaign was accused of deliberately darkening Barack Obama's skin in a TV ad. The implication was that by highlighting Obama's "blackness", Clinton's camp was trying to exploit negative associations that voters might have with darker skin. But you don't need editing software to do that - a fascinating new study suggest that people literally change the way they see a mixed-race politician, depending on whether the candidate represents their own political views.
Liberal American students tend to think that lighter photos of Barack…
edyong | May 28, 2009It's a diverse melting-pot of different groups, with hundreds of different cultures living together in harmony, many sticking to their own preferred areas. No, not London, New York or any other cosmopolitan city; I'm talking about your skin. It may all look the same to you, but to the bacteria living on it, it's an entire realm of diverse habitats.
From a microscopic perspective, the hairy, moist surface of your armpits is worlds apart from the smooth, dry skin of your forearms. Even though they are separated by mere inches, these patches of skin are as different to their microscopic…
bioephemera | March 23, 2009
Mrs. Bennett
circa 1818-1821
Wellcome Library
While browsing Morbid Anatomy recently I did a double take: is that the hypochondriac matriarch of Pride and Prejudice, only zombified? No, Lizzy's mother has not succumbed to the unmentionable scourge - yet. This Mrs. Bennett is a coincidentally named Georgian lady who suffered from an unnamed skin ailment, from which she fortunately makes a full recovery. You'll have to wait until my April 1 review of P&P&Z to discover if the Bennets of Longbourne are so lucky!