03: Curing diseases with lipstick, Penguins becoming self-aware, and new ways of testing for Alzheimer's.
February is here, and we’re feeling recharged and ready to go. The life sciences industry has shown no signs of slowing, with plenty of exciting advancements over the past month.?
Below, we’ve outlined some of our top picks for groundbreaking moments in the life sciences space for our monthly newsletter.?
Lipstick has been used as a facial staple since Ancient Egyptian times. Although the formulations may have evolved over the centuries, it still serves its true purpose of enhancing lips, and providing a confidence boost. But, what if it could be used for more?
Recent research by ángel Serrano-Aroca and colleagues has shown a new formulation of lipstick to be effective in killing diseases. The new formula uses cranberry extract, which has been proven to inactivate bacteria, viruses, and fungi, and mixes into a lipstick cream base.?
Early trials proved successful when the lipstick cream was applied to cultures containing different viruses, bacteria, and fungal species. Both enveloped and nonenveloped virus types were completely inactivated within a minute of contact with the product.?
It will be interesting to see the advancements with this over the course of 2023.
Penguins are the latest newcomer to the list of self-aware animals.?
Scientists studying a small group of wild Adélie penguins living in East Antarctica performed the mirror test, and said the results of self-awareness seemed promising.
The successful tests involved creating a cardboard corral around the penguins which directed them towards mirrors at the end of an enclosure and placed stickers on the mirror to see if the animal noticed.?
According to researchers, several of the penguins gazed at their reflections for over 10 minutes, whilst remaining relatively motionless, making no attempts to touch their reflection.
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The mirror test was devised by American psychologist Gordon Gallup Jr to discover whether animals possess the ability of visual self-recognition.
A new blood test that can detect Alzheimer's years before symptoms emerge has been developed, a study shows.?
Alzheimer's is a degenerative brain disorder that affects 6 million Americans alone. The new blood test can detect a ‘toxic’ protein that develops in Alzheimer's sufferers prematurely.?
The toxic protein can be discovered in the blood of individuals with Alzheimer's disease, as well as those with no signs of cognitive impairment at the time the test was taken, but who may develop the disease at a later date.?
We hope you've enjoyed this latest issue of Life Inspired, and we'll see you again next month.