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Pocket DNA Sequencer

07.12.2020

American scientists have developed the world's first handheld device with a connected application that can decipher the genome of any living creature, no matter where the user is.

It is noted that at the moment the device is associated with the application for iOS. The portable device is intended, first of all, for scientists who conduct field work on the study of DNA of various animal and human species.

The tiny device for analyzing the genetic sequence was created by the Oxford Nanopore company, and the staff of the Laboratory at Cold Spring Harbor created the concept of the device and the application for it. According to the authors, you can transfer data from a device to an iPhone or iPad and save it even without Internet access. This feature enables sequencing in the most remote locations on the globe.

Scientists have already demonstrated how the device can decipher the DNA sequences of viral pathogens such as influenza or Zika, as well as identify mutations that are important for the diagnosis and treatment of these pathologies. The authors created an online tutorial to analyze other viral genomes, for example from a patient with SARS-CoV-2. In the future, the developers plan to send the device to the ISS to conduct DNA analysis of biological objects on the station.

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Random news from the Archive

Anger of hungry people 20.01.2016

Anger and other negative emotions are the reaction of the human body to the feeling of hunger. These unpleasant sensations arise due to a certain work of nerve cells.

The main task of this mechanism is to start the behavior aimed at finding and eating food in order to eliminate the energy deficit in the body. This conclusion was made by scientists from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (USA), who studied the phenomenon of anger in hungry people.

A team of physiologists conducted experiments on mice. Rodents were periodically left hungry and, thanks to devices implanted in their brains, they monitored the reaction of hypothalamic neurons to this state.

It turned out that the neurons were invariably activated in hungry mice. At the same time, their activity decreased not when the mice began to eat, but earlier, when they were only shown food. The researchers tried showing objects that looked like food. Interestingly, in such experiments, the activity of neurons decreased and resumed at the moment the rodents detected the forgery. The speed of these nerve cells allowed doctors to conclude that neurons send exactly unpleasant signals to the brain, prompting a hungry creature to take the necessary actions.

The researchers explain the emergence of this phenomenon as follows: satisfaction with eating and the discomfort and anger that accompany the feeling of hunger are the legacy of distant ancestors. It was these sensations that ensured the survival of animals by inducing them to hunt and eat regularly. In today's society, the ancient mechanism is no longer needed and even harms people trying to control weight, leading to the development of obesity, heart problems and diabetes in a society for which food has ceased to be a means of survival.

Previously, another team of American researchers learned how to control the neural network responsible for the feeling of satiety in laboratory mice. By activating certain nerve cells, they ensured that even hungry rodents would not take the food offered to them. Scientists hope that over time they will be able to "turn off" the feeling of hunger in people.

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