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A row has broken out between scholars after an expert claimed to have discovered an extra penis on the Bayeux Tapestry. Dr Christopher Monk, a medieval scholar and expert on Anglo- Saxon nudity, believes the genitalia of the figure on the right was restitched with black
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The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
This fuzzy animal friend may be the key to treating schizophrenia
Llamas – likely without red pajamas – may hold the key to treating schizophrenia. The serious brain disorder causes people to interpret reality abnormally, and affects approximately 3.7 million U.S. adults between the ages of 18 to 65 years old, according to the nonprofit RTI International. But the domesticated South American woolly animal might be be able to help. French researchers said this week that they had used llama antibodies, or proteins that help to protect the immune system, to design a tiny fragment of an antibody known as a 'nanobody' that will trigger a neurotransmitter in the brain involved in regulating neural activity. Neurotransmitters are chemical molecules that carry messages or signals from one nerve cell to the next target cell, according to the Cleveland Clinic. No llamas were harmed in the study and researchers can identify nanobodies in a petri dish. In the past, llama antibodies have also proven effective in fighting Covid and other 'SARS-like' viruses. When scientists at the Institute of Functional Genomics injected the molecule into the veins or the muscles, it was able to break the blood-brain barrier and effectively reach brain receptors. The barrier is a a tightly locked layer of cells that defend your brain from harmful substances. Studying the impact of the nanobodies in two tests using mice, the researchers found that they corrected cognitive deficits that were observed. There was an improvement of cognitive function with just one shot, and a prolonged effect over one week. Clinical studies are now required to show that their findings could be a new avenue of treatment for schizophrenia. "In humans obviously we don't know [yet], but in mice yes, it is sufficient to treat most deficits of schizophrenia," molecular biologist Jean-Philippe Pin told Newsweek.. He was a co-author of the research which was published in the journal Nature. Pin said that medications currently given to schizophrenia patients "treat the symptoms well, but less the cognitive deficits." The cause of the chronic condition remains unknown, but the World Health Organization says it is thought that an interaction between genes and a range of environmental factors may be the reason. The exact prevalence of schizophrenia is difficult to measure. Some have tied cases in Canada to cannabis use. Although schizophrenia can occur at any age, people are typically diagnosed between the ages of 16 and 30. Symptoms vary from person to person. There is no cure, but it can be treated through antipsychotic medications, talk therapy, and self-management strategies, the National Alliance on Mental Illness says. The study's authors hope to add this strategy to the list. 'This research confirms the potential of nanobodies as a new therapeutic strategy for acting on the brain, with their use eventually being broadened to include the treatment of other neurological illnesses,' the institute said in a statement.
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Sellafield robotic arms to decommission nuclear gloveboxes
A development in robotic technology could be the answer to cleaning up hundreds of nuclear devices collected over in Cumbria, Europe's largest nuclear plant, has built up a stack of 700 gloveboxes - sealed containers with built in gloves that allow operators to handle radioactive are up to 60 years old, vary in size and shape and still contain contaminated materials like pipework and valves.A team of robotics experts has developed a dextrous mechanised arm that can be fitted inside an active nuclear glovebox to help tackle the challenging task of cleaning up and disposing of these devices. Known as the Risk Reduction of Glovebox Operations (RrOBO) project, it was developed in partnership with AtkinsRéalis, Cavendish Nuclear and Taylor Kightley Engineering."Removing hands from gloveboxes is a key challenge for the nuclear industry and we're proud to be helping to drive change and improve safety," said Robert Marwood, from AtkinsRé proved the robotic arm could successfully carry out a complex series of tasks safely, meaning the technology can now be deployed to legacy gloveboxes to accelerate decommissioning. A spokesman for Sellafield, which opened in 1947 and has the largest stockpile of radioactive plutonium in the world, said some of its older labs contained gloveboxes dating back decades, taking up space and posing "a potential hazard to workers and the environment"It started running a glovebox training facility this year to help meet demand for the spokesman said: "We'll need a pipeline of skilled glovebox operators for many years to come, but it's difficult work requiring high levels of dexterity and consistent standards."They added the nuclear industry nationally needed thousands of new gloveboxes to support "current and future missions in the decommissioning and defence sectors." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Telegraph
New contraceptive pill for men is safe, study suggests
A new male contraceptive pill tested on British men in a world first is safe for use, a study suggests. Oral female contraceptive tablets have been available for 60 years but there has never been an authorised male version. Female tablets work by altering hormone levels to reduce the risk of conception but this approach has proven difficult in men because of severe side effects such as infertility and mood swings. These side effects are common in female versions. A third of men say they would take a contraceptive pill if one was available to them. YourChoice Therapeutics has developed the first non-hormonal contraceptive for men which works by blocking the production of a protein, which is needed to produce sperm, and not meddling with hormones. The drug stops production of retinoic acid receptor alpha (RAR-alpha) in the body and this prevents it binding to vitamin A compounds and subsequently prevents sperm production. Animal studies showed this mechanism to be 99 per cent effective and also found that sperm levels returned to normal after the medication was stopped, showing the contraceptive to be temporary and reversible. Human trials began in 2023 when 16 healthy men who had already had a vasectomy were recruited to test the safety of the drug in people. Data, published this week, show it to be safe and well-tolerated with no clinically relevant side effects in a significant step forward for the prospects of the drug, known as YCT-529. The trial of 16 British men gave participants either the tablet or a placebo and conducted analysis on the participants to measure their blood, urine, mood and overall health. Four different dosages were tested and all were found to be well-tolerated. The highest dose was the same as what was shown to be effective as a contraceptive in animal trials. 'Positive results' There was no reduction in testosterone levels, sex drive or any other hormonal imbalance, the scientists found. 'The positive results from this first clinical trial laid the groundwork for a second trial, where men receive YCT-529 for 28 days and 90 days, to study safety and changes in sperm parameters,' the study authors write in their peer-reviewed study in the journal Communications Medicine. Further trials will now gather more data on the long-term safety profile of the drugs and if this is found to be acceptable, the next stage of clinical trials will begin to determine its precise effectiveness in humans. The data are needed before regulators can make a decision on whether a drug is safe and effective enough to be approved for human use. The study authors add that the safety bar for contraceptives is much higher and harder to reach than it is for drugs designed to cure or treat a disease because it is preventative and used by healthy people daily for a long period of time. 'More attractive to men' Akash Bakshi, a co-founder and the chief executive of YourChoice, has previously suggested the medicine, if approved, could be sent out alongside at-home testing kits for men to check their sperm levels are too low to cause pregnancy. He said: 'YCT-529 blocks a protein – not hormones – to prevent sperm production. We believe this will be more attractive to men, most of whom view pregnancy prevention as a shared responsibility even despite today's limited contraceptive options, which are permanent or only moderately effective. 'The dearth of options reinforces the centuries-old view that pregnancy prevention is 'a woman's responsibility'. It's not, and we're committed to advancing the first hormone-free birth control pill for men that's effective, convenient, and temporary.' While non-hormonal male contraceptives are in trials and at the early stage of development and testing, other hormone-powered alternatives are also in the works. A gel which is rubbed into the shoulders of a man every day is one such medicine and contains Nestorone (segesterone acetate) and testosterone. This lowers sperm counts in around eight weeks and is in testing currently on more than 200 men in the US. The gel is rubbed into the shoulders or shoulder blades because it is easy to reach for the user and it is also unlikely a child or woman would come into direct contact with the gel in this location. The hormones soak into the skin and are absorbed by the bloodstream. But accidental exposure to the gel could cause premature puberty in children and acne or excessive hair growth in women.
