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Komodo Dragons may hold the key to fighting infections
Komodo Dragon blood could save your life. Curious scientists -- are there any other kind? -- recently identified a peptide in the Dragon plasma that might serve as an antibiotic. Now, a bite from a Komodo Dragon is lethal not from venom, but from bacteria in the reptile's saliva, and the Dragons don't kill each other when they get into tussles the way they do hunting prey, which suggests an immunity. So the researchers, inspired by previous work done with alligators and crocodiles, made a synthetic version of a peptide (a chain of amino acids) found in Dragon's plasma, VK25.
Baldness cure is no reason to quit a'stressin
If you think of baldness as a disease then you'll want to pay close attention to some research that's being conducted in collaboration with teams from UCLA, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and the Oregon Health and Sciences University. The group seems to have accidentally stumbled on the cure for baldness while researching the relationship between stress and the gastrointestinal tract. The teams were testing the effects of a peptide called "astressin-B" on mice genetically engineered to be hyper-stressed (and bald as a result). Miraculously, the bald mice regrew the lost hair and the respect of women who drive Minis. They even maintained the re-hair for up to four months after receiving just one dose a day for five consecutive days -- that's 20 percent of a mouse's two-year lifespan. Oh sure, the regrowth was on their backs but we're sure they'll sort out your preference for location by the time this begins human trials.
Peptide nanotube 'forest' coating could mean self-cleaning windows, more efficient batteries, Alzheimer's cure, world peace
We are rapidly coming to grips with the idea that there is nothing nanotubes can't do. They're boosting solar cell efficiency, hoisting more junk into space, and even providing an exceptionally light meal. Now they'll even clean your windows -- well, not your windows, but your future self's windows thanks to research at Tel Aviv University, where a team has created a way to grow a so-called forest of nanotubes out of peptides. This means they're exceptionally cheap to produce and, as they've been shown to repel dirt and water, they'll make an ideal coating for windows and solar cells. They can also act as a super-capacitor, increasing the output of batteries, and there's even hope that they could treat Alzheimer's disease. Yes, nanotubes certainly are the future -- prepare for obsolescence.
