‘Microchimeric’ cells passed from your mother can challenge basic tenets of immunology. Plus, an experimental cancer vaccine that uses blood ‘cleaned’ with ultraviolet light and the evidence for trying ‘Dry January’.
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A new study tracking whales is the latest to demonstrate the value of drones as a less-invasive way of studying the health of marine mammals. (Duncan Murrell/Robert Harding via Alamy)
A virus that sickens marine mammals has been detected in Arctic waters for the first time. Scientists used drones armed with Petri dishes to collect samples of blow — the air and mucus whales expel from their blowholes — from whales in northern Norway. The team identified cetacean morbillivirus in samples from humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and one sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), though the humpbacks showed no symptoms of disease. Using drones to collect samples from whales over time — and as they migrate — could enable researchers to better track the transmission of pathogens in these elusive species.
The New York Times | 5 min read
Reference: BMC Veterinary Research paper
A blood-cleaning method called Mirasol, which relies on the vitamin riboflavin and ultraviolet light to disable pathogens, will soon be tested to fight cancer. This month a phase I trial will study whether tumour cells, inactivated by the Mirasol process and then reintroduced into people with ovarian cancer, can trigger a safe immune response that could slow or prevent relapse.
Science | 7 min read
The administration of US President Donald Trump has made moves to promote artificial intelligence and quantum-information science, by highlighting them as research priorities and, last month, ordering US states not to regulate AI. Some researchers question the effectiveness of the administration’s strategy and argue that it might be hampered by other, conflicting policies, such as visa policies that discourage international students and researchers.
Nature | 8 min read
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