By Rietie Venter, University of South Australia
In the 1940s the well-known British vet James Herriot administered the brand-new antibiotic penicillin to a sick animal and the amazing, speedy recovery that followed was in his words “like witnessing a miracle”. Barely 70 years later, I got an infection in a caesarean wound and I was terrified that these miracle drugs would not work anymore.
By Amanda Marie James, Emory University, USA
‘Diversity’ is a buzzword. It is used in every facet of our life both professionally and personally, but what does it really mean? And an even better question: Is it important to science?
By James Brown, Education and Public Engagement Officer, Biochemical Society
In April, I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Experimental Biology conference in Chicago.
Continue reading Experimental Biology 2017 – a showcase for interdisciplinary collaboration
By Ralitsa Madsen, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge, UK
Iris, the Greek Goddess messenger between humans on Earth and the Gods on Mount Olympus, has made an entry into human biology by providing inspiration for the name of a skeletal muscle-derived hormone. Irisin belongs to the class of myokines, which are molecules released by skeletal muscle in response to exercise and act as messengers to other tissues, including liver, fat and the brain. Given the beneficial effects of exercise, particularly in the context of obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, major efforts have been invested into discovering myokines of potential therapeutic value. Irisin seems to have it all, with multiple animal studies confirming its metabolic benefits such as lowering of blood glucose and lipid levels. Continue reading “The metabolic benefits of exercise”
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