Tag Archives: Sixty Symbols

Reading scientific symbols, making needles obsolete, and stem cell research at UBC

If you’ve ever struggled to read something that has scientific notations or realized that you don’t know what e=mc2 stands for, then, there’s a website that might be of interest to you.  It’s called Sixty Symbols and  it’s where scientists at the University of Nottingham (UK) are working with a filmmaker, Brady Haran to provide information. Together they are producing videos which explain the mysteries of formulas and symbols to lay people. Here’s an article about the site and here’s the site. At last, there’s something where I can check things out when I run across something unfamiliar or when I’ve started to question if I really do understand the symbol.

Scientists in Australia are developing a ‘nanopatch’ which would replace the use of needles for vaccinations. It sounds like they’re not exactly ‘ready for prime time’ but it does look promising according to this article in Nanowerk News. One of the great things about it besides being painfree is that the ‘nanopatch’ doesn’t require refrigeration or syringes so it’s much easier to get the vaccine to remote locations.

Now onto the University of British Columbia scientists who have discovered a molecule helpful with blood stem cell transplants. The molecule is part of a signaling system which can encourage the adoption of stem cells and, consequently, greater production of T-cells. For more details, go here.