Hitchhiking Cells | Brain Builder | Mappy Mouse

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In my 4+ years researching for casualSTEM, I’ve clicked every single “Northern Lights may be visible in your area tonight!” story. Only to be let down by being in a different area.

This week I WAS IN THE RIGHT AREA! …but, for some reason, I didn’t click the story and sat blissfully unaware of the sky magic outside my window.

Excited to see them next time!

—Steve 🫠

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Hitchhiking Cells

Microchips are hitchhiking to brains aboard immune cells. MIT researchers created microscopic circulartronics to surf bloodstreams via injection.

• Circulartronics = ultra-tiny device that attaches to immune cells

• Powered wirelessly by light shining through skin

• Attached-immune cells shield the device from a host’s immune system

Ciculartronics eventually find their way to their targeted inflammation sites (in this study, the brain). After arrival, they can stimulate nearby cells to heal before safely dissolving. Further tests aim to gain FDA approval within 3 years.

Can’t wait to become a temp-cyborg with my flu shot — more details here

Brain Builder

Axolotls are so smart, they can regrow their brains. Researchers mapped the telencephalon region, then removed a section to learn exactly how these dragon-like salamanders regenerate brain tissue.

• Telencephalon has a large impact on animal behavior/cognition

• Phase 1: Specialized progenitor cells begin healing

• Phase 2: Those cells turn into neuroblasts (newly discovered in axolotl)

Regeneration is completed in phase 3, when neuroblasts become the exact neurons that were removed. Learning how these slippery salamanders build their brains back could lead to advances in regenerative medicine research.

Extra brains? More like “ask-a-lot-ls” — learn how to regrow

Mappy Mouse

Finally, we have a map for exploring mouse brains. Scientists zoomed in on 1mm³ of brain tissue to chart visual processing networks.

• 400k brain cells

• Over 500 million synaptic connections

• Surprising loops and neural detours

The map shows visual information flowing from eyes to brain, helping decode how mammals see the world. The open-source map enables anyone with a knack for mazes, or brains, to join the quest for better understanding mammalian minds.

Pro tip: be the second mouse — can you navigate the maze?

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Macrochips

Once upon a time, st3v’s brain was made of microchips. As the years went by, they grew to become the macrochips he uses today.

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