Dr. Anthony Atala says the promise behind regenerative medicine is that it harnesses the body’s natural healing powers to actually cure, rather than just treat, a disease.
There are several areas of study and treatment: injectable cell therapies to promote healing; replacement tissues and organs produced in the lab; and the use of bio-compatible materials that promote tissue regeneration from within the body.
And it turns out this groundbreaking medicine isn’t limited to humans.
North Carolina Science Now
Superbugs are on the Rise, and the Future of Antibiotics is at Stake
Ouch. I scratched myself shaving this morning.
It stung a little. Just to be safe I washed it off and then put a dab of antibiotic ointment on it. No problem.
But the question being asked more and more is: for how long will the antibiotic method continue to work?
The sad fact is we may be entering what scientists are calling the post-antibiotic era. If this is the case, that scratch I happened to get while shaving this morning could turn out to be fatal. It’s all thanks to superbugs—more formally known as drug-resistant bacteria.
Why this Organic Farmer from Denmark goes Against the Grain
As a reporter, you need to keep your eyes and your mind open, because sometimes you stumble upon another story that is just as interesting as the original topic you started working on and begs to be told.
This is one of those stories.
The Iconic Earthrise Photo that Almost Never Happened
Have you ever had one of those days when almost nothing goes the way you planned and you just want to get away from it all?
I know, Southwest Airlines has an advertising campaign centered around that same theme, but nevertheless, you know the feeling.
It turns out, 1968 was an entire year like that. The Vietnam war was raging, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated, and there were riots in many American cities.
Plants use only some colors in the solar spectrum
Now that biologists at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill have discovered that plants can detect shadows, a fair follow-up question might ask: When sunlight is shining on the plant, just how much of the solar light spectrum do plants use in photosynthesis?
How much of the Earth is Protected?
Scientists like biologist E.O. Wilson are calling for half of the Earth’s surface and seas to be set aside as protected landscape to preserve humanity. With this goal in mind, one might wonder exactly how much is already protected.
To answer this, it’s important to know how much of the Earth has been touched by humans.
On the Edge: Life on North Carolina's Reefs
Most people associate reef systems with tropical islands and warm, shallow waters.
However, those are coral reefs—reefs made of living creatures.
Believe it or not, there are two unique reef systems off the North Carolina coast. They are made of rock but they are still reefs, and while they aren't made of ocean life, they are covered with it.
The first system is found primarily on the edge of the continental shelf, about 75 miles offshore. There are smaller systems rising periodically from the ocean floor about 40 miles off the coast as well.
Lake Mattamuskeet: From Formation, to World's Largest Pumping Plant
Lake Mattamuskeet is North Carolina’s largest natural lake at 40,000 acres.
Not surprisingly, the lake is a big draw for hunters, fishermen, bird watchers and others looking for wildlife and outdoor-dependent recreation. The lake is surrounded by an additional estimated 10,000 acres of marsh, timber and cropland which together make up the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge.
Exploring the root of the word 'arboretum'
It’s on one of those signs you see along the highway, or in a listing on a map or travel guide: "National Arboretum," "University Arboretum," or perhaps "State Arboretum."
This invites the question: what exactly is an "arboretum?"
Think of it as a “zoo for trees.” Yes, you read that correctly.
How the Highest Point in the Region Got Its Name
Mount Mitchell is the highest point east of the Mississippi at 6,684 feet.
Some research and deliberation often precedes being labeled as "the highest point." So it’s not surprising that it was a debate over the height of the peak that explains how the mountain got its name.