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Globe and Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Globe and Mail
Cells are the smallest, most basic unit of life. Do they also hold memories?
Thomas Verny is a clinical psychiatrist, academic, award-winning author, public speaker, poet and podcaster. He is the author of eight books, including the global bestseller The Secret Life of the Unborn Child and 2021'sThe Embodied Mind: Understanding the Mysteries of Cellular Memory, Consciousness and Our Bodies. Joshua Bongard, professor of computer science at the University of Vermont, believes that as humans and animals evolved and adapted to their surroundings, so did their tissues and cells. 'What we are is intelligent machines made of intelligent machines made of intelligent machines, all the way down,' he said, referring to cells. [1] Cells are the smallest, basic unit of life responsible for all of life's processes. A typical human cell has a membrane filled with a jellylike fluid called the cytoplasm. The cytoplasm contains structures called organelles that perform functions similar to major organs. For example, the mitochondria are the lungs of the cell. The nucleus, another organelle, contains the genetic material as DNA. Another important organelle is the cytoskeleton which consists of a cellular scaffolding or skeleton within a cell's cytoplasm. It is made up of microtubules, assembled from the protein tubulin into tube-shaped networks. Some studies support the view that it is the microtubules within the cytoskeleton that store memories. [2]. In addition to 37 organelles, each human cell contains about 12,000 proteins that amount to 42 million protein molecules. A human adult's body contains 50 trillion to 100 trillion cells. These cells are constantly in a state of flux. About 300 million die every minute, while an equal number are freshly minted. The only cell visible to the naked eye is the ovum. About 10,000 average-sized human cells can fit on the head of a pin. Despite their minuscule size, these biological machines are surprisingly efficient, intelligent and possess remarkable memory. Can science solve the puzzle of consciousness? We do not generally think of the cells in our bodies as intelligent or capable of storing data other than those relevant to their function. However, as you will see, our cells process information and engage in purposeful behaviour. They are comparable to, but a lot smarter and more caring than, computer chips that power artificial intelligence. Like AI, cells change and learn from experience, while unlike computer chips they arrive naturally preprogrammed. Textbooks often depict the cell as a factory, with genes providing instructions to produce proteins that carry out the body's daily functions. Considerable biological research indicates that 'control' and 'information' are distributed throughout the cell rather than concentrated in the nucleus. Cellular organelles do not operate like assembly lines; instead, they engage in intricate interactions with one another. Moreover, the cell's primary role isn't solely focused on 'production' as the common factory metaphor suggests. Rather, a significant portion of its activity is devoted to self-maintenance and supporting the well-being of neighbouring cells. [3]. Cell communication plays a vital role in maintaining tissue balance, co-ordinating specific cellular activities, and responding to environmental signals. During both development and repair, tissues must continually adjust to shifting biological conditions to achieve physiological stability. To do so, cells within these tissues engage in ongoing interactions – either with nearby target cells or, in some cases, with distant cells – without always involving the surrounding local cells. The art and science of aging well Cells can talk and help one another by way of the recently discovered tiny tube networks (TNTs). When a stressed or ailing cell releases a chemical distress signal, nearby cells extend hollow tubes through which they pass needed resources such as RNA, proteins or even whole organelles to the sick cell. [4] Anne-Marie Rodriguez, a researcher at the Mondor Institute of Biomedical Research in Paris, has discovered that TNTs help injured heart cells recover from heart attacks. [5] In addition to TNTs, cells have other options for exchanging molecules, most notably the structures called gap junctions and exosomes. New research from The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has revealed that adult tissues retain a memory, inscribed on their DNA, of the embryonic cells from which they arose. [6] This discovery led to an even more fascinating finding that memory is entirely recoverable: 'Beyond the sheer existence of this archive, we were surprised to find that it doesn't remain permanently locked away but can be accessed under certain conditions. The implications of this discovery for how we think about cells' capabilities, and for the future treatment of degenerative and other diseases, are potentially profound,' said Ramesh A. Shivdasani, the senior author of the new study. In other words, under specific conditions, patient-derived cells could be reverted to a more primitive developmental stage and then guided to grow into mature healthy tissues suitable for replacing damaged or diseased ones. This approach also shows potential in cancer research, especially in understanding how healthy cells 'catch' cancer. Near-death experiences suggest that our consciousness may not die when our bodies do Biologists, adapting principles from cybernetics and dynamic systems theory, have argued that the cell is an autopoietic system that continually recreates itself. [7] The word autopoiesis is derived from the Greek words for self and production, and refers to a system that can enact, reproduce, and maintain itself. To support renewal, human tissues routinely eliminate millions of cells without compromising their overall structure, integrity, or intercellular connections. Researchers at the Institut Pasteur have identified a novel process that helps achieve this: dying cells temporarily shield nearby cells from undergoing cell death, thereby preserving tissue stability. Using fluorescent markers sensitive to protein activity, the scientists discovered that when a cell dies, it triggers a short-term activation – lasting about an hour – of the EGFR-ERK signalling pathway in surrounding cells. This pathway, already known for its role in promoting cell survival, acts to prevent the simultaneous death of neighbouring cells. 'We were aware of the pathway's significance in epithelial cell survival, but witnessing this protective interaction between cells was unexpected,' said Romain Levayer, head of the Cell Death and Epithelial Homeostasis Unit at the Institut Pasteur and the study's lead author. [8] Their findings also demonstrate that disrupting this local protective mechanism severely impacts epithelial tissues. Without it, adjacent cells would also die, causing major breakdowns in tissue and organs. 'These results highlight the remarkable self-regulation abilities of biological tissues,' Mr. Levayer explains. 'There's no central control directing when and where cells should die – it all comes down to direct, localized communication between neighbouring cells.' The magic and mystery of dreams: Nighttime phenomenon's purpose still up for debate The crucial contribution of the entire single living cell to our health is conventionally overlooked. We humans place extra stress on our cells that they are not really programmed to deal with. Smoking, drinking and sun tanning, if continued for long periods, can cause permanent damage. The same goes for noise, pollution, radiation and the new threat to our health – microplastics. The cells that constitute your skin and the linings of your mouth, lungs and gut are particularly vulnerable. They deserve to be treated with respect. Unpacking all the above, please note that individual cells are not just building blocks, like bricks in a wall; they have extra competences that enable them to construct larger structures and repair tissues. Cells need not understand, nor have minds, but by possessing information to perform tasks, beginning with the fundamental task of self-preservation, they provide themselves with the energy needed to adjust to their local environments in ways that advance their prospects. As cells form ever larger and more complex networks, their aggregate intelligence and wisdom grows. One more thing. What I find especially intriguing about cells is the recent revelation by wildlife scientists that all living organisms shed small amounts of genetic material known as environmental DNA, or eDNA. This eDNA is present everywhere, drifting through the air, lingering in water, snow, milk, over grass, on the steps of your house or the chair in your living room. Thanks to recent advances in technology, researchers can now extract increasingly detailed information from ever tinier eDNA samples. In fact, scientists at the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and Sea Turtle Hospital at the University of Florida in St. Augustine, have managed to retrieve both medical and ancestral data from trace human DNA fragments found in the environment. [9] A friend of mine, a very sane person, I assure you, told me of an experience last year while going house hunting in a small Northern Ontario town. After checking out several houses he and his wife were led to a lovely old building. His wife and their real estate agent marched right in. But he froze in terror at the sound of crying and screaming children. He turned around and fled to the other side of the street. When his wife and the agent emerged from the house, they asked him why he did not follow them in. He explained what happened. The agent told them that a hundred years ago this house was an orphanage. Neither my friend nor his wife had any prior knowledge of the history of this house. So, I am wondering whether this incident and many similar ones as well as seances, occult writings and hundreds of ghost stories, are in some way connected to certain people having a special ability to tune in to persons who had experienced strong negative emotions like fear or suffering by 'reading' their eDNA? Could it be that all of these fragments of DNA that have been piling up for millennia on this planet are responsible for what Carl Jung called 'the collective unconscious?' [10] References
Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
‘Shallow Hal' actor Rene Kirby dies at 70 following health complications linked to Spina Bifida
Rene Kirby, the actor best known for his role in the 2001 Farrelly Brothers comedy Shallow Hal, has died at the age of 70. According to Seven Days, Kirby passed away on July 11 at the University of Vermont Medical Center following a two-month hospitalization due to complications related to his esophagus, kidneys, and bladder. Born with spina bifida, a congenital condition in which the spine and spinal cord don't develop properly, Kirby lived his entire life without the use of his legs. Despite this, he embraced an active lifestyle, engaging in activities such as hand-cycling, skiing, and gymnastics. He also had a two-decade career at IBM and enjoyed online stock trading in recent years. Kirby was cast in two Farrelly Brothers films: Shallow Hal, where he portrayed Walt, a character who also had spina bifida, and Stuck on You (2003), starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear. In 2005, he made a guest appearance in HBO's Carnivàle as Hoppy in the episode 'The Road to Damascus.' In a 2008 episode of Seven Days' web series Stuck in Vermont, Kirby spoke candidly about living with his condition. 'I've never thought of myself as disabled,' he said, referring to himself humorously as 'a gimp without a wimp.' Kirby also survived throat cancer in recent years, though the treatment required the removal of his larynx, leaving him unable to speak. His brother Jon Kirby noted that Rene had not ridden his bike since the previous fall due to declining mobility. Rene Kirby is survived by his mother and six siblings. His father passed away three years ago.
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Rene Kirby dead: Shallow Hal dies at 70 after health struggles and lengthy hospital stay
Rene Kirby, known for his role in Shallow Hal, has sadly died at the age of 70. The actor's death on July 11 followed a two-month hospitalisation due to infections and complications with his oesophagus, kidneys and bladder, according to his brother Jon Kirby. His passing occurred at the University of Vermont Medical Center, as reported by the Vermont-based publication Seven Days. He was best known for starring in 2011 American comedy Shallow Hal, directed by the Farrelly Brothers and starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black. The movie saw Black's sexist character be hypnotised to only see the inner beauty of people - including love interest Rosemary (played by a fat-suit wearing Paltrow). The movie was a huge box office success, grossing $141million against a $41million budget. Kirby found himself starring in the 1999 Hollywood movies after a chance encounter with Hollywood director Peter Farrelly. Farrelly was in Rene's hometown of Burlington, Vermont shooting Me, Myself & Irene starring Jim Carrey. After buying Rene a pint and spending the evening chatting, Farrelly decided to cast Rene in his next film. In a 2001 interview, he said: "He's got a zest for life that is contagious and he's extremely funny." Farrelly penned a role specifically for Rene in Shallow Hal, which he co-wrote and co-directed with his brother, Bobby. Given the film's theme of looking beyond physical appearances, Farrelly believed it was an ideal fit for Rene, who he said "epitomises inner beauty". Kirby lived with spina bifida, which led to him having no use of his legs. But that didn't stop the actor from biking, skiing and acting. "Walking on my hands, it's just, all I've ever known, I just never thought of myself being disabled," he told Seven Days' Eva Sollberger in an episode of Stuck in Vermont.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Donald Trump's election triggered transgender people to contemplate DIY hormones & suicide: study
Even before executive orders were signed in January or court decisions handed down, fear was already surging through transgender communities across the United States. A new study from the University of Vermont, appearing in JAMA Network Open, captures that fear in stark detail. Titled 'Access to Gender-Affirming Care and Alternatives to That Care Among Transgender Adults,' the research found that every single one of 489 transgender, nonbinary, and intersex respondents believed they could lose access to gender-affirming medical care under the shifting political climate. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. 'This is a population that already feels that their access to care is constantly under threat,' said Teresa Graziano, the study's lead author, who uses they/them pronouns. 'It was startling.' Related: What does Donald Trump's 'shocking and devastating' victory and a second term mean for the LGBTQ+ community? The survey, conducted between the 2024 election and Inauguration Day 2025, revealed a level of distress that transcended fear and entered the realm of survival. More than 21 percent of participants reported that they would feel suicidal if their access to care were cut off. Graziano said one participant explicitly told them, 'killing myself is easier than living without my hormones and my gender affirming care.' Particularly alarming to Graziano was how many respondents described preparing for life without medical support. Nearly a third said they would turn to black-market hormones or attempt to synthesize hormones at home if care were banned. 'My concern as a health care provider is that they do not necessarily know that they are receiving sterile products or the products that they think they're receiving,' Graziano said. 'They may not be using doses that are safe or appropriate for them because it may not translate one-to-one with what they've been using in the past.' The Trump administration has moved quickly to implement policies redefining sex as strictly male or female and directing federal agencies to explore limits on gender-affirming care, particularly for minors. While no federal ban on adult care is currently in place, the U.S. Supreme Court's June decision in Skrmetti upholding Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors has fueled deep anxieties that similar laws could spread across the country. Related: Trump administration announces end to gender-affirming care for transgender veterans National advocates say the Vermont study confirms broader trends. A spokesperson for Advocates for Trans Equality told The Advocate, 'This new study echoes what we found in our 2022 U.S. Trans Survey health report that we released last month, which captures the experiences of 84,170 trans adults across the country, and what millions across our country who are losing access to their health care thanks to Trump's budget reconciliation bill are saying: Trump's policies have consequences—all of us are less healthy and less safe, and many trans people will die without the transition-related care they need.' For Rep. Becca Balint, Vermont's first out lesbian member of Congress, the study's findings reflect conversations happening at home. 'It mirrors what I am hearing directly from trans, nonbinary, gender nonconforming folks, intersex people in Vermont and their families,' Balint said in an interview with The Advocate. 'This level of anxiety about not being able to get the care that they need and that they deserve and that will keep them alive is something that I'm hearing from a lot of my constituents.' Related: Supreme Court rules states can ban gender-affirming care for youth in U.S. v. Skrmetti 'In the last few months, when I am back in Vermont and I am at an event, inevitably, either someone who identifies as trans or nonbinary or their family will come up to me and they will tell me just how scared they are that they're not going to be able to get health care,' she said. 'And more broadly, just deep despondency that their own government is coming after them.' While Balint called it 'of course, a shocking statistic that over 20 percent would consider taking their own lives,' she said the finding was, tragically, not surprising. 'They have been told now for two and a half years in earnest by the Republican party and by Trump that they don't matter,' she said. 'That they don't care about the lives of these people, that they will say anything and do anything, and they will scapegoat them.' Balint said many constituents have expressed what it feels like 'to have your government weaponized against you,' and warned that political rhetoric has real consequences for mental health and safety. 'When they don't see us as elected officials standing with their civil rights, standing with their right to the health care that they need and deserve, of course, it looks bleak,' she said. Related: LGBTQ+ mental health crisis center says calls have surged with Donald Trump's inauguration She sees a strong connection between today's threats to transgender people's access to health care and the fight for reproductive freedom. 'I link those all the time, especially for constituents who might have a hard time understanding the lives of trans people because they don't necessarily have somebody in their family or within their close social circle,' Balint said. 'I always say it's the same thing: you're talking about people having control over their own bodies.' Balint emphasized that cutting off access to care won't make transgender people disappear; it simply pushes them into unsafe, underground options. She said, 'transgender people have always existed and always will, as part of humanity itself.' People, she noted, will go to great lengths to obtain the care they need, even if that means risking black-market treatments. Instead of forcing people into such dangerous paths, Balint urged, 'We need to stop demonizing this population who is just trying to live their lives.' If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The lifeline also provides resources to help with other crises, such as domestic violence situations. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at or text START to 678678. This article originally appeared on Advocate: Donald Trump's election triggered transgender people to contemplate DIY hormones & suicide: study RELATED Montana court strikes down ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors Hundreds protest Pittsburgh hospital for caving to Trump and denying trans youth gender-affirming care Supreme Court rules states can ban gender-affirming care for youth in U.S. v. Skrmetti
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Researchers make disturbing discovery after analyzing sand along popular lake: 'It's just everywhere you look'
Researchers working to understand microplastic pollution in Lake Champlain have sounded alarm bells about the ubiquity of the problem. The team — from the State University of New York Plattsburgh, the University of Vermont, and the Lake Champlain Sea Grant program — is spending the summer collecting sand and analyzing the waste materials found in it, as Vermont Public reported. The goal is to find the source of the plastic that is commonly found in fishing nets and in 15 species of fish that humans eat. It's also in wastewater effluent and on beaches, such as North Beach in Burlington. "It's just everywhere you look, once you start looking," Anne Jefferson of UVM told Vermont Public. "Our students find something on every transect on every beach — no matter how pristine it looks. We find plastic everywhere." Microplastics are 5 millimeters or smaller, but they come from larger pieces of plastic, which don't biodegrade but do break up into smaller and smaller fragments. Humans manufacture, use, and trash so much plastic that it's been found everywhere on Earth, including in our bodies. "Big plastics break apart and become small plastics and eventually microplastics," Jefferson said. "So that single pool noodle could literally become millions of particles of microplastics." Other research indicates that microplastics, which are often made with toxic chemicals, harm human health, with links to cancer, pregnancy issues, and dementia, among other serious issues. Vermont Public noted that they disrupt the nervous and endocrine systems and raise the risk of heart attack and stroke. "The key thing is that we need to stop the microplastics before they get into the environment," Jefferson said. "And that means either dealing with the industrial sources or dealing with the macroplastics — the bigger things." The researchers are hopeful that their work will uncover information about the microplastics and where they're coming from. Then, the key is to cut off those sources. Individuals can prevent microplastic pollution by avoiding bottled water and plastic food packaging. You can also help by bringing your own to-go containers to restaurants. Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Synthetic clothing is another source, which is why it's important to check the label on the clothing items you want to buy. Meanwhile, Vermont Public noted Vermont banned dock foam last year. "National policy is also critical: [SUNY Plattsburgh professor Danielle] Garneau said she's finding fewer plastic microbeads in the lake since those were banned federally from consumer goods in 2015 — a push she said started with local legislation in New York state," the outlet reported. "Vermont passed a similar law in 2015." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
