Simon Makin

All Stories by Simon Makin

  1. A photo of a man standing up from his wheelchair in front of a pond while a woman holds a laptop behind the wheelchair.
    Neuroscience

    A brain implant helped a man with paralysis walk more naturally

    A successful test of a system that restores communication between the brain and spine could ultimately help many people with paralysis.

  2. An illustration of tau proteins, in orange, with blue and purple proteins floating around.
    Neuroscience

    A rare mutation helped one man stave off Alzheimer’s for decades

    The brain of a Colombian man with an inherited form of Alzheimer’s may hint at ways to halt or slow the progression of the disease.

  3. A MRI image of a brain shows regions of cerebrospinal fluid in blue.
    Neuroscience

    Scientists triggered the flow of spinal fluid in the awake brain

    If future studies confirm these waking waves wash away toxic proteins from the brain, the finding could lead to new treatments for brain disorders.

  4. A close up photo of a clear liquid forming a bubble on what appears to be a black and gold circuit board.
    Health & Medicine

    A gel cocktail uses the body’s sugars to ‘grow’ electrodes in living fish

    A chemical reaction with the body’s own sugars turned a gel cocktail into a conducting material inside zebrafish brains, hearts and tail fins.