Today's Science & Education Updates [356]

News, opinions, and tips for anatomy & physiology education!

Oct 18, 2025

Staying Connected: An October 18th Message

As we reflect on today’s news and consider the impact of current events in our lives as A&P professors—and humans—I thought it would be a good time to revisit the closing segment of last April’s annual debriefing/prediction episode (episode 153) of The A&P Professor podcast. That closing segment was not the usual wrap-up—it was a brief audio essay exhorting educators to be vigilant and stay connected with one another. Now, more than ever.

Click anywhere on the player graphic below or click the link AandP.info/sci-356-audio to listen to this 5-minute audio clip.

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A growing body of work suggests the brain shifts into a risk-prone, negativity-biased mode after midnight. Attention tilts to threats, reward systems change, and inhibition drops. This may help explain higher rates of self-harm and substance misuse overnight and calls for better support for night owls and shift workers.

A&P teaching tip: When covering circadian biology, ask students to predict late-night decision pitfalls from hormone and neural-circuit changes—then connect to study habits and lab safety after dark.

‘Universal’ Kidney Moves Closer

The kidney being prepared in the lab. (Nature Biomedical Engineering)

Researchers enzymatically stripped A-antigens from a donor kidney to make an enzyme-converted type-O organ. Transplanted into a brain-dead recipient, it functioned for days with a muted immune response, though antigens partially rebounded. It’s not clinic-ready, but it points to shorter wait times by loosening ABO constraints.

A&P teaching tip: Review ABO glycoproteins on endothelium and how “molecular paint-stripping” can change compatibility—then trace the immune rejection pathways.

Hidden Smell Loss After COVID

Objective tests show many people who had COVID-19 underreport hyposmia or anosmia—even years later. Millions may have dulled olfaction they don’t notice. Smell matters for safety, nutrition, and cognition, so routine screening could help.

A&P teaching tip: Add a quick smell ID test to sensory labs and tie results to olfactory epithelium support cells, neural pathways, and daily risks like gas leaks or spoiled food.

Can a Disconnected Cortex Be ‘Awake’?

EEG from patients after hemispherotomy shows deep-sleep-like slow waves in the isolated hemisphere for months to years. Findings suggest absent or reduced awareness in functionally disconnected cortex. This sharpens how we read biomarkers of consciousness.

A&P teaching tip: Contrast EEG signs of consciousness with behavior—integrate sleep physiology, anesthesia, and clinical neuro cases.

Brain Anticipation Primes Immunity

From: Neural anticipation of virtual infection triggers an immune response a, VR setup. Participants were first exposed to a neutral avatar (baseline) and then assigned to one of three cohorts encountering neutral, infectious or fearful avatars in a second session. b, PPS task. Participants responded to tactile stimuli on their face, delivered either in empty space (unisensory) or combined with an avatar approaching (multisensory). Tactile stimuli (flash icon) were presented at five delays, with the avatar located at one of five distances (D5 = far, D1 = near). c, PPS representation across cohorts. Reaction times (RTs) to multisensory stimuli were normalized by unisensory RTs (dotted line) and plotted by avatar distance. Shaded areas illustrate the PPS gradient, defined by significantly faster multisensory RTs (P < 0.05, corrected; paired-sample t-tests); N = 15 per cohort. Data are shown as mean ± s.e.m. (see Supplementary Table 3 for full statistics).

In VR, “infectious” avatars entering peripersonal space activated fronto-parietal and salience networks. Early immune shifts appeared in innate lymphoid and NK cells, echoing a flu-vaccine control. Anticipation alone can ready the immune system.

A&P teaching tip: Map a fast brain-to-immune pathway—from hypothalamus and autonomic outflow to immune cell activation—and ask how perception changes physiology.

Kevin Patton comment→ The first segment of TAPP episode 9 discusses peripersonal neurons.

How Students Should Practice

According to Justin Shaffer, high-structure design builds guided prep before class, active problem-solving during class, and retrieval practice after. It reduces busy work and boosts engagement. Evidence shows it can narrow performance gaps.

A&P teaching tip: Give a one-page reading guide, a low-stakes pre-quiz, and an in-class case each week—then cap it with spaced retrieval.

Practice That Sticks (TAPP 148)

This episode of The A&P Professor podcast interviews Justin Schaffer (featured in the item above), who connects strong course structure with how students actually practice. It walks through a weekly rhythm—clear prep, focused in-class work, and post-class retrieval—that builds durable memory. Practical tips show how spacing, interleaving, and feedback loops help A&P learners study smarter.

A&P teaching tip: Share the “weekly rhythm” with your class. Give a one-page plan that names prep, in-class tasks, and specific retrieval steps—then model how to use it on a real A&P topic.

To listen to this episode, click on the play button above ⏵ (if present) or this link→ theAPprofessor.org/podcast-episode-148.html

First Pig Liver Support in a Human

The liver came from a genetically modified cloned pig with ten gene edits. Pexels

Surgeons in China grafted a gene-edited pig liver lobe onto a patient’s remaining liver. It produced bile and clotting factors for 38 days while the human liver recovered. The patient lived 171 days—proof that temporary xenografts can bridge liver failure.

A&P teaching tip: Revisit liver functions and immunology—ask which edits and drugs target each rejection mechanism.

The A&P Professor Science & Education Updates

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