"Potentially, our work could offer something to help people suffering from a variety of problems".
In what is a major breakthrough thanks to new research, scientists are claiming they have found a potential cure for hair loss, The Manc reports.
With statistics and estimations showing that approximately 85% of men and 40% of women will be affected by hair loss at some point in their lives, researchers at the University of California Riverside have been studying hair follicles in depth to try and find out as much as possible.
In a new study published in the Biophysical Journal, the team at UC Riverside explained that they decided to focus on hair follicles as they're the only organ in humans that regenerates automatically and regularly, even if they haven't been injured - and it's from this research that they they discovered that just a single chemical is the key cause for hair follicle cells dividing and dying.
They discovered a type of protein named TGF-beta.
TGF-beta controls the process in which cells in hair follicles - including stem cells - divide and form new cells, or orchestrate their own death, which eventually leads to the death of the whole hair follicle.
But could this be reversed and successfully cure baldness and heal wounds? Scientists hope so.
Explaining more about the discovery in the study, UC Riverside mathematical biologist and study co-author Qixuan Wang said: "In science fiction when characters heal quickly from injuries, the idea is that stem cells allowed it.
Scientists have discovered a potential cure for baldness thanks to new research / Credit: Tengyart (via Unsplash)
"In real life, our new research gets us closer to understanding stem cell behaviour, so that we can control it and promote wound healing."
"TGF-beta has two opposite roles," Wang added.
"It helps activate some hair follicle cells to produce new life, and later, it helps orchestrate apoptosis, the process of cell death."
While no one is entirely sure why follicles kill themselves, and some hypotheses suggest it's a trait inherited from animals shedding fur to survive hot summer temperatures, or trying to camouflage, what we do know is that with TGF-beta, as is the same with many chemicals, it's the amount that makes the difference, and if the cell produces a certain quantity of TGF-beta, then it activates cell division.
Wang continued: "Even when a hair follicle kills itself, it never kills its stem cell reservoir [as] when the surviving stem cells receive the signal to regenerate, they divide, make new cell and develop into a new follicle."
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Of course, there's still some way to go until baldness is cured - however, researchers have suggested that it may be possible to activate follicle stem cells and stimulate hair growth if more research is carried out on how TGF-beta communicates with other genes and promotes cell division.
If they can find a way to accurately control levels of the protein, then it could lead to an effective treatment for hair loss.
"Potentially, our work could offer something to help people suffering from a variety of problems," Wang concluded.
The beautiful spa town of Ilkley has been crowned the best place to live in the north of England by The Sunday Times.
The results are in, and our very own Ilkley has taken the top spot for the north and north-east category.
The list posted but the Sunday Times every year, features 72 locations across the UK that they deem are the best spots to settle down in.
Judges visited each location to take in the atmosphere, explore the history and chat to the locals to find out what made each place so special.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
It's not the first time the wonderful spa town of Ilkley has been praised, having been the national winner back in 2022 it's no stranger to taking home the trophy.
The judging panel said about Ilkley: “It’s not just the fresh air, fantastic scenery, excellent schools and direct trains to Leeds that make Ilkley this year’s pick of the north and northeast. It’s the get-up and go of a community that tackles every challenge with gusto.”
"It's hard to imagine anywhere with more opportunities for youngsters."
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Also getting a mention in the regional category was Horsforth, which was recommended for its transport links, brilliant local schools and thriving social scene.
The guide said: "The city is Yorkshire's economic powerhouse - but for something a bit greener, a bit more family friendly, it's hard to better Horsforth's streets of sandstone houses."
Elsewhere up north, Sheffield got a special shoutout where the judges said: "Burgeoning creative industries and judicious regeneration are igniting interest in previously overlooked postcodes ... Hipsters and happy families alike are celebrating, welcoming, embracing, loving this city-wide vibe."
So if you fancy escaping the hustle and bustle of the city centre, then why not hop on a train and visit the best place to live up north and see for yourselves what the fuss is all about.
Adolescence tops Netflix charts with more than 24 million views in four days
Emily Sergeant
New British series Adolescence has shot right to the top of Netflix’s most-watched TV charts after more than 24 million people tune in.
Hitting the streaming platform just last Thursday, Adolescence is a four-part limited series about a 13-year-old boy who is accused of murdering one of his classmates, with each episode remarkably being filmed in one unflinching and continuous shot.
This truly gripping story unfolds in real time as the main characters search for answers in the wake of a shocking tragedy.
Who is actually responsible? Why did it happen? And could it have been prevented?
Image: Netflix
Co-created and written by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, with Graham starring alongside an ensemble cast of accomplished actors such as Ashley Walters and Erin Doherty, as well as screen newcomer Owen Cooper as the young boy Eddie Miller, accused of murder, the show tells the story of how a family’s world is turned upside.
“We could have made a drama about gangs and knife crime, or about a kid whose mother is an alcoholic or whose father is a violent abuser,” Stephen Graham said ahead of the show‘s release.
Image: Netflix
“Instead, we wanted you to look at this family and think, ‘My God, this could be happening to us.’ And what’s happening here is an ordinary family’s worst nightmare.”
Over the course of the four intense one-shot episodes, the show shines a uncomfortable spotlight on and examines key themes such as male rage, the dangers of social media, cyberbullying, incel culture, and more.
The latest viewing figures show that Adolescence undoubtedly has been a runaway hit, with a whopping 24.3 million views amassed in its first four days of availability, making it the streaming platform’s top show for the week of 10-16 March.
Image: Netflix
As the show continues to garner universal acclaim, standing at 98% on notable critic website Rotten Tomatoes, those viewing figures are set to clock up thick and fast as the days go on.
While Adolescence and Jamie’s story isn’t based on a real person or event specifically, Graham, Thorne, and director Philip Barantini have confirmed that the idea for the series did spring from reports that co-creator Graham had heard about on the news of young boys being involved in knife crimes – particularly the shocking 2021 murder of Ava White in Liverpool.
Much of Adolescence was filmed in Pontefract in West Yorkshire, with the casting of Cooper in the role of Jamie ultimately influencing where the show was shot.
“We knew it was going to be set somewhere in the North of England, and we also knew it would be from somewhere around wherever our Jamie was from – in this case near Warrington – because it would have been unfair to make him do an accent,” explained director Philip Barantini.
All four episodes of Adolescence are now available to stream on Netflix.
The Hoot -
27th July 2022 
