Rather than hoping for the emergence of some new ‘party of the left,’ EMMA DENT COAD sees a broad alliance of local parties and community groups as a way of reviving democratic progressive politics
Hormones and control
The flexibility of the hormonal system in humans means that our biology is increasingly in our own hands, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
LIFE-CHANGING: A selection of contraceptive pill packs
In the second of two articles, DANIEL POWELL looks behind the headlines celebrating Ukrainian resistance to a complex reality of neonazi battalions, forced conscription and sabotaged peace deals
ANSELM ELDERGILL draws attention to a legal case on Tuesday in which a human rights group is challenging the government’s decision to allow the sale of weapons used against Palestinians
The obfuscation of Nazism’s capitalist roots has seen imperialism redeploy fascism again and again — from the killing fields of Guatemala to the war in Ukraine, writes PAWEL WARGAN
From Workers’ Memorial Day to May Day rallies, TOM MORRISON examines the real challenges facing the labour movement as Reform UK’s glossy literature exploits legitimate grievances in traditional left strongholds
Calls have been made for the return to Venezuela of a two-year-old girl currently being held in the US, after being separated from her family by immigration officials, reports SUSAN GREY
A MULTICELLULAR organism is a spectacular thing. Like all other multicellular beings, we have cells that co-ordinate with each other during growth to diversify into different types. The co-ordination of this process in itself is an extraordinary endeavour: the average adult human is made up of about 30 trillion human cells of around 200 types.
There are several systems by which cells respond to and produce information. Sensory organs can produce triggers, the nervous system acts as an electrically based electrical wiring for superfast connectivity, and individual cells themselves can react to physical forces or to chemicals. These signalling chemicals, most of which circulate in our blood, are known as hormones.
Any circulating chemical that triggers change can be classified as a hormone, meaning they are a diverse group of chemicals. Some trigger organ growth, and those organs then go on to produce other hormones.
More from this author
A maverick’s self-inflicted snake bites could unlock breakthrough treatments – but they also reveal deeper tensions between noble scientific curiosity and cold corporate callousness, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
Science has always been mixed up with money and power, but as a decorative facade for megayachts, it risks leaving reality behind altogether, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
A small Japanese trial has reported some positive results for stem cell therapy to treat spinal-cord injuries
Man-made canals like Panama and Suez face unprecedented challenges from extreme weather patterns and geopolitical tensions that reveal the fragility of our global trade networks, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
