Half of the cells in the brain are neurons, the other half are glial cells.
When scientists first discovered glia over a century ago, they thought that they simply held the neurons together. Their name derives from a Greek word that means glue.
In the past decade, researchers have come to understand that glial cells do so much more: They communicate with neurons and work closely with the immune system and might be critical in how we experience pain. They even play an important role in regulating the digestive tract.
Ira is joined by Yasemin Saplakoglu, a staff writer at Quanta Magazine who has reported on these lesser-known cells.
Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.
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640: CRISPR-Based Sickle Cell Treatment | Pain Tolerance From Neanderthals
637: How Poisons Have Shaped Life On Earth
635: Placenta Research May Help Explain Pregnancy Loss
634: A Common Cold Medicine Ingredient Doesn’t Work. What Now?
633: Diving Into Elon Musk’s Mind
636: RSV Drug Shortage & Beech Leaf Disease
632: When Studying Ecology Means Celebrating Its Gifts
632: Unlocking The Mysteries Of A Metal-Rich Asteroid
631: Rapidly Evolving Trout & Ancient Hyper-Apex Predators
630: Finding Meaning In The Cosmos
630: ‘Clean Hydrogen Hub’ Awardees & Formula One Car Paint
628: What Is Your Cat Doing When You're Not Watching?
629: The Stories Of The First Six Women Astronauts
627: A Mathematician Asks ‘Is Math Real?’
628: The mRNA Vaccine Revolution
626: Ancient Human Footprints & 'Ring Of Fire' Eclipse
623: Saltwater Wedge In The Mississippi & Kenya's Geothermal Boom
625: How Artists And Scientists Collaborated To Make Art About HIV
622: Full-Body MRIs Promise To Detect Disease Early. Do They Work?
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