ablating
ay-BLAY-ting
Definition
The surgical, chemical, or genetic removal or destruction of a body part, tissue, or neural structure to study its function or treat a condition.
Etymology
Derived from the Latin 'ablatus', meaning 'carried away', which is the past participle of 'auferre'. In modern scientific and medical contexts, it specifically refers to the removal or destruction of organic matter.
In the news
The article uses this term to describe the experimental removal of AgRP neurons in mice to see if they were necessary for the drug's weight-loss effects, highlighting how scientists test biological necessity.
Scientists assumed semaglutide’s long-term effects would depend on silencing the brain’s hunger neurons. But a Yale-led study published in PNAS in August 2026 found that prolonged treatment recruited these neurons in female mice—and disrupting them w
Read the full article ↗ScienceBlog.com