Axon Automotive

Nature has again proven effective in treating health conditions, this time nerve injury. According to a new study, a compound found in the blessed thistle plant accelerates the regeneration of damaged nerves, restoring motor function and touch sensation.

Spinal cord injuries are among the most debilitating. In a new breakthrough study, Northwestern University researchers have developed a gel containing “dancing molecules” that allowed paralyzed mice to walk again four weeks after a single injection.

German scientists have restored the ability to walk in mice that had been paralyzed by a complete spinal cord injury. The team created a “designer” signaling protein and injected it into the animals’ brains, stimulating nerve cells to regenerate.

Axons, the long nerve fibers that pass signals between neurons, can't regenerate after injury. But now researchers have found that boosting a certain protein helps patch up axons, returning more movement and feeling to mice with spinal cord injuries.

UK car manufacturer Axon Automotive has previewed its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. The car combines full electric mode for short-run travel and a petrol or bioethanol-powered engine for longer distances.

Carbon composites: as strong as steel, with only 40% of the weight - and now no more expensive than metal, says Axon, as the company plans to release a lightweight, 100mpg carbon-composite hatchback in 2010.

July 28, 2006 Caterham is famed for producing some of the fastest cars in the world, and we tend to give the cars regular coverage because they offer a bang-pe