Health & Medicine

How the Supreme Court Gene Patent Decision Will Affect Biotech

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:27:24 GMT

Naturally occurring human genes cannot be patented, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously today, paving the way for cheaper gene testing for patients. The decision centered on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, mutated versions of which can dramatically increase an individual's risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Myriad Genetics, a Utah company, was the first to sequence those genes, and they patented the sequence in 1996. Since then, Myriad had enjoyed a monopoly as the only company that can provide

Faroe Islands Aim to Sequence Genes of Entire Country

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:00:00 GMT

The country is offering whole genome sequencing to every citizen who wants it — a project that will chart the way for the future of genomic medicine.

Graphene and Nanotubes Will Replace Silicon in Tomorrow's Nano-Machines

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Physicist and novelist Paul McEuen says one day nanobots will carry medicine through your bloodstream and rebuild your brain's circuitry.

Cancer Has Afflicted People Since Prehistoric Times

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:00:00 GMT

The idea that cancer is a modern disease is a common misconception — one that the fossil record reveals to be untrue.

Why is This Young Woman Tired All the Time?

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Doctors suspect hypersomnia, but the answer lies deeper in this sleep addict's brain.

Even Our Ancestors Never Really Ate the "Paleo Diet"

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 19:32:09 GMT

By Carrie Arnold Despite its name, the Paleo Diet is a new food trend, one which has become increasingly popular in recent years. The diet’s basic tenet is that our bodies haven’t yet evolved to cope with the changes to our food intake as a result of agriculture. Paleo Diet aficionados hold that grains like wheat are making us fat and unhealthy, and that we would be far better off if we ate how our ancient ancestors did, focusing on lean meats, fruits and vegetables. What researchers haven

New Health Metrics Measure Life, Not Death

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:30:00 GMT

Life, Not Death, is Focus of New Health Metrics

Fri, 31 May 2013 10:00:00 GMT

This maverick researcher wants to replace conventional death statistics with data on how well we live.

20 Things You Didn't Know About... Beer

Wed, 29 May 2013 20:00:00 GMT

Sate your thirst for knowledge with these facts about beer's ancient origins, health benefits and surprising chemistry.

Electrode Implants Help Paralyzed Patient Back Onto His Feet

Wed, 29 May 2013 03:00:00 GMT

Electrical stimulation offers hope for adults with spinal cord injuries to learn to walk again.

Medical Research Needs a Collaborative Funding Model

Tue, 14 May 2013 23:30:00 GMT

The current system of competitive grants isn't the best way to finance medical research.

Why You Crave Sugary Foods Even if They Taste Like Crap

Wed, 08 May 2013 17:08:18 GMT

When, in a moment of weakness, you reach for that chocolate donut or bag of jelly beans, to all appearances your tastebuds are running the show. You imagine the snack's sweet taste; you might even salivate a little. If, on the other hand, these foods tasted like cardboard, you wouldn't be so tempted, right? Wrong. New research has found that it's not the taste of calorific foodstuffs that makes them enticing but rather their effects on our blood sugar. Our brain learns which foods are calorie

Heroin Vaccine Treats Drug Addiction in Rats

Mon, 06 May 2013 19:04:37 GMT

Relapse can be a particularly sinister aspect of drug addiction. Now scientists are getting closer to a vaccine that can bind heroin in the bloodstream and therefore prevent it from acting on the brain. A heroin vaccine has been sought after for some time to treat those with serious addictions. Like a vaccine for the flu or measles, a heroin vaccine would contain inactive pieces of the drug; this would train the immune system in the future to attack heroin in the bloodstream. The challenge ha

Antibiotic Protects Men from Being Too Trusting of Attractive Women

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:44:02 GMT

The ruse is common in spy movies---an attractive female saunters in at a critical moment and seduces the otherwise infallible protagonist, duping him into giving up the goods. It works in Hollywood and it works in real life, too. Men tend to say yes to attractive women without really scrutinizing whether or not they are trustworthy. But scientists have shown, for the first time, that a drug may be able to overcome this "honey trap," and help men make more rational decisions. Nearly 100

Hormone Boosts Insulin-Producing Cells in Diabetic Mice

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 14:00:27 GMT

Researchers have discovered a hormone that triggers the production of insulin-producing cells in mice, a development that could lead to better diabetes treatments in the future. Diabetics are short on insulin---in the case of type 1 diabetes, because their immune system attacks their beta cells (the body's insulin factories); in type 2 diabetes, because their body stops responding to insulin's signals. The latter condition is called insulin resistance. All told, diabetes affects an estimated

Watch This: Using Lasers to Manipulate Blood Flow in Live Mice

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:02:47 GMT

When you've got a clogged artery, your options are usually few and risky: anti-clotting drugs or surgery to unblock the clot or reroute blood flow past the blockage. But researchers in China have figured out how to use a laser to clog and then clear a blocked blood vessel in a live mouse, without surgery. This is the first time scientists have been able to externally manipulate cells inside a living animal, and it could lead to a safer way to unclog arteries in the future. The techniqu

Grandma's Experiences Leave a Mark on Your Genes

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 01:00:00 GMT

Your ancestors' lousy childhoods or excellent adventures might change your personality, bequeathing anxiety or resilience by altering the epigenetic expressions of genes in the brain.

Dog Owners Share Skin Microbes with Their Pooches

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:35:38 GMT

If you've ever seen the way dog people interact with their pets, it comes as no surprise that there's some germ-swapping going on there. A new study indicates that dog ownership specifically may be one of the biggest single contributors to what kinds of microbes live on your skin. A team of researchers led by Se Jin Song at the University of Colorado, Boulder, took swabs of the tongues, palms, forehead and feces of members of 60 family households. Some of the families had children or househol

Weaning Increases HIV Levels in Infected Mothers' Milk

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:01:38 GMT

Mothers with HIV risk passing the virus to their babies through breast milk, but now a study shows that the greatest risk of passing on the virus isn't correlated with the length of time a mother breastfeeds, but with the weaning period itself. When a mother has HIV, the chance of spreading that virus to her baby through breast milk is usually about 10 to 15 percent. If breastfeeding puts the baby at risk, one might assume that not breastfeeding would be the best solution. But breast milk a

Watch This: Bioengineered Kidney Transplanted Into Rat

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:58:06 GMT

When a patient's kidney stops functioning, the existing options are limited to transplant or continual dialysis. Now scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston are a little closer to having a third option: transplanting kidneys that have been "upcycled" from previously unusable tissue. To make these functioning and transplantable organs, the researchers begin with unusable donor organs. We'll use the rat kidney in the film below as an example. Flushing the kidney of its natura