Health
Gun control laws actually work, according to new research
In this week’s obvious news, laws that allow people to kill other people with guns have led to more people killing other people with guns. According to two new research papers, stricter firearm laws are associated with fewer firearm homicides, and the implementation of Florida’s stand-your-ground law was associated with[...]
Health
Juicing isn’t actually good for you and your diet is probably dumb
Full disclosure: I don't really get juicing. Don't get me wrong, I've slurped down some delicious veggie and ginger concoctions and done my fair share of shots of lemon and turmeric. But spending 10 bucks on—or trying to replace breakfast with—a beverage that essentially amounts to cold, sugary soup has[...]
Health
Scientists Grow Full-Sized, Beating Human Hearts From Stem Cells
Of the 4,000 Americans waiting for heart transplants, only 2,500 will receive new hearts in the next year. Even for those lucky enough to get a transplant, the biggest risk is the their bodies will reject the new heart and launch a massive immune reaction against the foreign cells. To[...]
Health
The End Of Root Canals?
What if damaged teeth could heal themselves? That's the inspiration behind a new project from Harvard and the University of Nottingham to create stem cell stimulating fillings.Dentists treat hundreds of millions of cavities each year by drilling out the decay and putting in a filling.But 10 to 15 percent of[...]
Health
How to not get a horrible brain parasite on your trip to Hawaii
You may have read a thing or two lately about the oh-so-grossly-named rat lungworm. This brain parasite isn't new, but only became routine in the United States in recent years.Angiostrongylus cantonensis favors tropical climes, and used to crop up only in Asia and some parts of the Caribbean. But after[...]
Health
Powdered Booze Could Fix Your Clogged Arteries
Fats and cholesterol that build up along the insides of blood vessels can limit the flow of blood around the heart, causing heart attacks or strokes. To treat this condition, called atherosclerosis, millions of Americans take drugs every day—the most popular of these, statins, alone cost up to $13 billion[...]
Health
Doctors successfully treat two babies with leukemia using gene-edited immune cells
In a study out this week in the journal Science Translational Medicine, a group of British doctors reported that they had successfully “cured” two infants of the blood cancer leukemia using a treatment that involves genetically modified immune cells from a donor.The study was incredibly small—just two babies—and the infants[...]
Health
Replace Your Eyeballs With Synthetic Ones
Our eyes are such elegant, complex, specialized organs that their existence seems almost hard to believe--Darwin himself called their evolution “absurd.” But that doesn’t mean they’re perfect; eyes sometimes don’t focus correctly, they break down over time, and they can be extremely painful if infected, irritated, or exposed to light[...]
Health
Dragon blood may help wounds heal faster
In some myths, dragon's blood is a toxic, vile substance. In others, it has magical properties, curing disease and making ordinary mortals invincible. When it comes to the blood of real-life Komodo dragons, both perspectives may contain a kernel of truth.According to a paper published today in Biofilms and Microbiomes,[...]
Health
Your brain stays half-awake when you sleep in a new place
If you’ve ever slept in a hotel, gone camping, or even slept over at a friend’s pad, chances are you’ve woken up the next day feeling groggy and bleary-eyed. Even if you don’t remember tossing and turning, you probably felt pretty tired the next day. Well, that’s because nature dies[...]
Health
Gun control laws actually work, according to new research
In this week’s obvious news, laws that allow people to kill other people with guns have led to more people killing other people with guns. According to two new research papers, stricter firearm laws are associated with fewer firearm homicides, and the implementation of Florida’s stand-your-ground law was associated with[...]
Health
Juicing isn’t actually good for you and your diet is probably dumb
Full disclosure: I don't really get juicing. Don't get me wrong, I've slurped down some delicious veggie and ginger concoctions and done my fair share of shots of lemon and turmeric. But spending 10 bucks on—or trying to replace breakfast with—a beverage that essentially amounts to cold, sugary soup has[...]
Health
1 in 4 kindergartners aren’t fully vaccinated in county with measles outbreak
The governor of Washington declared a state of emergency on Friday after 26 cases of measles erupted in Clark and King counties. As of February 5, that number is up to 50, all but two of which are in kids 18 years old or younger. There are 11 more potential[...]
Health
Scientists Grow Full-Sized, Beating Human Hearts From Stem Cells
Of the 4,000 Americans waiting for heart transplants, only 2,500 will receive new hearts in the next year. Even for those lucky enough to get a transplant, the biggest risk is the their bodies will reject the new heart and launch a massive immune reaction against the foreign cells. To[...]
Health
Scientists Grow Full-Sized, Beating Human Hearts From Stem Cells
Of the 4,000 Americans waiting for heart transplants, only 2,500 will receive new hearts in the next year. Even for those lucky enough to get a transplant, the biggest risk is the their bodies will reject the new heart and launch a massive immune reaction against the foreign cells. To[...]
Health
Vaccines don’t cause autism, another massive study confirms
We’re two decades past the publication of the now-retracted study that claimed to show a link between autism and the MMR vaccine, but we can’t seem to shake its effects. The physician who lead the study committed fraud and has had his medical license revoked. Numerous studies have demonstrated the[...]