Health & Medicine
Through the study and use of genetics, we can identify measures that could lead to the improvement of human health and wellness. These methods and procedures aim to prevent years of chronic disease and thousands of dollars in health care costs, and provide families and communities with knowledge of how to live healthier.
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
Breast cancer risk actually decreases as women under 55 gain weight, study shows
A new, large-scale breast cancer study of women who had not yet reached menopause produced a surprising result: as body ...
Monsanto, cancer patient’s lawyers face off on first day of Roundup-glyphosate weed killer trial
Opening statements began in federal court in San Francisco on [July 9] in the trial for the first of thousands ...
Gene-drive off-switch addresses concerns of releasing ‘genocidal’ mosquitoes into nature to control pests and disease
Researchers in the UK have developed the first ‘switchable’ gene drive system, potentially addressing fears that the use of gene ...
‘Astonished and appalled’: World Health officials shocked by US opposition to breast feeding resolution
A resolution to encourage breast-feeding was expected to be approved quickly and easily by the hundreds of government delegates who ...
Ghanian former anti-GMO farm leader reverses stance, now backs biotechnology innovation
Former National President of the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana Mohammed Adams Nasiru has dismissed concerns Genetically Modified Foods (GMO) ...
Ultimate hangover cure? Could the solution be found in a pill?
Nanocapsules containing a substance that can efficiently break down alcohol quickly could prevent alcohol poisoning, and could work as a ...
Immunotherapy can provide ‘spectacular results’. But how effective is it for the elderly?
Immunotherapy is effective against a variety of cancers, with sometimes spectacular results. But I worry about how effective it is in ...
5 things science gained from Henrietta Lacks’ cells
[Henrietta Lacks’ cancer cells,] HeLa cells, have enabled scientists around the world to make great leaps in science and medicine ...
Human womb transplants are possible. But do we need them?
As gynecologist and surgeon Liza Johannesson prepped to deliver the child via cesarean section, she was nervous. Not for the ...
Why daycare really might not be dangerous to your child’s health
Being around the large number of germs in daycare may actually improve your child's immune system. And we are now ...
‘Stupidity-inducing environment’: Are we getting dumber?
People are getting dumber. So concludes a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS): Using military conscription data ...
Artificial intelligence that can predict the future—or at least a small piece of it
There’s an artificial intelligence system that can peer into the future and anticipate what you’re about to do. … [F]ortune-telling ...
Battling constipation with synthetic biology and DNA manipulation
Ateam of researchers has cleverly combined synthetic biology, recombinant DNA technology and microbiome manipulation to fashion a novel targeted treatment ...
How artificial intelligence could transform the ‘art of medicine’
Every patient is unique, and the art of medicine is the component of the practice that addresses such uniqueness with ...
Viewpoint: ‘Indigenous Ways of Knowing’ fad threatens to undermine rigorous medical science
[There is one form of] special pleading that is gaining some currency, and that’s basically carving out an exception to ...
Are biosimilar drugs reliable replacements for their pricier counterparts?
Biologics are complex molecules, modifying our immune responses to specific chronic inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or irritable ...
California agency rejects Prop 65, sets aside ruling requiring that coffee carry a cancer warning
On [June 15th], the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) proposed a regulation that would exempt coffee from requiring ...
Fighting disease, not making money, focus of new Gates Foundation biotech institute
There’s a new biotech in town. And it doesn’t care about making money. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has ...
Why don’t men have longer, healthier lives? Blame it on the Y chromosome
New evidence indicates that the Y chromosome participates in an array of essential, general-interest tasks in men, like stanching cancerous ...
Viewpoint: Why a federal judge blocked mandatory California Prop 65 health warning labels on the herbicide glyphosate
Recently, a federal judge sitting in the Eastern District of California (Sacramento), for the first time, refused to require a ...
Viewpoint: How the organic industry spreads ‘fake science’
This fact sheet describes the contents of an organic industry confidential public relations plan to spread fake science in its ...
Viewpoint: Why we aren’t yet on the verge of a preemie prediction test
Earlier this month, I saw an interesting juxtaposition of newly-published papers making headlines. One was about predicting breast cancer recurrence ...
Growing replacement organs? New synthetic ‘boss’ cell could be key
The field of developmental biology is dedicated to one of the fundamental wonders of the universe: How do complex biological ...
Patenting the genes of marine creatures and why it could matter for research
From the tiniest microbe to the biggest whale, the ocean is teeming with life. For corporations and researchers, that biodiversity is ...
Can we eat our way to better sleep? Why probiotics might help
Our gut microbiome controls much more than we know - it even helps regulate the sleep cycle. Stressed medical students ...
Challenging the claim that a sex robot is the ‘perfect companion’
Sex doll maker Realbotix, in its marketing materials, bills [sex doll] Harmony as “the perfect companion.” But healthy companionship is too ...
Viewpoint: 3 reasons we should be concerned about artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence will in time bring extraordinary benefits to medical science, clean-energy provision, environmental issues, and many other areas. But precisely ...
