Health & Medicine
Peter Thiel’s quest for immortality: Escaping death would create the highest form of inequality
Peter Thiel, tech-philanthropist and billionaire, surmised that “probably the most extreme form of inequality is between people who are alive ...
Are women more susceptible to Alzheimer’s than men?
White women whose genetic makeup puts them at higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease are more likely than white men to ...
Even ‘good’ HDL cholesterol can be dangerous at high concentrations
So-called "good" cholesterol, the HDL, anything above 60 mg/dl is considered protective against heart disease. That's because HDL facilitates removing ...
Unlocking the past: DNA ancestry tests rewrite family histories
A growing number of companies now offer DNA tests that promise to pinpoint a customer’s heritage and, with permission, to ...
Are women more emotional than men?
Are women in fact more emotionally expressive than men? New research by McDuff, Kodra, Kaliouby, & LaFrance suggests they are. And they aren’t. Women ...
Alzheimer’s shock: DNA ancestry tests often tell customers more than they want to know
People who use genetic tests to trace their ancestry only to discover that they are at risk of succumbing to ...
Blood test cancer diagnosis could be as easy as checking cholesterol
Imagine a world where it is as easy to check for cancer as it is high cholesterol. New research out of ...
Heart attack risk could be significantly reduced with simple anti-inflammatory medication
A clinical trial of more than 10,000 heart attack patients supports a novel way to protect them from a stroke ...
Disordered destiny: Eating disorders are 50-80 percent genetic
While more and more people have come to understand that eating disorders are diseases of the brain, there's still a widespread belief that ...
Genetic testing lags for mental illness, forcing parents to seek answers online
Genetic counseling for potential mental illness in children should be just as responsive as counseling for "physical" disease. Right now, ...
Male scientists can help fix STEM gender biases–why don’t they?
A vast literature of sociology research shows time after time, women in science are deemed to be inferior to men ...
Is sugar as addictive as hard drugs? Scientists say that’s ‘absurd’
An article suggesting that sugar should be considered an addictive substance, and could even be on a par with abusive ...
Debate rages over whether your DNA can help create a personalized diet
Companies now want to take the buzz over DNA testing one step further and market the tests as a way ...
Cheese and dairy consumption changed the shape of our jaws
Humans have small, slender heads and weaker jaws, because of our discovery of soft foods like cheese and dairy, a ...
First-ever gene-altering leukemia treatment approved by the FDA, uses patient cells to fight cancer
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the first-ever treatment that genetically alters a patient’s own cells to fight cancer, a milestone ...
Vulnerable system? What if world’s breadbaskets experience crop failure at same time?
Less than 25 percent of Earth’s cropland produces nearly 75% of the staple crops that feed us. Are globalization and ...
New ways to target low sperm count?
[Ahmad Khalil, Assistant Professor of Genetics and Genome Sciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine] and colleagues have ...
Breakthrough Novartis ‘living cell’ leukemia drug to debut but at $650,000 per treatment
When doctors talk about a new leukemia drug from Novartis, they ooze enthusiasm, using words like “breakthrough,” “revolutionary” and “a watershed ...
Ditch energy drinks? High doses of vitamin B supplements could raise cancer risks
A report published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology shows that male smokers who took high dose vitamin B6 and B12 supplements – ...
Genetic disease breakthrough research: 10 million novel variants found in Swedish population
An extensive exercise to map genetic variation in Sweden has found 33 million genetic variants, 10 million of which are ...
Lab-created virus-free gene-edited piglets could mark breakthrough of pig-human organ transplants
Researchers in the US have created gene-edited piglets that are free of viruses that could be harmful to humans. This ...
Aging breakthrough? Pruning old cells rejuvenates bone density in mice – could osteoporosis drugs be next?
Several studies have shown that pruning away old, inactive senescent cells can do wonders for aged mice, restoring their bald patches, strengthening ...
Reckless men? Increased testosterone linked to impulsive decisions
Impulsiveness can be measured in many ways. That chosen by Dr Nave and Dr Nadler was mathematical. In the largest ...
Viewpoint: Can yoga ‘reprogram’ our DNA? Don’t bet on it
One of the most persistent narratives latched on to by advocates of “integrative medicine” is that the “mind” can somehow ...
The story behind the well-funded opposition to block AquaBounty’s sustainable GMO salmon
Opposition to the world's first GMO animal approved for human consumption was fueled by a variety of sources --from quacks ...
Turning human ‘biosolids’ into fertilizer raises health concerns
New research suggests [that using sewage as fertilizer, also known as 'biosolids'] could be a problem, as contaminants are now ...
‘Genome cloaking’ and the quest to keep DNA test results private
Stanford University researchers have developed a tool to keep individual genetic information private, reducing the risk of discrimination by employers ...