Gizmodo
The stuff that ‘makes magic mushrooms so magic’ moves closer to FDA approval for treating depression
The active ingredient that makes magic mushrooms so magic—the psychedelic drug psilocybin—is one step closer to becoming a legal treatment for ...
Why things aren’t looking good for cryogenically frozen people
Corpse-freezing hasn’t exactly gone mainstream, but most people are now familiar with the concept: you lay out a ton of ...
Chocolate labs plagued by consumer-driven ‘genetic bottleneck’
New research shows that chocolate Labrador retrievers are more likely to experience health problems and die younger compared to their ...
We started eating chocolate 1,500 years earlier than previously thought, paper says
New archaeological evidence suggests humans were cultivating and consuming cacao—the crop from which chocolate is produced—as long as 5,300 years ...
‘First drug of its kind’ flu medication gains approval
The flu vaccine remains the best proactive way to protect yourself and your loved ones from the influenza virus. But ...
Where did Europe’s original dogs go?
The first farmers to arrive in Europe from the Middle East brought their dogs along with them, effectively wiping out ...
Dogs and words: Do they really understand what we’re saying?
A new study by scientists at Emory University and published Monday [Oct. 15] in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience suggests dogs possess ...
Challenging earth’s oldest fossils: Critics say ‘there’s absolutely nothing biological about them’
Two years ago, researchers from the University of Wollongong in Australia shook the science world by claiming to have discovered ...
Does the internet ‘mess with your brain’? New international project aims to find out
As anyone who has spent any amount of time on Twitter can tell you, the internet can bring out the ...
Neanderthals’ healthcare skills helped them survive through Ice Age
Neanderthals cared for their sick and wounded, and new research suggests this well-documented behavior was more than just a cultural ...
Erectile dysfunction? If you carry this gene, you have a 26% increased risk
A group of scientists believe they’ve uncovered at least some of the genetic risk factors that can contribute to a ...
Understanding cancer risk: Why your genetic test results may need another look
The first wave of routine genetics testing has already helped millions of people learn about their hereditary risk for certain ...
Canada’s shady stem cell clinics
Doctors selling dubious stem cell treatments isn’t just a problem in the U.S., suggests a new study published in Regenerative Medicine. Clinics ...
Remembering last year like last week: Is a perfect memory a blessing or a curse?
The ability to remember every moment of your life sounds like an amazing proposition, but for the very few people ...
Mysterious ‘Ebola-like’ outbreak linked to synthetic marijuana
Since March, hundreds of people in the U.S. have come down with horrific, Ebola-like symptoms of bleeding. The initially mysterious ...
Mysterious fossil could be oldest known animal—if scientists can agree it is one
An international team of researchers is claiming to have discovered traces of cholesterol on a fossil of Dickinsonia—a mysterious creature that ...
Genetic Noah’s Ark intends to sequence DNA of 66,000 species
An international consortium involving over 50 institutions has announced an ambitious project to assemble high-quality genome sequences of all 66,000 ...
How crowdfunding is being used for ‘dubiuous, possibly dangerous’ alternative cancer treatments
It’s become a heartbreakingly common sight on the internet: People using crowdfunding sites to raise money for their expensive health ...
What do toddlers and chimpanzees have in common? They use the same unspoken language
Prior to developing the capacity for speech, toddlers communicate their desires, demands, and discontent using a diverse repertoire of physical ...
ALS patients more likely to have other mental, behavioral problems
Because ALS primarily affects a person’s motor neurons, it has been assumed that the disease spares a person’s mental faculties ...
White noise dangerous to your brain? There’s ‘reason to be skeptical’ of study
A recent research review suggests that white noise, the soothing, fuzzy soundtrack so many of us rely on to sleep ...
Opioid pain killer without risk of addiction? It may be possible
The ultimate goal of pain medicine—a powerful painkiller with few to no side effects, such as dependence or overdose—is still ...
Why is ‘party drug’ ketamine such a powerful treatment for depression?
In recent years, the party drug and anesthetic ketamine has been embraced as a rapidly-acting, if still off-label, medication for ...
23andMe study probes links between cannabis use and schizophrenia
There’s evidence of a connection between cannabis use and schizophrenia, but it’s unclear whether the drug leads to the disorder, ...
Robots could help autistic children communicate more effectively
As excited or terrified as we might be by the latest advances in robot technology, they’re still far from being ...
Put down the glass of wine: There’s ‘no such thing’ as safe alcohol consumption
You don’t have to go far to find people, including doctors and researchers, who will argue that a little bit of ...
Simulating near-death experiences with hallucinogenic drug DMT
Not everyone who is close to death—or thinks they are, at least—has a “near-death experience.” But those who do often ...
Is it possible for tired people to ‘spread’ their misery to others?
[A] new study out of the University of California, Berkeley suggests that poor sleep can be a nightmare for our social lives ...