Ben Locwin
‘Public Panic Pandemic’: How our reaction to the coronavirus makes things worse than they should be
Deconstructing the epidemiology of a global panic ...
Tired all the time? Searching for genetic links to chronic fatigue syndrome
The hard-to-define and hard-to-diagnose condition continues to baffle researchers searching for its root causes -- and potential treatments ...
Can we blame our genetics for overeating?
Are eating habits a matter of choice and discipline? What role do our genetics play in determining how much and ...
Can we reduce schizophrenia risk with prenatal supplements?
Schizophrenia has a clear genetic basis, but genes don't tell the whole story. The other factors that determine whether or ...
Why ending muscle wasting matters for curing cancer
Deterioration of muscle is the cause of death in many diseases, like cancer, but no treatments address this lethal symptom ...
Could a fake surgery really make you feel better?
Did you know placebo surgery occur? Some believe they are the next realm of understanding more about the effect of ...
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 ...
Looking for a memory boost? Forget crossword puzzles and get more sleep
People try numerous methods to stave off the memory decline associated with old age, but how many of them actually ...
Why does a drug work for you, but not for your sibling or friend? It’s in the genes
If you think you're not getting the same benefit from an over-the-counter medicine you've taken that others are getting, your ...
We know the placebo effect is biological. Is it also genetic?
We know that the placebo effect is in part biological: expectations of receiving a palliative leads to brain changes. Are ...
Getting to the roots of insomnia and what you can do about it
Ever struggle with sleep? Almost all of us will at some point our lifetime. Several factors are at play--including travel ...
Why all identical twins who are overweight are not identically obese
Identical twins have the same genomes, but they don't always look exactly the same, particularly in regards to weight. Science ...
Can’t get motivated? You may be able to blame your genes
Being apathetic may feel like following the path of least resistance. But studies of apathy in the brain show otherwise ...
Neurologic disorders may be linked to brain’s immune system
New research suggests there could be a link between certain disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, and the brain's inability to clear ...
There’s a reason you have trouble thinking and remembering when hunger sets in
Why is it so hard to think while you're hungry? Researchers now believe it may come down to one protein ...
Time to stop treating men and women the same when it comes to drug treatments
Studies have shown that males and females metabolize drugs differently, suggesting we should be spending more time studying those differences ...
Tick tock, circadian clock research wins Nobel Prize—and why it may help us sleep and travel to Mars
Our clock system is in organisms across the planet. Better understanding of our internal body rhythms may help pave the ...
Insomnia cures: Do drug remedies provide the kind of sleep that our brain needs?
People spend billions on sleep remedies. The act of sleep and artificially assisting sleep are not on the whole a ...
Unraveling the paradox: Why GMO drugs and GMO foods are treated differently by critics
Many of the people who express outrage over genetic modification of crops because it 'tinkers with nature' are supportive of ...
Does the ‘Nordic diet’ reduce stroke risk? Maybe, maybe not
Study gives teeth to claims that the Nordic diet--which limits foods to what people in Denmark, Sweden and other northern ...
Why identifying ‘autism genes’ is so elusive
Researchers are unlocking the mystery of autism's origin. Yes, it's mostly 'in the genes,' but what that means is one ...
Rare genetic diseases can arise from unsuspecting carriers
Discovery of the rare disease -- marked by blindness, deafness, fragile bones and albinism -- could lead to genetic screening ...
Colon cancer rates spiking among millennials, but no one knows why
It might be tempting for activists to blame GMOs for the rise in colon cancer rates among younger people, but ...
Behold the octopus: Problem solver, tool user and now, gene editor
The more we learn about octopuses and squids, the more mysterious they become. The ability to edit their own RNA ...
This year’s flu vaccine has been 50% effective, and that’s not shabby
This season's vaccine was more effective than those of the previous two years at reducing influenza-related hospitalizations ...
Fatty acids: How do all those omegas affect your health?
Omega 7 fatty acids are suddenly the rage in health circles. They are found in macadamia nuts, certain meats and ...
Polio eradicated? Health officials mobilizing against AFM–rare polio-like condition
Cases of a rare condition that is characterized by polio-like symptoms have ballooned in North America and elsewhere. Here is ...
