Scientific American
Electronic paternity tests and other bad ideas before the dawn of the DNA era
In the first decades of the 20th century, scientists around the world proposed a fantastic array of new methods to ...
These dietary supplements could slow your aging. But they might also increase your cancer risk.
As the world’s aging population grows rapidly, so has its appetite for health tips, tricks and products that could help ...
Attacking cancer tumors with next generation CAR-T cell therapies
In 2017, the first immuno-oncology cell therapies, known as chimeric antigen receptor T cells, or CAR T, were approved by the ...
Do creative minds draw inspiration from a special place in the brain?
By using the dorsomedial part of what scientists refer to as the brain’s “default network,” creative people can stretch their ...
Do we really seek partners who look like our parents?
Time and again, we’ve heard the assertion that we’re attracted to partners who look like our parents. … An example ...
FDA cracking down on unregulated dietary supplements, which it contends are almost all ineffective
The FDA recently announced that it plans to increase its oversight of the multi-billion dollar supplement industry. This would include ...
A single ‘live’ vaccine could fortify immune systems against measles and other diseases
Maria was eligible to participate in a clinical trial to test whether an extra dose of measles vaccine prevented not ...
There’s something in elderly blood that hurts our brains. Is this protein the culprit?
Something in elderly blood is bad for brains. Plasma from old mice or humans worsens cognition and biological indicators of ...
Women are freezing their eggs for use later. Will they be viable when thawed?
Because eggs are one of the most important factors in female fertility, and both their quality and quantity declines with ...
AI’s surprising development of ‘number sense’ mimics that of human babies
Training software that emulates brain networks to identify dog breeds or sports equipment is by now old news. But getting ...
Unintended benefits of ‘the pill’: Fewer mood swings and better relationships?
I was intrigued to learn that taking birth control pills could reduce period-related mood swings and that it had other beneficial effects ...
Viewpoint: AI may boost our diagnostic abilities, but it’s not ready to replace human doctors
I read a recent article in Nature Medicine about new inroads in deploying artificial intelligence (AI) in pediatrics. In the article, researchers ...
Does LSD microdosing change how people see the world?
You’ve probably heard about microdosing, the “productivity hack” popular among Silicon Valley engineers and business leaders. Microdosers take regular small doses of LSD ...
When culture clashes with science: Teaching evolution to Tibetan monks
“We believe that we came into existence when an ogress mated with a monkey. Is that possible?” The question comes ...
Brain sync studies could lead to better connections between patients and therapists
A growing cadre of neuroscientists is using sophisticated technology ... to capture what happens in one brain, two brains, or ...
Ketamine for depression—what we know about how it changes the brain
The FDA's approval [of ketamine for depression] marks the first genuinely new type of psychiatric drug—for any condition—to be brought ...
‘Crystal ball’ for disease? Genetic tests could predict risk of Alzheimer’s, heart disease, cancer
If a crystal ball could reveal your personal risk for developing heart disease or breast cancer or Alzheimer's disease, would ...
Treating OCD and other anxiety disorders with brief, intensive therapy
For nearly 20 years [Thomas] Ollendick has been testing briefer, more intensive forms of [cognitive-behavioral therapy] for childhood anxiety disorders ...
Restoring sense of smell with a brain implant
After a concussion left [Scott] Moorehead without a sense of smell six years ago, these losses were all he could ...
‘Glioblastoma-on-a-chip’ could boost efforts to treat deadliest human cancer
The most common form of malignant brain cancer—called a glioblastoma—is notoriously wily and considered the deadliest human cancer. … [R]esearchers ...
Why we need to get better at analyzing all of that disease data we’ve been collecting
Our ability to collect data far outpaces our ability to fully utilize it—yet those data may hold the key to ...
Can ‘flashing light and pulsing sounds’ counter the effects of Alzheimer’s?
Bathing patients in flashing light and pulsing sounds both tuned to a frequency of 40 hertz might reverse key signs ...
Conservation genomics: Better understanding of DNA could save some species from extinction
Disease, predators and shrinking habitats led to a complete loss of Hawaii’s only remaining lineage of the crow family, the ...
Vulnerability to mental illness may have given humans an evolutionary advantage
Nearly one in five Americans currently suffers from a mental illness, and roughly half of us will be diagnosed with ...
Can adult brains grow new neurons? New study says yes.
If the memory center of the human brain can grow new cells, it might help people recover from depression and ...
New Alzheimer’s theory: Could be the result of an infection by ‘viruses, bacteria and fungi’
[I]n some places, Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of death, and the number of Alzheimer’s patients is expected to triple by 2050. However, ...
Insomnia linked to neuropsychiatric disorders rather than ‘sleep regulation’, genetic studies show
[T]wo studies published [March 11] in Nature Genetics provide first peeks at the biological basis of insomnia, implicating specific brain regions and ...
