Ed Cara
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
‘Stuck on the spin cycle’: Probiotic supplements linked to ‘brain fog’
Given their current popularity, you might assume that probiotics—capsules containing a mix of “good” bacteria that are said to rebalance ...
Ancient worms resurrected after spending more than 32,000 years on ice
A team of Russian scientists is lining themselves up to be the opening cast of a John Carpenter film. Earlier ...
Genetic data share: 23andMe partners with drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline
23andMe customers might just play a role in helping create one of Big Pharma’s next blockbuster drugs. On [July 25, ...
Could beef jerky trigger manic episodes for some people?
There is no singular cause of mental illness. Any number of things—our genes, environment, and even social mores—play a role in ...
Why our earliest memories are often imagined
If life is but a tapestry, then memory is the thread. But some of those threads may simply be imagined: ...
Cancer drug duo could lengthen life, boost elderly immune system
Drugs that can lengthen life have long been a hallmark of speculative science fiction—many hope for an invention that could ...
No longer a fringe theory? Herpes virus can spark ‘cascade of events’ leading to Alzheimer’s
For decades, the idea that a bacteria or virus could help cause Alzheimer’s disease was dismissed as a fringe theory ...
Cancer patient’s ‘spontaneous remission’—not her diet—will be included in Harvard study
Over the past few weeks, multiple media outlets have written about Kathy Bero, a 54-year-old woman who claims her breast cancer 12 years ago ...
Does birth control affect who women are attracted to?
A commonly touted theory about how women’s attraction to men works might be all wrong, suggests a new paper published this week ...
Quest to figure out why our hair turns gray yields new answer
Scientists think they’ve stumbled upon a newly discovered mechanism that could explain why some people’s hair turns gray and others ...
Night owls more likely to eat poorly, use drugs, die earlier
Night owls may be more fun at parties, but a preference for staying out late may come with some serious ...
Could LSD treat schizophrenia and depression?
A small new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience seems to offer some insight into what’s happening in the brain while we’re on ...
75% of transgender women report ‘positive changes in their life satisfaction’ after surgery
While many transgender people opt for gender-affirming surgeries, little research has been done to examine how such operations may affect ...
Possible breakthrough in one-a-day male birth control pill?
One of the latest experimental candidates for a male birth control drug is a compound that would be taken much ...
Staying ‘highly physically fit’ could stave off dementia by nearly 90%
The intricacies behind what can cause dementia are still largely a mystery and highly debated. But a new study published [March ...
Controversial natural supplement kratom draws FDA’s ire after Salmonella outbreak
It’s no secret that the Food Drug Administration isn’t a fan of kratom, a popular herb purported to help people with digestive ...
