My mother’s pain has hovered over my entire life. As a child I heard her screams at night, accompanied her to hospitals, watched her careful pill counting with mounting anxiety as the end of the prescription approached. I saw how some people recoiled from her frantic energy in emergency rooms and on the street.…
Bagpipes and other wind instruments produce beautiful music, but they can also be prime breeding grounds for molds and fungi. Players then regularly breathe in those creatures, and can develop inflamed lungs as a result—or even a fatal lung disease.
A lot of science fiction incorporates medicine—be it realistic, fantastic, futuristically life-enhancing, or horrific. A new project at Scotland’s University of Glasgow, dubbed “Science Fiction and the Medical Humanities,” aims to study creative visions of medical care, and one crowdsourced aspect of it needs your…
If you’re counting on technology to radically extend your lifespan, you’ll want to pay close attention to what’s happening with the Greenland shark. According to a new scientific paper, this mysterious deep-sea dweller can live up to 400 years, making it the longest-lived vertebrate on Earth.
Hydrogel-based materials are the basis of many experiments in the science community, having been utilized in new ways to cool down buildings, make better condoms, and to generate soft tissues. They’re already used in contact lenses, and you can eat them with your Jello (or a version of them anyway).
There’s been a lot of finger-wagging of late about the health risks associated with sitting at a desk all day, or binge-watching our favorite TV shows. Now couch potatoes can rejoice because a new study has found that just an hour of moderate activity a day wipes out all the negative impacts of sedentary…
Scientists have discovered a microbe in the human nose that produces an antibiotic lethal to the MRSA superbug, among others. The discovery could lead to powerful new therapies to treat problematic bacterial infections, while also demonstrating the potential for the human body to produce bug-killing compounds.
An experimental medical device called the Harpoon TSD-5 is proving its worth in clinical trials, repairing heart valves with perfect success—and without the need to perform open-heart surgery.
The Soberlink Breathalyzer has received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration for medical use. The webcam- and GPS-enabled device allows rehab centers to remotely measure alcohol in a client’s breath, ensuring compliance with treatment.
Just days after shutting down tests of a groundbreaking new cancer therapy in the wake of three patient deaths, the US Food and Drug Administration has said the trials can resume. So what changed?
In today’s edition of Things That Shouldn’t Need Explaining, scientists have issued a warning against self-administered brain stimulation by do-it-yourself users online.
Clinical trials of a promising new therapy, in which white blood cells are reprogrammed to attack cancer cells, has resulted in the deaths of three patients. In response, the US Food and Drug Administration has ordered a temporary halt to the trial.
The hammer has finally dropped on blood-testing startup Theranos and its beleaguered CEO Elizabeth Holmes. US federal health regulators have announced their decision to ban Holmes from operating a lab for two years, while withdrawing regulatory approval for its California lab.
A new study suggests that compounds found in marijuana can stave off the brain damaging effects of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a promising discovery, but claims that pot can prevent this age-related brain disorder are premature. Put the pipe away, man.
Hand sanitizer is a constant presence in modern life, from your purse to your office desk to the automatic dispensers in airports and classrooms. Now the Food and Drug Administration says it’s looking for data on the safety and efficacy of these products.
For years, assistance dogs have been used to detect low blood sugar levels in their diabetic owners and warn of an impending hypoglycemia attack. Scientists have finally figured out how dogs are able to accomplish this feat—an insight that could lead to new medical sensors.
Bentley Yoder was born with his brain outside his skull. Doctors said he didn’t have a chance, but he not only survived—he thrived. Now, some seven months later, Bentley has undergone reconstructive surgery to move his brain back into his skull.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has granted clinical trial approval for an experimental Zika vaccine. The drug, which will be tested on a small sampling of human participants, arrives a mere five months after the World Health Organization declared Zika a public health emergency.
A Dalek standing in the foyer of the BBC’s broadcasting building in London was recently found to contain an interesting compound that could be used to solve an ongoing medical crisis.
A discouraging new study concludes that most antidepressants are ineffective for children and adolescents, and may even be harmful in some cases. But the researchers caution that the low quantity and quality of clinical trials are obscuring the true effects of these drugs.
