Category Archives: News & Archives

Toxic Algae May Be Linked to Fatal Liver Disease in Some Areas, Study Says

Residents who live near large blue-green algae blooms are at a higher risk to develop fatal nonalcoholic liver diseases than those who don't, according to a study from Ohio State University. Cyanobacteria blooms, such as the one last summer in Martin, Lee, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties that prompted a state of emergency, contain the toxins microcystin, nodularin…

The riskiest vaccine? The one that is not given

Last week, public health authorities in Minnesota asked more than 200 people to quarantine themselves after 12 cases of measles were diagnosed in less than 2 weeks—all of them in unvaccinated children younger than 6 years. Across the ocean, an unvaccinated 17-year-old Portuguese girl died of measles after the virus invaded her lungs, in the…

Amino acids in diet could be key to starving cancer

Cutting out certain amino acids -- the building blocks of proteins -- from the diet of mice slows tumor growth and prolongs survival, according to new research published in Nature. Researchers at the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute and the University of Glasgow found that removing two non-essential amino acids -- serine and glycine --…

Giant viruses found in Austrian sewage fuel debate over potential fourth domain of life

Tourists visiting the town of Klosterneuburg in eastern Austria often head for the 12th century monastery or the nearby memorial to author Franz Kafka. Virologists and evolutionary biologists, however, may one day pay homage to the town's sewage treatment plant, which has yielded a genome that appears to be from the most cell-like viruses yet.…

Most cancer mutations are due to random DNA copying ‘mistakes’

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists report data from a new study providing evidence that random, unpredictable DNA copying "mistakes" account for nearly two-thirds of the mutations that cause cancer. Their research is grounded on a novel mathematical model based on DNA sequencing and epidemiologic data from around the world. "It is well-known that we…

UNSW scientists unveil a giant leap for anti-aging

UNSW researchers have identified a critical step in the molecular process that allows cells to repair damaged DNA – and it could mean big things for the future of anti-ageing drugs, childhood cancer survivors and even astronauts. UNSW researchers have made a discovery that could lead to a revolutionary drug that actually reverses ageing, improves DNA…

Key to Tardigrades’ ‘Superpowers’ Identified in Their DNA

Microscopic, blobby-bodied tardigrades — also known as "water bears" — are famed for their ability to survive in extreme conditions, even appearing to come back from the dead. But although tardigrades' hardiness has intrigued scientists for over 250 years, the mechanisms that enable these animals to recover after drying out for a decade or longer…

Gene found to cause sudden death in young people

Researchers from Canada, South Africa and Italy have identified a new gene that can lead to sudden death among young people and athletes. The gene, called CDH2, causes arrhythmogenic right ventricle cardiomyopathy (ARVC), which is a genetic disorder that predisposes patients to cardiac arrest and is a major cause of unexpected death in seemingly healthy…

Colorectal Cancer Rates Rise Sharply in Younger US Adults

Colorectal cancer rates are on the rise among millennials and Gen Xers in the U.S., a new study finds. The findings come as rates of these cancers have continued to decline in adults ages 55 and up, according to the study. People in the U.S. born in 1990 now have double the risk of colon…

Researchers Have Found a Way to Delay Aging

FOCUSING ON THE CELL’S POWER HOUSE More and more, scientists are becoming convinced that aging is a disease that can be stopped or, at least, slowed. Recently, researchers from Russia and Sweden investigated this idea further in a joint study by Lomonosov Moscow State University and Stockholm University. Their study, published in the journal Aging, focuses on the…