Category Archives: News & Archives

Climate change threatens to undermine the last half century of health gains

Climate change threatens to undermine the last half century of health gains
The threat to human health from climate change is so great that it could undermine the last fifty years of gains in development and global health, according to a major new Commission, published in The Lancet. However, the report provides comprehensive new evidence showing that because responses to mitigate and adapt to climate change have…
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World’s first biolimb: Rat forelimb grown in the lab

World’s first biolimb: Rat forelimb grown in the lab
The growth of a rat forelimb grown in the lab offers hope that one day amputees may receive fully functional, biological replacement limbs IT MIGHT look like an amputated rat forelimb, but the photo above is of something much more exciting: the limb has been grown in the lab from living cells. It may go…
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New test could reveal every virus that’s ever infected you

New test could reveal every virus that’s ever infected you
Can’t remember every viral infection you’ve ever had? Don’t worry, your blood can. A new test surveys the antibodies present in a person’s bloodstream to reveal a history of the viruses they’ve been infected with throughout their life. The method could be useful not only for diagnosing current and past illnesses, but for developing vaccines…
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A Computer Just Solved This 100 Year Old Biology Problem

A Computer Just Solved This 100 Year Old Biology Problem
Big data—and big processing power—is a big deal for science. By crunching massive amounts of data billions of times faster than could be done by hand, computers have allowed scientists to discover faraway planets, unravel our genetic code, and even find the subatomic particle responsible for gravity. But imagine a future in which computers don't…
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Cuban science comes in from the cold

Cuban science comes in from the cold
Ernesto Altshuler has a principle for doing science in one of the world's more challenging settings, Cuba. Faced with scant resources and a persistent brain drain, the University of Havana physicist says he became a “guerrilla scientist.” That didn't mean toting a Kalashnikov. “My strategy to survive as an experimental physicist was to violate the…
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Gene turns female mosquitoes into males

Gene turns female mosquitoes into males
The female of the species is more deadly than the male, the famed author Rudyard Kipling wrote, and that’s certainly true for the mosquito Aedes aegypti, also known as the yellow fever mosquito. Only females feast on human blood, transmitting not only yellow fever but also dengue and several other diseases. But what if you…
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Scientists resolve debate over how many bacteria fight off invaders

Scientists resolve debate over how many bacteria fight off invaders
Every inch of our body, inside and out, is oozing with bacteria. In fact, the human body carries 10 times the number of bacterial cells as human cells. Many are our friends, helping us digest food and fight off infections, for instance. But much about these abundant organisms, upon which our life depends, remains mysterious.…
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Relaxed DNA may contribute to aging

Relaxed DNA may contribute to aging
People with Werner syndrome—a rare disease with symptoms that mimic premature aging—usually go gray in their 20s, develop cataracts and osteoporosis in their 30s, and die before 60. Now, researchers have for the first time created a key class of versatile stem cells that carry the genetic defect that causes the condition. Their analysis suggests…
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Cancer Death Rate Declines Worldwide

Cancer Death Rate Declines Worldwide
The rate of deaths from cancer appears to be declining worldwide, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed information from death certificates in 60 countries between 2000 and 2010. The total number of cancer deathsincreased over this time period, due to the growing world population, and the fact that people are living longer. But the rate…
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