Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Five California children have polio-like symptoms
At least five, and possibly as many as 25, children in California have experienced poliolike symptoms, including paralysis of limbs and breathing problems, since 2012. Scientists are not yet sure...
Leopard Prowls Indian Hospital for 12 Hours
A leopard made its way into a hospital in a bustling North India metropolis, terrorizing patients for 12 hours before escaping into the city.
Secondary thyroid cancer more deadly than primary malignancy in young individuals
A new analysis has found that adolescents and young adults who develop thyroid cancer as a secondary cancer have a significantly greater risk of dying than those with primary thyroid...
Age-21 drinking laws save lives, study confirms
Although some advocates want to lower the legal drinking age from 21, research continues to show that the law saves lives. Researchers found that studies done since 2006 -- when...
Computerized checklist reduces type of hospital infection, study finds
A computerized safety checklist that automatically pulls information from patients' electronic medical records was associated with a threefold drop in rates of one serious type of hospital-acquired infection, according to...
Light used to quickly, easily measure blood's clotting properties
Defective blood coagulation is one of the leading causes of preventable death in patients who have suffered trauma or undergone surgery. Now, a new optical device requires only a few...
New technology detects cellular memory, aids in understanding of how diseases such as cancer arise
In 2009, a new technology was developed that could elucidate the mystery behind cellular memory. Building on this technology, researchers have now identified 100 new molecular players that ensure cellular...
Periodontal Disease Bacteria Found In 1000 Year Old Dental Plaque
Periodontal disease occurs in 13 percent of humans today. Why are humans even susceptible to periodontal disease, when most animals do not get periodontal disease? Is it human behavior or...
The Editor's Letter From The March 2014 Issue Of Popular Science Magazine
In Defense Of Sleep Marius Bugge On December 1 of last year at around 7:20 a.m., a speeding commuter train bound for New York City careened off its tracks, killing four and injuring...
Prescribed burning strategy does not protect lives and homes
Prescribed burning in forests away from inhabited areas has little benefit for bushfire control and does not protect lives and homes, according to a Murdoch University study.
Bad Science
From the Loch Ness monster and Chupacabra to UFOs and conspiracy theories, Benjamin Radford debunks where needed and brings a dose of grounded science to the world's weird happenings.
Australian scientists should set minds to developing bionic brain, report says
Country that pioneered bionic ear and eye should invest $250m to take the lead in developing bionic brain, scientists sayMichael Safi
Novartis meningitis vaccine used at 2nd US campus
GENEVA (AP) -- Swiss drug maker Novartis says a second U.S. university is using its new vaccine against meningitis B....
Pediatricians Update Guidelines for Kids' Checkups
Healthy teens should be screened for depression at their regular doctor checkups, and routine cholesterol testing should begin in children as young as 9, according to new doctors guidelines released...
Acupuncture holds promise for treating inflammatory disease
Electroacupuncture may reduce inflammation that causes sepsis death, a recent study has shown. This research shows physical evidence of acupuncture's value beyond any that has been demonstrated before, and also...
Climate change won't reduce deaths in winter, British study concludes
Climate change is unlikely to reduce the United Kingdom's excess winter death rate, which was a previous hypothesis. The study debunks the widely held view that warmer winters will cut...
Nanoparticles target anti-inflammatory drugs where needed
A system for precisely delivering anti-inflammatory drugs to immune cells gone out of control, has been developed that spares the well-behaved counterpart cells in the body. The system uses nanoparticles...
Role of infliximab examined in treating Kawasaki disease
A new study has looked at intensification of initial therapy for all children with Kawasaki Disease in order to prevent IVIG-resistance and associated coronary artery abnormalities by assessing the addition...
Synthetic version of heparin created for use in kidney patients
A synthetic form of low-molecular-weight heparin has been created that can be reversed in cases of overdose and would be safer for patients with poor kidney function. Heparin is an...
Planet hunter sharpens eye surgery
Physicians in the Netherlands have turned to expertise from a planet-hunting telescope to steady their surgical microscope and save the sight of people threatened by blindness.
Implantable Metal-Filled Particles Activate Cancer Drug
Oncology: Strategy restricts chemotherapeutic agent's toxicity in cells
French organic winemaker faces prison for defying pesticide order
Emmanuel Giboulot to appear before judge in Dijon for refusing to treat vines against insect that spreads devastating diseaseA French organic winemaker could face a prison sentence and a hefty fine after refusing...
Physical therapy intervention reduces injury in custodial workers
An intervention to help minimize workplace injury for custodial workers, and decrease the costs associated, has been developed by a doctoral student. Repetitive motion injuries are a growing problem in...
Women’s basketball drops 63-50 decision to Penn
Despite 18 points from senior captain Christine Clark, Harvard women’s basketball (17-6, 7-2) had a 21-game home winning streak halted against Penn, 63-50, Friday night at Lavietes Pavilion. Senior wing Melissa Mullins registered...
The New Smoke: A Hot Debate Over E-Cigarettes as a Path to Tobacco, or From It
Some public health experts see e-cigarettes as a gateway to tobacco use, while others think they could help eradicate conventional cigarettes.
HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer patients nearly twice as likely to survive as HPV-negative patients
A retrospective analysis of oropharyngeal patients with recurrence of disease after primary therapy found that HPV-positive patients had a higher overall survival rate than HPV-negative patients (at two years post-treatment,...
Mutant-Allele Tumor Heterogeneity (MATH) in head, neck squamous cell carcinoma patients is effective marker, along with HPV status, of improved patient outcome
Evaluating next-generation sequencing (NGS) data and associated clinical records of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients from several institutions, made available through The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), showed...
Limiting Radiation to Major Salivary Glands in Head, Neck Cancer Patients Is Feasible, Safe
Avoiding the contralateral submandibular gland during radiation therapy is feasible and safe with advanced stage, node positive head and neck cancers and base of tongue lesions, according to research. While...