British scientists developed a revolutionary method for screening cancer using breath-analyzing technology. In a preliminary study involving more than 300 patients the instrument was capable of diagnosing those with esophageal and stomach cancer with 85% accuracy.
The largest genome-wide study of baldness identified over 250 novel genetic variants involved in its onset. Male pattern baldness is a major source of anxiety and depression among men and has been linked to serious cardiovascular diseases and prostate cancer.
New study reports caffeine significantly boosts an enzyme closely involved in protection against Alzheimer´s disease and other forms of dementia. Out of 1,280 compounds tested only 24 were identified as beneficial, with caffeine at the very top of the list.
The Francis Crick Institute of London was granted permission for genome editing in human embryos in order to study the complex processes involved in early miscarriage. This is the first time a research team has ever been exempt from the ban on human testing and represents an important step forward for science.
The heated legal war over the ownership of the revolutionary CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology has finally reached a verdict. The US Patent and Trademark Office (UPTO) concluded that evidence favored the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard for most patents rather than UC Berkeley, the technology´s initial inventor.
Scientists developed a strain of Salmonella that fights aggressive brain cancers which produced a remarkable 20% rate of tumor remission in a rat model, where there are normally no survivors. The bacteria were genetically equipped with a sophisticated tumor-homing mechanism along with cancer fighting weapons, causing the tumors to effectively self-destruct.
Human beings exhibit a unique trait of hand preference within the animal kingdom, the benefits and causes of which are still mostly unknown after decades of research. It turns out that such a seemingly trivial characteristic is actually governed by an incredibly complex interaction of evolutionary and environmental factors that might not give us a straightforward answer anytime soon.
Researchers claim they have debunked a long-standing misconception of the mathematical model of human mortality that predicts a set limit on aging. Their discovery comes as good news in a time of increasing breakthroughs in anti-aging therapy.
Extensive observational studies, surveys and meta-analysis moved scientists a step closer to understanding how highly-educated people can still contradict scientific facts. The result is a refined guide to effectively addressing skeptics, and it´s not based on presenting evidence, but rather identifying their underlaying motivation.
Scientists have discovered a way to activate dormant predatory centers in mice using optogenetics, causing them to go rogue and revert to hunter-associated behavior. This was achieved with stimulation of a specific pair of neurons in the brain, providing a glimpse of how the predatory behavior could have evolved over millions of years.