The South Korean health ministry announced that research into stem cells and regenerative medicine will receive a funding boost of 33 billion won (U.S. $29 million) in 2012, four times that given in 2011. Overall, six different ministries will invest 100 billion won in stem-cell research this year. Until last year, public investment in stem…
Detectable changes in the brain precede the appearance of symptoms like memory loss or other changes in cognitive function resulting from repeated blows to the head, according to Dr. Charles Bernick, who presided over the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study. The physical changes are a reduction in size in the hippocampus and thalamus of the…
Scientists have uncovered clues as to how our genomes became riddled with viruses, some dating back 100 million years. More than 90 per cent of every mammal’s genome has no known function, with much of this genetic ‘dark matter’ harboring pieces of DNA from ancient viruses that infected our ancestors. The new investigation, by researchers…
Do you want to live to 120, only to feel like you’re 120? In the human quest for longevity — if not immortality — it’s a question that often gets overlooked. But it’s a core issue for a team of scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, whose work is reshaping the course of geriatric…
Be happy – it seems to be good for your heart. Scientists have long known that Type A personalities and people who are chronically angry, anxious or depressed have a higher risk of heart attacks. Now a Harvard review of the flip side of that psychology concludes that being upbeat and optimistic just may help…
Despite government efforts to ban unapproved stem cell treatments, companies around China still offer them openly.
Even though bacteria in Lechuguilla Cave have been cut off from the surface for millions of years and were never exposed to antibiotics for medicine or agriculture, most of the 93 strains analyzed in a new study are resistant to several antibiotics. Bacteria found in the cave have ways of fighting off up to 21…
Lab-grown egg cells could revolutionize fertility – and even banish menopause
A study of rhesus macaque monkeys may have solved a long-standing puzzle on a link between social rank and health. A study of 10 social groups of macaque females showed that the activity level of an individual’s immune genes was an accurate predictor of her social rank. In a paper in Proceedings of the National…
Given the direct benefit to the individual of immunity against disease, vaccination, is not completely altruistic. However, immunization does provide a significant benefit to society. For those who cannot get vaccinated, we rely on herd immunity – if society is made up mostly of those who have expended the energy and cost to get vaccinated,…