Depending on how you stroke the numbers, it costs anywhere between $500 million and $1 billion to develop a new drug from scratch. So the idea …
Month: August 2011
Study shows neural "bottleneck" may limit performance while multitasking
Previous research conducted by Stanford professor Clifford Nass, PhD, has shown that heavy media multitaskers pay a hefty mental price. Now a Vanderbilt study in the Proceedings …
A look at the effects of city living on mental health
The world's urban population is growing fast and it's estimated that five billion people will live in cities by 2030, according to data from the …
What’s a parent to do: Risk of autism appears to run higher in siblings
You may have heard about a new UC Davis study showing that parents of a child with autism are substantially more likely to have another …
Using optogenetics to build a biological pacemaker
Optogenetics, a field largely pioneered by Stanford scientist Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD, has offered new insights into diagnosing and treating neurological conditions such as depression, …
Can watching too much TV harm your health?
As the return of your favorite TV shows inches ever closer on the calendar, it may be an opportune time to consider what effects TV …
Flu vaccine for toddlers: Nasal spray and injections both work, NIH finds
Fall is approaching, which means it's time to start thinking about flu vaccines. And parents of toddlers might be wondering whether it matters if their …
Scientists reveal link between dopamine receptor subtype and ADHD diagnosis
A mouse study published today in Molecular Psychiatry sheds light on how a particular version of a dopamine receptor in the brain (called D4) could play …
E. coli and Salmonella may be able to live inside plant tissues, studies report
A pair of studies from Purdue University researchers - one in the Journal of Food Protection and another in Food Research International (registration required for …
FDA begins to revamp approval process for medical devices
Medical device makers complain of a regulatory obstacle course at the U. S. Food and Drug Administration, which delays them from getting their new products …
Study shows link between maternal IV fluids and weight loss in newborns
Doctors often use weight as an indicator of how well newborns, who typically lose a percentage of their birth weight within their first few days …
Community-based workshops help patients manage chronic illness
Living with a chronic illness can be a hassle at best. And at its worst, chronic disease can leave patients feeling powerless and depressed as …
A look at the "Rasputin of biology"
Brian Mossop's blog pick of the month - an entry about prions by Scientific American's Jennifer Frazer - is a really nice piece of writing. …
Medical apps: They're not just for medicine anymore
Web-savvy physicians and e-patients aren't the only ones harnessing the powers of new media for medical education. Famously bizarre musical artist Björk has just released …
Good-bye cancer, good-bye stomach: A survivor shares her tale
It's well-established that cancer leaves physical and emotional scars, and this weekend a New York Times piece highlighted how the disease can even, at times, permanently …
Image of the Week: Watson and Crick
There's a great thread going over on Quora discussing some of the most important in science. Among them is an iconic image of James Watson …