A chemical known as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has been linked to an increase in thyroid disease, according to findings recently published in Environmental Health Perspectives. …
Category: Biomedical research
Don't miss Science Friday this week!
Stanford stem cell researcher James Weimann, PhD, is slated to be interviewed tomorrow on the highly regarded (and very fun) Science Friday program on National …
Tinnitus: the ear’s version of phantom limb?
A treatment for tinnitus has similarities to treatments for phantom limb pain, and may reveal a similar cause in the brain
A treatment for tinnitus has similarities to treatments for phantom limb pain, and may reveal a similar cause in the brain
Why study evolution?
I worried after my post yesterday that I didn't do enough to explain why we should care about the evolution of the threespine stickleback. As …
Tickled by stickle(backs)
One downside of our office's mandatory winter break is the fact that it's just not possible to give all the cool research coming out around …
The benefits of bubbly
For those of you who recently raised a glass of bubbly in honor of 2009, we wanted to share the following research from the University …
Tarantula venom peptide shows promise as a drug
A team of scientists at the University at Buffalo is working to develop a tarantula venom-based therapy for a range of conditions including muscular dystrophy …
Genomes of 56 species of microbes mapped
Scientists from the U.S. and Germany have assembled the first pages of a comprehensive encyclopedia of genomes of all the microbes on the planet. The …
First U.S. heart transplant among the top 50 breakthroughs in science
In honor of its 50th anniversary, the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing is compiling a list of the top 50 discoveries in science, …
The biology of music
Maggie Koerth-Baker has an interesting entry on Boing Boing today on the biology of music and why humans like specific groups of tones. Her post …
Brain implant designed for patients with difficult-to-treat epilepsy
MIT's Technology Review has taken a look at a brain implant designed by Mountain View-based Neuropace to prevent the onset of seizures using electrical stimulation. …
UCSD to begin studying brain of famous amnesiac
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego are beginning today to examine the brain of H.M., an amnesic patient who was studied for decades …
Study on fruit flies offers new insights into ADHD
Evidence of a primitive emotion-like behavior in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has been uncovered by researchers at the California Technical Institute, according to a …
Brain scan used in court in potential fMRI first
In what may be a first, fMRI scans of a defendant's brain activity have been used as evidence in the sentencing phase of an Illinois …
Book of beautiful specimens illustrates evolution
Before Darwin was a writer, he was a natural historian and collector aboard a ship launched from England to chart the coast of South America. …
The University of Nebraska may restrict human embryonic stem cell research
Come Friday, some researchers might take issue with Nebraska's cheerful welcome sign. The New York Times reported today that the University of Nebraska is considering …