The promise of stem cells sometimes seems no more than a distant glow on the horizon, particularly for patients afflicted with devastating conditions that could …
Category: Biomedical research
The cruelty of fraudulent stem cell therapy
Unethical companies are finding desperate patients who are willing to pay big money for unproven stem cell "treatments." This may harm not only patients, but stem cell research itself.
Unethical companies are finding desperate patients who are willing to pay big money for unproven stem cell "treatments." This may harm not only patients, but stem cell research itself.
Count down to stem cell news in 3, 2, 1
Have you ever wondered why big science news (like today's announcement by Stanford stem cell researchers) tends to be published simultaneously by many major media …
Stem cell breakthrough: Science over classical music
Marius Wernig, MD, is a researcher with training in classical music. Today he has a groundbreaking study coming out on stem cells in Nature. He …
Extraordinary Measures: a film about metabolic disease
The new CBS film Extraordinary Measures, which opens in wide release tonight, describes a father's struggle to save his children from Pompe disease, a rare …
Study raises health concerns about non-stick chemical PFOA
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. …
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. …