All Stories by Ben Harder
- Health & Medicine
A Gasping Heart
A common imperfection in the structure of the heart may exacerbate obstructive sleep apnea and, in mountaineers, trigger a life-threatening lung condition called high-altitude pulmonary edema.
- Earth
Hibernation concentrates chemicals
Some pollutants accumulate in grizzlies during the bears' hibernation.
- Physics
Breaking a molecule’s mirror image
The theory of entanglement explains a newly observed behavior in a symmetrical hydrogen molecule: When the molecule fractures, the directions in which its constituent particles move are not always random.
- Health & Medicine
How antipsychotic drugs can cause weight gain
A study of mice has identified a biological mechanism by which medications called atypical antipsychotics cause people to gain weight.
- Health & Medicine
Fixes for Fatty Liver
A slate of experimental treatments, including three established diabetes drugs, could become medicines for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, an obesity-related cause of cirrhosis.
- Health & Medicine
Orexin-blocking pill speeds sleep onset
A new compound that inhibits the activity of the alertness-promoting brain peptide orexin shows promise as a potential sleeping pill.
- Health & Medicine
A Trans Fat Substitute Might Have Health Risks Too
A controversial trial of a chemically modified fat called an interesterified fat suggests that it is more harmful than is a partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.
- Health & Medicine
Ingredient Shuffle: A trans fat substitute might have risks too
A controversial trial of a chemically modified fat called an interesterified fat suggests that it is more harmful than is a trans fat–rich, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.
- Humans
Top Prospects for Tomorrow’s Labs: National competition yields a dream team of young scientific talent
Twenty young women and 20 young men aced an early challenge in their scientific careers by becoming finalists in the annual Intel Science Talent Search.
- Health & Medicine
Salve for the Lungs: Aspirin might prevent asthma
Regular use of aspirin may prevent healthy adults from developing asthma.
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Perchance to Hibernate
As scientists work to unravel the secrets of mammalian hibernation, they're eyeing medical applications that could aid wounded soldiers, stroke victims, and transplant recipients, among others.
- Health & Medicine
Gene variant shapes beta-blocker’s effectiveness
A medication widely used for heart failure may be most effective in people who have a common variant of a particular gene.
