All Stories by Kate Baggaley
- Agriculture
Restoring crop genes to wild form may make plants more resilient
Restoring wild genes could make plants more resilient in tough environments.
- Life
Fast test reveals drug-resistant bacteria
A new test uses time-lapse photography to see within a few hours whether individual bacterial cells are vulnerable to antibiotics.
- Neuroscience
Molecule impairs brain cells that fail in Alzheimer’s
In mice, blocking a molecule on immune cells allowed them to mop up the type of protein buildup seen in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.
- Health & Medicine
Fatty coat on cancer drugs protects the heart
Cancer drugs encased in a layer of fat reduce but don’t eliminate heart damage.
- Animals
Vulture guts are filled with noxious bacteria
Vultures’ guts are chock-full of bacteria that sicken other creatures.
- Neuroscience
Areas people like to be caressed match up with nerve fibers
A caress in a sweet spot at the right speed activates nerve fibers tied to social touch.
- Neuroscience
‘Bath salts’ reduce communication in rat brains
The recreational drugs known as bath salts cause a loss of communication between areas in the rat brain.
- Neuroscience
Magnets in helmets might make football safer
The repulsive force of magnets in football helmets could slow the impact of collisions, reducing concussion danger and making the game safer.
- Health & Medicine
Foul smells during sleep may help smokers quit
A night of smelling rotten eggs and fish while inhaling cigarette odors makes smokers reach for fewer cigarettes upon waking.
- Health & Medicine
Increase in Denmark’s autism diagnoses caused by reporting changes
Changes in how autism is detected and recorded explain 60 percent of the recent increase in diagnoses, a Danish study finds.
- Animals
Remote-controlled rover doesn’t spook penguins
Remote-controlled rovers get close to skittish penguins without bothering them; a chick disguise wins over the wariest birds.
- Tech
Sheath helps ‘aqua-hamster’ survive underwater
Scientists hoped a membrane invented in 1964 would let submarines pull air from seawater.
