6,164 results
- Health & Medicine
50 years ago, a flu pandemic spurred vaccine research
A half-century after the Hong Kong flu pandemic, scientists are getting closer to a universal vaccine.
- Plants
A major crop pest can make tomato plants lie to their neighbors
Insects called silverleaf whiteflies exploit tomatoes’ ability to detect damage caused to nearby plants.
- Health & Medicine
Here’s what we know about the deadly Nipah virus
The deadly and rare Nipah virus has killed at least 11 people in southern India, causing concern among epidemiologists.
- Life
‘An Elegant Defense’ explores the immune system’s softer side
The lives of four people helped or harmed by their body’s natural defenses illustrate why immunology has become one of the hottest fields in science.
- Animals
Mosquitoes may surf winds above Africa more than we realized
More than 40 meters up, balloon traps in Mali caught females of malaria-spreading mosquito species.
- Health & Medicine
Poliovirus treatment helped patients with deadly brain tumors live longer
A genetically modified poliovirus appears to help fight brain cancer, a small, early-stage clinical study suggests.
- Genetics
News of the first gene-edited babies ignited a firestorm
A researcher in China announced he created two babies using CRISPR. Many scientists questioned the study’s ethics and medical necessity.
- Genetics
Chinese scientists raise ethical questions with first gene-edited babies
Scientists say gene editing of human embryos isn’t yet safe, and creating babies was unethical.
- Life
‘Nanobot’ viruses tag and round up bacteria in food and water
Viruses called phages evolved to hunt bacteria. With magnetic nanoparticles and genetic engineering, they become nanobots that work for us.
- Agriculture
50 years ago, screwworm flies inspired a new approach to insect control
The United States has wiped out screwworm flies repeatedly since 1966 using the sterile male eradication technique.
- Health & Medicine
Nanosponges sop up toxins and help repair tissues
Nanoparticles coated with blood cell membranes can move through the body to clean up toxins or heal tissues — without instigating an immune reaction.
- Genetics
Smuggling a CRISPR gene editor into staph bacteria can kill the pathogen
A new way fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria co-opts toxin-producing genes.
