Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    Science may get sidelined in artificial turf debate

    Despite news reports about the potential harms of artificial turf, studies find synthetic fields have few health risks, although lead levels may be elevated in older fields.

    By Beth Mole
  2. Health & Medicine

    Apple’s ResearchKit wants your health data

    Apple seeks recruits for health studies. But with uncertain measurements and lots of effort required to participate, the desire to help research may extend only so far.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  3. Life

    ‘Geographic tongue’ creates unique topography

    A condition called ‘geographic tongue’ makes mouth organ appear maplike.

    By Helen Thompson
  4. Health & Medicine

    Same mutations can show up in tumors, healthy tissues

    Analyzing samples of healthy and tumor tissues could pinpoint which mutations are driving cancer and help develop better-targeted treatments.

    By Nathan Seppa
  5. Health & Medicine

    Why cancer patients waste away

    A tumor-produced protein that interferes with insulin causes wasting in fruit flies with cancer.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  6. Neuroscience

    Nicotine exposure escalates rats’ desire for alcohol

    Rats drink more alcohol after they’ve been hooked on nicotine.

    By Laura Sanders
  7. Health & Medicine

    Genes may influence placebo effect

    Certain gene variants may predispose people to experience the placebo effect, which may have implications for clinical trials and personalized medicine.

    By Ashley Yeager
  8. Neuroscience

    Marijuana component fights epilepsy

    A buzz-free extract of marijuana could help epilepsy patients whose seizures resist other treatments.

    By Nathan Seppa
  9. Science & Society

    The Angelina effect should be about knowing your cancer risk

    Angelina Jolie’s public message about her medical decisions related to cancer is about knowing your risks for disease, not hers.

    By Rachel Ehrenberg
  10. Genetics

    Contagious cancer found in clams

    A soft-shell clam disease is just the third example of a contagious cancer.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  11. Humans

    Natural selection may be growing taller Dutch people

    Over the past 200 years, natural selection may have driven the evolution of taller Dutch people, researchers posit.

    By Helen Thompson
  12. Health & Medicine

    Mutation regions mapped on genes that cause breast and ovarian cancer

    An analysis of mutated BRCA genes could someday be used for personalized medicine in the fight against breast and ovarian cancer.

    By Nathan Seppa