Health & Medicine
- Health & Medicine
E. coli evade detection by going dormant
When stressed, bacteria can temporarily turn comatose and dodge germ-screening tests.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
Immune booster also works in reverse
Injections of the protein interleukin-2 can calm runaway defenses that damage tissues in the body, two studies show.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Weaker brain links found in psychopaths
Decreased communication between emotional and executive centers may contribute to the mental disorder.
- Humans
Germs’ persistence: Nothing to sneeze at
Years ago, I read (probably in Science News) that viruses can’t survive long outside their hosts. That implied any surface onto which a sneezed-out germ found itself — such as the arm of a chair, kitchen counter or car-door handle — would effectively decontaminate itself within hours to a day. A pair of new flu papers now indicates that although many germs will die within hours, none of us should count on it. Given the right environment, viruses can remain infectious — potentially for many weeks, one of the studies finds.
By Janet Raloff - Chemistry
Radiation sickness treatment shows promise
The regimen could be used to protect large numbers of people in the aftermath of major accidents such as Chernobyl or Fukushima.
- Health & Medicine
Getting the picture of how someone died
CT scans can often reveal a clear cause of death, possibly making some autopsies unnecessary, British researchers find.
By Nathan Seppa - Life
Unraveling synesthesia
Tangled senses may have genetic or chemical roots, or both.
By Nick Bascom - Health & Medicine
Coffee delivers jolt deep in the brain
Caffeine strengthens electrical signals in a portion of the hippocampus, a study in rats finds.
- Humans
Two feet or four, software is the same
All walking animals use the same basic nerve patterns to put one leg in front of the other(s).
By Nick Bascom - Health & Medicine
Highlights from the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting
Stress and motherhood, tandem MRIs, the memory benefits of resveratrol and more from the organization's meeting November 12-16 in Washington, D.C.
By Science News - Health & Medicine
Busting blood clots with a nanoparticle
An experimental technology that delivers medication directly to a dangerous blockage might augment heart attack treatment, a new study finds.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Highlights from the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions
Vitamin D and heart disease, the effectiveness of external defibrillators, a shot to lower cholesterol, and more from the Orlando, Fla., meeting.
By Nathan Seppa