Scorpion Medicine
Toxins from scorpions could lead to new drugs for neuromuscular disorders and cardiovascular disease.
Radon Exposure
The chemical radon causes lung cancer, and it’s found in many homes. Fortunately, it’s easy to test for and remove.
Expansion Microscopy
Technology used to absorb water in diapers is also being used to blow up tiny tissues to make them more viewable by microscopes.
Birth Year & Obesity
Scientists find that the most well-known genetic marker for human obesity had no effect before the 1940s.
Flexible Neural Implants
A flexible neural implant could restore function to damaged spinal cords.
Blowing Away Germs
A listener asks if opening all the windows will spread cold and flu germs around.
Cold Viruses vs. Cancer
Scientists hope to design viruses that fight cancer.
Light-Boned Modern Humans
Are modern humans’ light bones the result of couch-potato culture?
Science Breakthroughs of 2014: Neuromorphic Chips
2014 Science Breakthroughs of the Year: Can computers think more like people do?
Science Breakthroughs of 2014: Beta Cells
2014 Science Breakthroughs of the Year: Fighting diabetes with stem cells.
MRSA Skin Vaccine
Researchers are testing a vaccine against life-threatening antibiotic resistant bacteria.
Feeling Younger, Living Longer
People who feel younger than their chronological age are also less likely to die.
Smoker’s Brain Scans
Brain scans can predict a quitter’s likelihood of smoking again.
Ocean Chemicals
The U.S. has banned some fire retardants because of their toxicity. But the same chemicals are also produced naturally by marine life.
Insect Sanitation
Insects may be helping to reduce rat populations in our cities.
Mind-Controlled Medicine
Could brainwaves one day trigger an implant that stops epilepsy and chronic pain episodes before they begin?
Mosquitoes & People
Thousands of years ago, the mosquitoes that now transmit dengue fever made the switch from biting forest animals to seeking out humans.
Scraching that Itch
Scientists have identified the cruel trick the brain plays that may explain why scratching an itch often makes it itch even more.
Malaria Drones
Scientists use drones to see if environmental change boosts the spread of disease.
Snake Bite DNA Test
Working like crime scene investigators, researchers use a rapid DNA test to analyze snake venom from the bite site.
Lactose Intolerance Genes
Central Europeans developed a dairying culture at least 4,000 years before they evolved the ability to digest milk.
