Medical Roundup
New research lends clues to why a bad sunburn hurts so much.
Comfort Food Hormone
A hormone called ghrelin is a key part of how stress triggers mice to seek out fatty food.
Podcast for 15 July 2011
THE SCIENCE OF FACES: when pigeons look at us, and the genes behind how we look at faces. Also: what causes hot flashes, determining your age from your DNA, and the hormone behind stress eating.
Neurons from Skin
Two teams of scientists have converted skin cells directly into neurons.
Kids & Pet Allergies
A new study suggests that babies exposed to pets in the home are less likely to develop allergies to them.
Podcast for 1 July 2011
A failing grade for fat substitutes, a master regulator gene for fat, a brainwave that helps control memory, and turning skin cells into brain cells.
Podcast for 24 June 2011 – Birds of a Feather
The genes behind unfaithful finches, mapping the diversity of bird plumage colors, what feathers can tell us about pollution, and what baby birds drink. Also: could living with a dog or cat decrease a child's risk of developing allergies?
Secret Ingredient Roundup
A compound found in apple peels could prevent muscle wasting.
Fat Master Regulator
A “master regulator” gene in fat tissue may affect diabetes, cholesterol, obesity, and other conditions.
Podcast for 10 June 2011 – Vision & The Brain
What reindeer can see that we can't. How some blind people are using echolocation to navigate the world. And, how the retinas of deaf people change their experience of the world. Also: better noses spelled bigger brains for ancient mammals, and: what the teeth of Neanderthals tell us about their hands.
Healthy Handshakes
A new study investigates whether shaking hands spreads germs.
Podcast for 27 May 2011
Why sleep deprivation clouds thinking, what the brainwaves of sleeping teenagers reveal, and how a video game helps sick kids strengthen their lungs. Also, why a team of epidemiological sleuths invaded school graduations across Maryland last year. And, new study reveals extreme gender bias in children’s books.
Sleep Roundup
New research sheds light on what’s going on in the brains of sleeping teenagers.
Erasing Memories
Scientists have extinguished, or at least greatly weakened, a long-term memory in a sea snail.
Breathing Video Games
Kids with cystic fibrosis are trying a video game-based breathing therapy.
Podcast for 20 May 2011 – All That Glitters
The soaring price of gold drives deforestation in the Amazon, colonoscopies laced with gold could help detect cancer, and honey protects against antibiotic resistance. Also: a starless starfish, and a jellyfish that navigates without a brain.
Gold Nanoparticles
Nano-sized gold-silica particles may help catch tumors in colonoscopies.
The Embarrassed Brain
Researchers have identified the region of the brain responsible for humiliation.
Podcast for 13 May 2011 – Neuropsychology
Researchers erase sea snail memories, the brain's sarcasm detector, why a lack of embarrassment could be a sign of dementia, and schizophrenia in a petri dish.
Schizophrenia in a Dish
Researchers have re-created dysfunctional brain cells from the skin of a schizophrenic patient.