Health

a head of lettuce on a colorful background

Insulin grown in lettuce can be taken orally

New synthetic insulin harvested from lettuce plants can be made cheaply, taken orally, and transported at room temperature.

Kristin Houser

Brain

Cancer med appears to prevent brain aneurysms

Japanese researchers have discovered that the cancer drug sunitinib can prevent the formation of brain aneurysms in mice.

Kristin Houser

“Nature’s own Ozempic” or berberine is all over social media

Does berberine work as well as Ozempic to help people lose weight? Social media seems to think so, but it’s not likely.

Rebecca Roubin and Nial Wheate and Tina Hinton

Neuroscience

Complex brain activity detected in dying patients

Researchers have measured gamma waves, a sign of brain activity, in patients who were dying.

B. David Zarley

a seated older woman looking up toward a healthcare worker

Medicine

New Alzheimer’s drug slows cognitive decline by 35%

Eli Lilly’s new Alzheimer’s drug, donanemab, slowed cognitive decline by 35% in a phase 3 trial, but two people died from side effects.

Kristin Houser

a close up on the side of a woman's face while she sleeps. in her ear is a small device

Wearables

Earbud-like tech will monitor sleep for signs of Parkinson’s

An EEG device that’s worn in the ear during sleep could help doctors diagnose Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s long before symptoms appear.

Kristin Houser

Medicine

Gene therapy reverses vision loss in primates — by making their eyes young again

A Harvard study found that a new gene therapy that reprograms cells to their younger state can reverse NAION-caused vision loss in primates.

Kristin Houser

Healthcare

The vicious cycle of food and sleep

More than a third of Americans don’t log enough hours in bed, provoking serious health impacts. Diet is an important, under-recognized reason.

Marie-Pierre St-Onge | Knowable Magazine

Mental Health

Scientists discover “anxiety gene” in the brain — and a natural way to turn it off

The discovery of an "anxiety gene" — and a natural way to put the brakes on it — in mice could lead to new treatments for anxiety disorders.

Kristin Houser

Brain

New gel destroys brain cancer in 100% of treated mice

A new brain cancer treatment not only cured 100% of mice that received it, but also trained their immune systems to fight future cancers.

Kristin Houser

Psychology

Emotions get better with age

As people grow older, they gain greater control of their feelings. How do they do that — and can they teach young people a thing or two?

Tim Vernimmen

Brain

This brain image is 64 million times sharper than standard MRI

A new brain imaging technique that generates ultra-high resolution images of mouse brains could revolutionize neuroscience research.

Kristin Houser

Public Health

Two African countries first to approve Oxford’s malaria vaccine, with 20 million doses on the way

Ghana and Nigeria have become the first two nations to approve Oxford’s vaccine against malaria.

B. David Zarley

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