General

Carried like stowaways in the guts of international travelers, new and potentially deadly strains of antimicrobial-resistant superbugs may be coming to a community near you, suggests new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, we knew that international travel was contributing to […]

A new Alzheimer’s disease drug will hit the market soon, the first in nearly two decades. But some experts say the evidence for it isn’t terribly strong and worry that it may cost a lot. Still, the announcement of its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration made headlines […]

In a study of healthy volunteers, National Institutes of Health researchers have mapped out the brain activity that flows when we learn a new skill, such as playing a new song on the piano, and discovered why taking short breaks from practice is a key to learning. The researchers found […]

One of the most powerful tools available to biologists these days is CRISPR-Cas9, a combination of specialized RNA and protein that acts as a molecular scalpel, allowing researchers to precisely slice and dice pieces of an organism's genetic code. But even though CRISPR-Cas9 technology has offered an unprecedented level of […]

Follow-up data from the landmark SPRINT study of the effect of high blood pressure on cardiovascular disease have confirmed that aggressive blood-pressure management—lowering systolic blood pressure to less than 120 mm Hg—dramatically reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke and death from these diseases, as well as death from all […]

Scientists from the University of Bristol have pioneered a new approach to help biological engineers both harness and design the evolutionary potential of new biosystems. Their concept of the ‘evotype’ lays a foundation for the next generation of stable, safe and self-improving biotechnologies. A defining characteristic of all life is […]

A new study comparing different ways of encouraging people to reduce their alcohol intake has found telling people alcohol causes cancer makes them want to drink less, and encouraging them to count their drinks helps them do it. Lead author Professor Simone Pettigrew from The George Institute for Global Health said that […]

Virtual care provided through telephone or videoconference has been broadly implemented in recent months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A new analysis of published studies has examined the accuracy and reliability of virtual compared with in-person cognitive assessments for diagnosing dementia or mild cognitive impairment. The analysis, which is published […]

New research at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and ANZAC Research Institute has uncovered a mechanism that helps lung cancer cells resist standard chemotherapies. A team led by Associate Professor David Croucher and Associate Professor Andrew Burgess found that individual lung adenocarcinoma cells, the most common form of lung […]

A study led by researchers at the Universities of Manchester and York published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe has revealed strong disparities in rates of excess deaths in England and Wales during the first 30 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the research team, deaths compared with […]

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have investigated how a newly developed algorithm in connection with gene analysis can be used to improve the possibilities of preventing premature vascular disease and death in individuals with the hereditary lipid disorder, familial hypercholesterolemia. The findings, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, show how […]

The immune system is the brain’s best frenemy. It protects the brain from infection and helps injured tissues heal, but it also causes autoimmune diseases and creates inflammation that drives neurodegeneration. Two new studies in mice suggest that the double-edged nature of the relationship between the immune system and the […]