Picking what book to read isn’t the only choice families now make at story time—they must also decide between the print or electronic version. But traditional print books may have an edge over e-books when it comes to quality time shared between parents and their children, a new study suggests. The research, led by University […]
Using an anti-smoking drug to control neurons
An anti-smoking drug now has a new job—as a chemical switch to turn select neurons on or off. The drug latches on to designer proteins, called ion channels, that control whether or not a neuron will send a message. By putting those proteins only in certain groups of neurons, scientists can target modulation of specific […]
When DNA science goes down an unethical path in China, who is responsible?
New reports that China is using DNA science developed in San Diego County for widespread ethnic surveillance raise ethical questions about who is responsible for how that technology is used. The New York Times reported recently that Chinese authorities are building a DNA database of the country’s Uighur minority, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group blamed […]
Anti-vaxxers: admitting that vaccinology is an imperfect science may be a better way to defeat sceptics
Around the world, vaccines are in retreat, shunned by populations who, for the most part, have never been exposed to the diseases that blighted or shortened the lives of their grandparents’ generation. But with the possible exception of quinine – for centuries the only treatment for malaria – and antibiotics, vaccines have saved more lives […]
Researchers find silicone wristbands to be an effective way to measure children’s nicotine exposure
Young children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of tobacco smoke and other environmental toxins, but their exposure is often difficult and expensive to measure. The results of those measurements, however, can be crucial for research on the success of preventative measures. Jenny Quintana and her research team at San Diego State University’s School of […]
This Video of 6-Year-Old Girl Outrunning an All-Boy Football Team Is Everything
A few years ago, a hashtag popped up that people either loved or hated: #LikeAGirl. The campaign, launched by Always, was meant as a way to reclaim a popular insult young women hear (you know, “you run like a girl!” to somehow mean slow or uncoordinated?! We think it’s bullshit, too). Many embraced it — […]
An opt-out system isn’t the solution to Australia’s low rate of organ donation
Organ transplantation relies on the generosity of a person to volunteer their organs for donation after death, or the generosity of the family to gift or donate the organs of their deceased relative. But last year, the organs of just 510 deceased donors were transplanted into Australian recipients. This amounts to 20.7 donations per million […]
Reusable respirators are an effective and viable option for protecting health care personnel
Half-facepiece reusable elastomeric respirators are an effective and viable option for protecting health care workers from exposure to airborne transmissible contaminants or infectious agents—for example, influenza virus—during day-to-day work or with a sudden or rapid influx of patients, such as during a public health emergency, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, […]
Is the pancreas regeneration debate settled? An original theory renewed
A contentious debate among diabetes researchers has surrounded the regeneration of pancreatic insulin-producing cells: not if these cells regenerate, but rather how. The long-held view that the islets of Langerhans can be replenished from pancreatic stem cells (progenitors) was replaced over the last decade by the notion that islets self-duplicate from existing cells. Now, in […]
Ruth and Solo: An Anxious Dog Teaches His Owner Patience
As Director of Animal Welfare at the ASPCA Adoption Center in Manhattan, Ruth Allen oversees the care of animals during their stay. “If everything’s going great, I don’t hear about it,” Ruth explains. “But if there are dogs who won’t walk on a leash or cats with issues, I get pulled in.” So, when staff reported a […]