Science News

Chronic illness, already a major and expensive problem in developed countries, is rapidly increasing in developing countries, adding to the longstanding burden caused by high rates of infectious diseases. However, poor c...

After a heart attack, there is often permanent damage to a portion of the heart. This happens, in part, because cardiac muscle cells are terminally differentiated and cannot proliferate after blood flow is blocked off to...

Kids growing up in Appalachia are the nation's largest consumers of sugary drinks. With deaths in Appalachia related to obesity, cancer, diabetes and heart disease on the rise, local teens are working with researchers to...

Researchers say the discovery of how sodium ions pass through the gill of a zebrafish may be a clue to understanding a key function in the human kidney. In this research, the protein allows the sodium ions to be absorbed...

When we are wounded, our bodies naturally begin a process of repair of the damaged tissue. This process is mediated by biological molecules called growth factors, which are proteins that occur naturally in our cells and ...

Premature babies benefit from being exposed to adult talk as early as possible, new research concludes. The goal of the study was to test the association of the amount of talking that a baby was exposed to at what would ...

11 new DNA sequence variants in genes influencing high blood pressure and heart disease have been discovered. Identifying the new genes contributes to our growing understanding of the biology of blood pressure and, resea...

When a fetal heartbeat pattern becomes irregular during labor, many practitioners give oxygen to the mother. But questions remain whether this oxygen supplementation benefits the fetus or may actually be potentially harm...

Socially stigmatized groups have poorer health than non-stigmatized groups, but a team of researchers believes that more emphasis on two-way and multidisciplinary interventions will have a greater and more successful imp...

Pancreas cancer is notoriously impervious to treatment and resists both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It has also been thought to provide few targets for immune cells, allowing tumors to grow unchecked. But new research...

Pulling an "all-nighter" before a big test is practically a rite of passage in college. Usually, it's no problem: You stay up all night, take the test, and then crash, rapidly catching up on lost sleep. But as we age, sl...

The body naturally tries to repair lesions in the DNA of tumor cells, and thus reduces the efficacy of chemotherapy. Blocking the mechanisms for DNA repair would help to potentiate chemotherapy by reducing the resistance...

Congenital heart disease is the most common form of birth defect. Researchers recently found success using a drug to treat laboratory mice with one form of congenital heart disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy -- a weake...

A new method has been devised that allows for the more efficient -- and, importantly, more complete -- reprogramming of skin cells into cells that are virtually indistinguishable from heart muscle cells. These findings, ...

For years, scientists have thought that sound-sensing hair cells in the inner ear are not replaced once they're lost, but new research reveals that supporting cells in the ear can turn into hair cells in newborn mice. If...

Adult humans continuously produce new neurons in the striatum and these neurons could play an important role in possibly finding new treatments for neurodegenerative disorders, according to a study. To detect the birth o...

Younger people, men and those without children are more likely to stop attending clinics for HIV treatment in South Africa, analysis shows. This presents many problems, one of which is that medication for HIV is only giv...

To remain healthy, the body's cells must properly manage their waste recycling centers. Problems with these compartments, known as lysosomes, lead to a number of debilitating and sometimes lethal conditions. An unusual c...

Research is finally unearthing some of the ancient mysteries behind leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, which has plagued humankind throughout history. The new research findings suggest that the disease might be the...

For people seeking a natural treatment for the common cold, some preparations containing the plant Echinacea work better than nothing, yet "evidence is weak," finds a new report.

The use of antibiotics is often considered among the most important advances in the treatment of human disease. Unfortunately, bacteria are finding ways to make a comeback. According to the Centers for Disease Control, m...

Results from the annual Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which ranks states