Research

Rebelling against the soaring subscription costs, the University of California system recently dropped its deal with publishing giant Elsevier, which rakes in billions each year. The rebellion may grow because publishers profit by getting “a lot of taxpayer-funded, highly…

It’s high time science bid farewell to the default male model in animal research, according to the neurologist Rebecca Shansky.   Since 2016 sex has been a required variable in NIH studies, but the bias persists, she writes in a commentary in Science.  

Modern medicine eradicated many problematic things but, according to William Parker, may have overstepped with helminths. Parasitic worms may help with immune function in healthy adults. Early research shows success introducing helminths in patients with inflammatory bowel…

Could researchers tap mobile phone record troves to help save lives? A debate is afoot, and Amy Maxmen exhaustively investigated the pros and cons.   How it works: Anonymized, aggregated records of the origin and timing of texts and calls provide population movement clues…

Resistant to water, oil and heat, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous in everything from clothing to nonstick cookware—and now soil, drinking water and the human body. Yet scientists know precious little about the so-called “forever chemicals” and…

Affectionately known as the “cuddle hormone,” oxytocin is released during sex, childbirth, and breastfeeding and while falling in love. Could it also prevent overeating and help curb the obesity epidemic? Maybe. Harvard Medical School professor Elizabeth Lawson found that a…

Scientists are preparing to kick off a clinical trial in Equatorial Guinea for a malaria vaccine that can provide 100% protection against the disease. The goal: To show regulators that the product is safe and effective. If all goes well, an even bigger trial will follow.…

News that Chinese scientist He Jiankui created the first gene-altered babies drew widespread condemnation—and questions about who might have stopped him.   He’s Chinese university claimed Stanford professor and bioengineer Stephen Quake helped He; Stanford is now…

With cholera outbreaks in Yemen and Mozambique, researchers looked to a WWI-era strain for clues to understanding spread. Scientists mapped the genome from the oldest known sample of the V. cholerae bacterium, taken from a soldier in 1916. Analysis revealed a non-…

Being a twin has its benefits from birth. When both grow up to be astronauts, NASA wins, too. Scott Kelly gathered data on himself for almost a year aboard the International Space Station while his twin brother Mark did the same back on Planet Earth, the New York Times…