Is history repeating itself? In 1961, US President Eisenhower gave an alarming farewell address, warning that the military-industrial (Congressional) complex was threatening democracy and leading to a disastrous rise of…
Category: Genetics
Umbilical Cord Blood Test Could Predict Autism Risk
Summary: A recent study suggests that measuring specific fatty acid metabolites in newborn blood could predict autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk. Researchers found that higher levels of certain metabolites were…
Men can’t do Zumba. Is it in their genes?
Zumba saved me during the pandemic. Prior to COVID, I took 3 or 4 of the ATP-burning classes a week (for the uninitiated, ATP stands for adenosine triphosphate, the molecule…
Cancer Drug Shows Promise for Autism Cognitive Function
Summary: A new experimental cancer drug could ease cognitive difficulties for those with Rett syndrome, a rare autism-linked disorder, by enhancing brain cell functions. The drug, ADH-503, improves the activity…
Viewpoint: How to best regulate chemicals? ‘Precautions employed to regulate tiny, sometimes nonexistent risks can cause real harm’
For virtually everything in life, we face decisions about whether we should “sweat the small stuff.” No doubt, most may have encountered a boss who micromanages us with useless reports…
Why do some animals have bigger brains than others?
Thanks to our large brains, humans and non-human primates are smarter than most mammals. But why do some species develop large brains in the first place? The leading hypothesis for…
Smaller than microplastics? Nanoplastics are too small to see yet may seriously impact our environment and health
It’s become common to read that microplastics – little bits of plastic, smaller than a pencil eraser – are turning up everywhere and in everything, including the ocean, farmland, food…
Adjusting Proteins Increases Ozempic’s Effectiveness
Summary: Adjusting melanocortin proteins in the brain enhances the effectiveness of GLP-1 diabetes and weight-loss drugs. By inhibiting MC3R or activating MC4R, mice showed increased sensitivity to these drugs, leading…
Viewpoint: Few topics in science, health and food elicit more fear and misconceptions than the phrase GMO, most of it based on intentional disinformation
Few topics in science, health and food elicit more fear and misconceptions than the phrase GMO, and most of it is based on intentional disinformation. Let’s dissect the science. GMO:…
Throw away your lead-soaked tampons? Clickbait headlines exaggerate misrepresented study
Another day, another wildly mischaracterized paper going viral online, eroding science literacy, exacerbating chemophobia, and making our jobs as scientists harder. If people didn’t scrape PubMed or academic websites for press…
