Health

a vaccine vial in front of a backdrop of cells

Personalized cancer vaccines are having a moment

Personalized cancer vaccines were a recurring theme at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in 2024.

Kristin Houser

Sustainability

Scientists have invented a method to break down “forever chemicals” in our drinking water

Researchers have discovered a way to eliminate “forever chemicals,” or PFAS, which usually take hundreds or thousands of years to break down.

Johnny Wood

X-ray image of a human chest showing lungs and rib cage, with visible abnormal dark patches indicating possible tuberculosis.

Medicine

AI can help predict whether a patient will respond to specific tuberculosis treatments

Instead of a one-size-fits-all treatment approach, AI could help personalize treatments for each patient to provide the best outcomes.

Sriram Chandrasekaran

CRISPR

These gene-edited pigs could help end organ shortages

These gene-edited pigs have organs designed to be more compatible with the human body, bringing xenotransplantation one step closer to reality.

Kristin Houser

Animals

New bug spray "crystals" can help wipe out malaria

Crystalizing a common insecticide makes it kill mosquitoes faster, and could be a cheap, effective new weapon for malaria prevention.

B. David Zarley

Public Health

A pandemic surveillance system for the planet

7:14

In partnership with Skoll Foundation

COVID-19 won’t be the last virus to threaten the global population, but new disease surveillance tech could catch the next outbreak before it even starts.

Doug Dais

Coronavirus

UK to launch first human challenge trial for COVID-19

The U.K. is funding a $44 million human challenge trial for COVID-19 during which healthy volunteers will be deliberately exposed to the coronavirus.

Kristin Houser

Activism

Stadium voting sites make voting safer. Here’s how to find them.

As the pandemic increases the risk of in-person voting, sports teams are converting their homes into arena and stadium voting sites.

B. David Zarley

Virology

A deadly virus emerged in South Africa in 2008. Then it vanished.

A deadly new virus killed a South African safari agent and three others, then disappeared without a trace. What can we learn from a unique outbreak?

B. David Zarley

Surgery

Jaw joints grown from fat could alleviate TMJ pain

Researchers have grown new jaw joints for pigs from fat-sourced stem cells, and the technique could one day cure TMJ pain, or even knee pain, in people.

Kristin Houser

Biology

Smart vibrator helps scientists study female orgasms

The Lioness Sex Research Platform is helping scientists study female orgasms by providing anonymized data collected by a smart vibrator.

Kristin Houser

Neuroscience

Dopamine and serotonin may do more than we thought

Dopamine and serotonin are crucial brain chemicals. A new study that measured them simultaneously in active brains suggests they may do more than we think.

B. David Zarley

Coronavirus

Robot cook could help restaurants recover from COVID-19

Miso Robotics is making Flippy ROAR available for $30,000 in the hopes the robot cook will help the restaurant industry recover from the pandemic.

Kristin Houser

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