Health

First-of-its-kind pig kidney transplant is a success

A woman with heart and kidney failure is now the second person in the world to undergo a gene-edited pig kidney transplant.

Kristin Houser

Fluorescent microscopy image showing cells in blue and green

Cancer

New study challenges long-held assumption about cancer

Genetic mutations may not be necessary for cancer to develop, challenging a long-held assumption about the disease.

Kristin Houser

Microscopic image of a brain slice with fluorescent staining in shades of purple and blue, highlighting specific areas.

Memory

How sensory gamma rhythm stimulation clears amyloid in Alzheimer’s mice

Study finds stimulating a brain rhythm with light and sound increases peptide release from interneurons, possibly slowing Alzheimer’s progression.

David Orenstein | The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory | MIT News

Healthcare

A health app could someday detect heart disease via selfies

Researchers in Beijing created a new deep learning algorithm, which claims to detect signs of heart disease in the human face.

Teresa Carey

Medicine

“Antivitamins” could be the cure for antibiotic resistance

The B1 antivitamin helps bacteria kill competing bacteria, leading researchers to suspect it could help us fight antibiotic resistance and superbugs.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Why COVID-19 patients lose their sense of smell

Researchers have identified cells that are most susceptible to the novel coronavirus. They also support neurons associated with the sense of smell.

Teresa Carey

Drugs

Scientists want to study your at-home psychedelic mushroom experiences

Scientists are looking for people planning to trip on psychedelic mushrooms for a new study focused on people’s “real-world” experiences with psilocybin.

Kristin Houser

Biology

Fecal transplant cures man whose gut made him drunk

A fecal transplant cured a man of auto-brewery syndrome, a rare condition in which the gut converts carbs into alcohol, making a person feel drunk.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Can the common cold help battle COVID-19?

The common cold can be caused by a coronavirus. New research suggests the immune response it causes may help protect against COVID-19.

B. David Zarley

Biology

Study may explain why cancer gets more aggressive as we age

A molecule in the blood of older people promotes the spread of cancer, which could explain the link between age and metastatic cancer.

Kristin Houser

Using smartphone cameras to detect diabetes

A new algorithm can detect diabetes using data collected by a smartphone’s camera, offering a way to address the problem of undiagnosed diabetes.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Who should get the COVID-19 vaccine first?

The COVID-19 vaccine will likely be rationed. Who will be first on the list to receive it?

Teresa Carey

Coronavirus

Open-source COVID-19 saliva test could be a game changer

SalivaDirect, a COVID-19 saliva test funded by the NBA and NBA players’ union, could be the cheap, accurate testing method the U.S. desperately needs.

Kristin Houser

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