The misfolded proteins responsible for a fatal neurological disease in deer have a twist. The first detailed structure of an infectious prion that causes chronic wasting disease, or CWD, reveals features that could help guide vaccine development or explain why the disease has not yet made the leap to humans, researchers report Oct. 24 in … Read more
DENVER — A drug found in nearly every medicine cabinet could be a treatment for a rare genetic disease. Ibuprofen can help children with mutations in a gene called MAN1B1suggests a study on fruit flies. Geneticists Clement Chow of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City reported the results Nov. 6 at the annual … Read more
Having an extra trained professional by your side can make a pregnancy easier. Among a group of pregnant individuals covered by Medicaid, those who used a doula in addition to a medical team had a lower risk of having a cesarean section or preterm birth than those who did not, researchers reported in November. American … Read more
Naloxone has saved thousands of lives by reversing opioid overdoses. But its success depends on someone nearby who can administer the medicine quickly (SN: 5/3/24). Many people are alone when they overdose. A new implant may one day solve this problem. Inserted under the skin and powered by a battery, the device can detect the … Read more
Male mosquitoes can be almost as bloodthirsty as females under certain conditions, a new study suggests. This overturns the notion that only female mosquitoes bite, drink blood and spread disease while males drink nectar. The finding hints that men are not completely harmless and may play a small role in the spread of the disease. … Read more
Synthetic food colors—and their links to neurobehavioral issues in children—are having a moment. Last month, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law the California School Food Safety Act, banning the state’s public schools from serving or selling foods containing six synthetic food dyes starting in 2028. Earlier this month in Michigan, protests erupted outside the … Read more
A well-timed smile can be the ultimate speed dating hack. Artificial intelligence-enhanced smiles during video chats led to greater romantic attraction, researchers report Oct. 28. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Face filters, available to social media users around the world, can smooth out blemishes, whiten teeth and highlight hair. They can age you … Read more
At least one pig has contracted bird flu amid an outbreak in poultry on a backyard farm in central Oregon. While the infection seems limited to one farm so far, the discovery has raised new alarm bells thanks to pigs’ role as a sort of mixing pot for flu viruses, potentially leading to genetic mutations … Read more
A massive Mayan landscape is hidden beneath a forested area of southern Mexico. The newly discovered city, called Valeriana, spans an area roughly the size of Beijing and has “all the hallmarks of a classic Mayan political capital,” researchers reported in October. Antiquity. Its plazas connected by a grand causeway, temple pyramids, and water reservoir … Read more