An estimated 50 million Americans ― that’s 20 percent of the general population ― suffer from autoimmune diseases like lupus, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, and many experts say that number is rising at an alarming rate. Autoimmunity occurs when the immune system begins attacking the body’s healthy tissue as if it were an outside invader, leading to chronic...
Year: <span>2017</span>
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Unexpected Risks Found In Replacing DNA To Prevent Inherited Disorders
The genes in mitochondria, which are the powerhouses in human cells, can cause fatal inherited disease. But replacing the bad genes may cause other health problems. Getty Images/Science Photo Library In September, reproductive endocrinologist John Zhang and his team at the New Hope Fertility Center in New York City captured the world’s attention when they announced...
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Finland Has Finally Launched Its Universal Basic Income Experiment
IN BRIEF The universal basic income trial will give out €560 ($587) a month, tax free, to 2,000 randomly-selected Finns. UBI is a potential source of income that could one day be available to all adult citizens, regardless of income, wealth, or employment status. NEW YEAR, NEW INCOME It looks like 2,000 citizens in Finland...
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Parkinson-like symptoms in welders worsen with more manganese exposure
New research involving shipyard and metal fabrication workers finds that increased exposure to the chemical element manganese in welding fumes is linked to the worsening of parkinsonism. This is a group of disorders that share some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, such as slow movement and stiffness. The researchers found that cumulative exposure...
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Scientists confirm a ‘new’ human organ
For centuries, the mesentery (which links the intestine to the abdomen) has been treated as a group of distinct structures in your digestive system. It wasn’t anything special. However, the medical world now has to rethink that belief. Scientists recently determined that the mesentery is really one, cohesive entity — that’s right, they confirmed the existence of...
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‘We could make that!’ — chance meeting leads to creation of antibiotic spider silk
A chance meeting between a spider expert and a chemist has led to the development of antibiotic synthetic spider silk. After five years’ work an interdisciplinary team of scientists at The University of Nottingham has developed a technique to produce chemically functionalised spider silk that can be tailored to applications used in drug delivery,...
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Bionic Humans: This Sleek Power Suit Helps Restore Mobility
IN BRIEF Superflex is looking to bring power suits to market that can help the elderly and disabled complete everyday tasks. The company has to release an initial concept but plan for the suit to fit nicely under any clothing and be ready for purchase by 2018. “INTELLIGENT WEARABLE STRENGTH” Superflex, a California-based startup, is...
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The Future of Brain-Based Medicine
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 58 million adult Americans suffer from mental illness in any given year, and that number is growing. In 2013, an estimated 15.7 million adults had at least one major depressive episode (ranging from mental depression to physical suicide and even murderous attacks on others, including their own...
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Parents of autistic children call ‘Buzzies’ a game changer
PHOENIX – Trouble focusing in class and wanting to get up and leave are issues that a lot of 17-year-olds deal with during the school day, but for Jacob Holma these are problems he really struggles with on a daily basis. Jacob has Autism and has a difficult time concentrating both inside and outside of...
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Affordable Room-Scale Mobile VR Arrives with NOLO Motion Tracking System
Truly immersive virtual reality is finally coming to smartphones, but you need to act fast. VR developers LYRobotix have announced a brand new motion tracking system that brings room-scale virtual reality and motion-tracking to smartphones for the first time. For just $89 you get the entire Nolo Motion Tracking System, consisting of a single base station (Much...