Cancer

A man named Georgios Papanicolaou invented the Pap smear, but Elizabeth Stern helped figure out how to interpret it.

Why The Pap Test Could Also Be Called the Stern Test

Elizabeth Stern played a vital role in cervical cancer testing and treatment

An apricot seed and the kernels found within them

Man Poisons Himself by Taking Apricot Kernels to Treat Cancer

Many believe these seeds can fight cancer, but there's no scientific evidence to back up the claim

An image of cells showing Zika virus (highlighted green) targeting the cancerous stem cells (highlighted red) of a human glioblastoma tumor

How Zika Virus Could Be Used to Fight Brain Cancer

The same properties that make Zika virus devastating to fetal brains could be turned against cancer cells

Genetically modified immune cells ready to be reintroduced back into a person and attack leukemia.

First Gene Therapy Treatment Approved in U.S.

By modifying a person's own immune cells, the treatment can effectively target leukemia cells

Woman Wins $417 Million in Lawsuit Tying Baby Powder to Ovarian Cancer

But the association between talc and cancer continues to be debated by the scientific community

Dogs Will Sniff Out Stomach Cancer in New Japanese Trial

The nose knows

Don't stop slathering on the sunblock, but a technology being developed in the lab could add an additional layer of protection, by tanning skin cells without UV rays.

Researchers Give Skin Cells a Tan—Without the Sun

Without damaging UV rays, the artificial tan could give that golden glow while protecting against skin cancer.

Multiple views of the young teen's right humerus arm bone that runs from the shoulder to the elbow show where the tumor left its mark.

Oldest Cancer Case in Central America Discovered

A young teen, who died 700 years ago, likely suffered pain in the right arm as the tumor grew and expanded through the bone

Marie Curie and President Warren Harding walk down the White House steps arm in arm in 1921.

When Women Crowdfunded Radium For Marie Curie

The element was hard to get and extremely expensive but essential for Curie's cancer research

Idaho Gem, the first cloned mule, only two days old in this photo but already aww-inducing.

How Mule Racing Led to Mule Cloning

It was a huge advance in cloning in the early 2000s

Cancer cells in culture from human connective tissue, illuminated by darkfield amplified contrast.

Nearly Two-Thirds of Cancer-Causing Mutations Are Unavoidable, Study Claims

But it's complicated—and the medical community is not in agreement about the new findings

Tanning Beds Cause $343 Million in Medical Bills a Year

A new study has calculated the steep cost of a not-so-healthy glow

One surprising group is getting colon cancer at rates not seen since the 1890s.

New Study Shows Sharp Rise in Colorectal Cancers Among Young Adults

Its authors are not sure why the cancers have risen so much—only that they’re increasing every year

Henrietta Lacks was a real person—and her cancer cells have led to many medical discoveries.

New Claims Prove the Henrietta Lacks Controversy Is Far From Over

The family of the woman who changed science forever is seeking compensation

Panamanian golden frog (Atelopus zeteki)

Here's Why You Should Never Kiss a Toad

A scientist at Smithsonian's Tropical Research Institute helped catalog everything known about toxins in the skins of endangered frogs and toads

Doctors suggest that women get Pap smears to screen for cervical cancer. But should the guidelines be changed?

More Women Die of Cervical Cancer Than Previously Thought

Past studies significantly underestimated cervical cancer deaths—and racial disparities

For British food scientists, toast color is no longer a matter of personal preference—it's a matter of health.

Why Food Experts Are Warning Not to Burn Your Toast

Is it time to bid brown toast farewell?

The warning label on cartons of duty-free cigarettes in Munich, Germany circa 2006.

People Have Tried to Make U.S. Cigarette Warning Labels More Graphic for Decades

On this day in 1964, the surgeon general officially said that smoking causes cancer. But warning labels in America still don't show its effects

A technique for implanting a 3D-printed "ear" with stem cells could revolutionize treatment for microtia patients.

Hear This, 2017: Scientists Are Creating New Ears With 3D-Printing and Human Stem Cells

Two decades after the "earmouse," researchers have mastered a powerful technique for growing ears from fat-derived stem cells

Eight Innovators to Watch in 2017

Meet original thinkers who are breaking ground in medicine, art, drone design, fighting climate change and more

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