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Health

Ewelina Mamcarz and Stephen Gottschalk developed a treatment for babies born without an immune system.

American Ingenuity Awards

These Scientists May Have Found a Cure for ‘Bubble Boy’ Disease

A newly developed gene therapy is saving young people afflicted by the rare but deadly diagnosis

Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that cause plague, survives on fleas that live on rodents, like rats and rabbits.

Three Cases of Plague Diagnosed in China

Officials say the risk of an outbreak is low, but many are concerned that information about the cases is being restricted

The Human Microbiome Project defined nine sites in the mouth. Each provides a habitat for a distinct set of bacterial communities.

By Studying Mouth Bacteria, Scientists Hope to Learn the Secrets of Microbiomes

Communities of bacteria and other microbes in the human mouth can help researchers learn how these groups of organisms affect human health

A brain with a normal olfactory bulb on the left and a brain lacking the bulb on the right.

New Research

Some Women Without the Brain’s Olfactory Bulbs Can Still Smell. Scientists Say It Makes No Sense

Left-handed women missing the brain structures were still able to smell as well–or better—than average

Mark Prausnitz holds an experimental microneedle contraceptive skin patch. Designed to be self-administered by women for long-acting contraception, the patch could provide a new family planning option.

Will Microneedle Patches Be the Future of Birth Control?

Researchers are developing a new long-acting, self-administered device that delivers hormones beneath the skin’s surface

New Research

Double-Sided Tape Inspired by Spiderwebs Could Revolutionize Surgery

The two-sided adhesive instantly dries tissue then creates a strong bond—in just 5 seconds

By genetically modifying a patient's own immune cells to target and kill cancer cells, CAR-T therapy offers a whole new way to fight cancer.

The Possibilities and Risks of Genetically Altering Immune Cells to Fight Cancer

Of the ten or so patients I’ve treated with CAR-T, over half developed strange neurologic side effects ranging from headaches to seizures

Unlike classic CRISPR-based editing, which fully cleaves DNA in two, prime editing starts with a cut to only one strand of the double helix.

A New Gene Editing Tool Could Make CRISPR More Precise

Prime editing offers a new way to make changes to DNA while avoiding some of the drawbacks and clunkiness of traditional CRISPR

The bacterium Escherichia coli, shown here, moves itself with propeller-like structures called flagella; it is one of the mobile microbes scientists have linked to cargo-carrying structures to form biohybrid microrobots.

How Tiny, Microbe-Propelled Bots Could Deliver Drugs in Our Bodies

Researchers are developing ‘hybrid biological microrobots’ to target cancer and do other work in the body

Scientists are starting to get a better idea of how many factors can influence a newborn's gut microbiome.

Babies Born by C-Section Have Different Gut Microbes Than Vaginally Delivered Infants

Method of delivery can influence the bacteria in infants’ guts, according to a new study, but differences were found to disappear within nine months

"Being Human" features some 50 works of art and artifacts

Art Meets Science

This London Gallery Is Working to Be One of the World’s Most Accessible Museums

The Wellcome Collection’s latest permanent exhibition focuses on design features and curatorial approaches suggested by individuals with disabilities

Fishermen in Milwaukee during the salmon run.

Milwaukee’s Secret Salmon Runs

In the spring and fall, watch huge salmon fly up two rivers in Milwaukee to spawn with the city as a backdrop

In groundbreaking clinical trials, researchers are trying to treat patients by editing the genetic makeup of cells with a tool called CRISPR.

Four U.S. CRISPR Trials Editing Human DNA to Research New Treatments

Breaking down how the gene editing technology is being used, for the first time in the United States, to treat patients with severe medical conditions

New Research

‘Robotic Worm’ Could Be the Future of Stroke Care

The hydrogel-covered wire can be guided through the brain via magnets to bust up blood clots

Liane Russell conducted pioneering work into the harmful effects of radiation, and she also discovered that the the Y-chromosome determines maleness in mice.

Women Who Shaped History

Remembering Liane Russell, the Geneticist Who Studied Radiation’s Harmful Effects on Embryos

Russell’s pioneering research led to careful guidelines for administering radiological procedures to women of child-bearing age

Players who sustained a high number of subconcussive hits suffered more midbrain tissue damage

One Concussion-Free Football Season Can Still Damage Players’ Brains

A new study found that more than two-thirds of subjects experienced a decrease in structural integrity of the brain by the end of the college season

It’s very early days—so don’t ditch your glasses just yet.

These Lenses Zoom With a Couple Blinks of Your Eyes

Researchers have developed a soft polymer lens that changes shape based on electrical input

The technology involves a system of sensors that detect the minuscule neuromuscular signals sent by the brain to the vocal cords and muscles of the throat and tongue.

This Device Can Hear You Talking to Yourself

AlterEgo could help people with communication or memory problems by broadcasting internal monologues

Will Artificial Intelligence Improve Health Care for Everyone?

A.I.-driven medical tools could democratize health care, but some worry they could also worsen inequalities

The “cry language recognition algorithm” was trained on recordings of baby cries taken from a hospital's neonatal intensive care unit.

A Translator for Baby Cries? Yes, Please

Researchers have developed an algorithm to identify cries that signal pain or sickness

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