In the news

A group of “big eight” foods—milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans—has been identified as the cause of 90% of food allergies. Among this group, researchers are trying to develop less allergenic varieties of wheat and peanuts, using plant breeding and genetic engineering. These are foods that …

If you are in your 30s, your odds of death are around one in 1,000 per year. If you are 90 years old, your odds of dying are one in six. Our risk of death doubles every eight years. What is the underlying biological process driving this exponential increase? The …

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health threat, and there is an ever growing list of bacteria that are becoming resistant to treatment with the currently available antibiotics. To add to this, very few new antibiotics are in the pipeline. Now, researchers at the Wistar Institute, USA, say that …

An Iowa State University research study published in the November 2020 issue of Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease has concluded that the foods we eat may directly impact our future cognitive acuity. Headed by Auriel Willette, an assistant professor in Food Science and Human Nutrition, and Brandon Klinedinst, a Neuroscience PhD …

New research says that those who spend too much time on social media are apt to be depressed later on. Of course, the issue could be seen from another angle, depressed people may spend more time online, shying away from face-to-face interactions. Dr. Brian Primack, a professor of public health …

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively to other parts of the body is reduced. The resulting symptoms include difficulty in breathing and shortness of breath, fatigue and weakness, and swelling in the legs, ankles, feet, or stomach. Heart failure may lead to …

In a new study published in Aging on November 18, 2020, researchers at Tel Aviv University and Shamir Medical Center in Israel indicated that hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) can reverse the aging process in healthy aging adults by stopping the aging of blood cells. Biologically speaking, the blood cells actually …

Kate O’Brien, the WHO’s director of immunization, vaccines, and biologicals has agreed with Sir John Bell of Oxford University’s statement that more data will be needed from trials of Oxford and AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine to determine its safety and efficacy, commenting, “From what we understand about the press release, there …

In 2003, a team of investigators from the University of California, Irvine, started a study of the ‘oldest-old’, people in their 90s and beyond. This ‘oldest-old’ group is now the fastest growing age group in the United States of America. The 90+ Study aims to help bring to the fore …

Artificial organs Initially considered to be a ground-breaking technology for its ability to regenerate skin cells for skin draughts for burn victims, bio-printing is an emerging medical technology that is now giving way to even more exciting possibilities. Bio-printing can be used to create blood vessels and synthetic ovaries (perhaps even …