Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases on the planet, killing about 2,000 people every day. Much effort has been put into developing a vaccine, and while there have been some encouraging results, it's proved difficult to control the malaria parasites and their mosquito carriers. Now, a new vaccine actually makes…
While DNA is the building block of life, its cousin RNA keeps the show running smoothly, as it carries the information from DNA that allow genes to be expressed. RNA's ability to increase or decrease the expression of genes means it has huge potential to treat diseases at the genetic level, including tumors and…
Pandas aren't exactly renowned for their health and hardiness — if anything, they've earned a reputation as a fragile, sex-averse species that needs constant human conservation just to keep from going extinct. Well, they might be about to repay the favor in a big way, thanks to a powerful antibiotic locked inside…
The drug rapamycin comes from bacteria found in the soils of Easter Island. It's helped save lives for over a decade by preventing rejection in organ transplants, but that might just be scratching the surface of what it can do.
Some laboratory mice were given specially engineered insuling-producing genes. These genes were then remotely activated using radio waves. This could mean a whole new field of medical procedures in which we turn genes on and off at will.
Chocolate, like any other candy, makes you fat. That's such a basic and well-known fact that it's easily taken for granted... but it could be wrong. New research reveals that people who regularly eat chocolate are thinner than those who don't.
The gene PTEN is a tumor suppressor, making it one of the best genes to have in the fight against cancer. But the latest research suggests that preventing cancer is just the beginning of all the amazing things this gene can do.
An exciting new finding suggests that a specific enzyme in the brain is responsible for blocking the creation of new memories in Alzheimer's patients. And stopping that enzyme has already reversed Alzheimer's symptoms in mice. This could be a major breakthrough.
Because flu viruses mutate so fast, the only way to stop them is to destroy their ability to evolve. That's the key to creating a universal flu vaccine... and now we may have found the secret to creating one, and wiping out the flu.
Some of the most deadly human diseases work by worming their way inside your DNA, attaching themselves to the cell's chromosomes. This makes them almost impossible to remove. But a new molecule designed to bamboozle rogue DNA could change everything.
Scientists have long searched unsuccessfully for the genetic factors that cause schizophrenia. Now we know why: the disorder is actually caused by what happens in cells around the genes. That knowledge could give us our best treatment yet for schizophrenia.
It sounds like science fiction, but neuroscientists have identified a molecule in mice that, when suppressed, significantly boosts memory. It's meant as a radical treatment for Alzheimer's patients, but there's no reason the rest of us couldn't take it, too.
For centuries, we've used a dye derived from lichens to provide the red coloring for food and fabrics. This dye contains a compound called orcein, and we've just discovered its most remarkable property: it can fight Alzheimer's disease.
We've known for a while now that moderate wine-drinking can confer some health benefits. Now a new study reveals moderate beer consumption can also reduce the risk of heart disease by 31%. So what's behind this unexpected health benefit?
The use of embryonic stem cells in medical research has been a hot-button moral and ethical debate for years — but there may be a way to sidestep the issue entirely. Scientists have now isolated embryonic-like stem cells in human breast milk.
Colon cancer is the second deadliest form of the disease in the United States, killing an estimated 50,000 people each year. Now scientists might have found help from a completely unexpected area: a little microbe known as Fusobacterium.
The peanut allergy is one of the eight most common types of food allergies, and the common use of peanuts in a wide range of foods makes it particularly dangerous. But now scientists have a solution: trick your immune system.
Alcohol has its uses, medically speaking, and one of them might be staving off dementia and other forms of cognitive impairment. Moderate social drinking appears to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and similar diseases by a massive 23 percent.
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is one of the leading risk factors behind strokes, heart failure, aneurysms, and other deadly serious medical conditions. But here's the weird thing about hypertension: we don't actually know what causes it.
Sooty mangabeys are a monkey species found on the western coast of central Africa. Their unique immunity to SIV, a relative of HIV, has intrigued medical researchers for decades. Now we know just how their immunity works.