medical research news stories on Newser

Bird Flu Study Shut Down Over Terrorism Fears

Kevin Spak — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:20:12 CST

Researchers have temporarily shut down their investigations into a new, potentially devastating form of bird flu, giving in to widespread fear that terrorists might get their hands on the mutated virus. The researchers at Erasmus Medical College in the Netherlands have already determined that the strain, dubbed H5N1, is transmissible...

Babies' Foreskins Could End Animal Testing in Labs

Mark Russell — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:32:09 CST

Babies' foreskins: The new wonder material? Maybe. They're already being used to make wrinkle creams , and now German scientists have developed a machine that uses the foreskin of young boys to grow artificial skin, reports the Local . For now, the researchers hope their innovation can be used for testing consumer...

Medical Chimp-Testing May Be Over

Mark Russell — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 15:04:01 CST

Chimpanzees: valuable test subjects, or caged relatives who deserve better treatment? With a ban on all ape-testing now in Congress, the controversial practice dating back to the 1920s may soon be over, the New York Times reports. “Now is the time to get these chimps out of invasive research and...

Scientists Debate Ending Chimp Research

Mark Russell — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 06:11:26 CDT

After years of using chimpanzees for scientific research—shooting them into space, testing hepatitis vaccines on them, using them for HIV studies—man's closest relative could be nearing retirement, reports the Washington Post . The European Union banned using chimps for scientific research last year, and now the Institute of Medicine...

New Test Predicts Alzheimer’s

M. Morris — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:15:08 CDT

The presence of certain biomarkers in spinal fluid can predict the development of Alzheimer's disease, even in patients who display no symptoms, according to breakthrough research being published tomorrow. "This is what everyone is looking for, the bull’s eye of perfect predictive accuracy," a doctor not connected with the study...

Personality in First Grade Sticks for Life: Study

M. Morris — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 15:05:03 CDT

Chatty kids grow up to be intelligent adults, and children with low self-esteem remain insecure decades later, say researchers investigating how much personality changes with age. "We remain recognizably the same person," the study author tells LiveScience . "This speaks to the importance of understanding personality because it does follow us...

Fertile Women Buy Sexier Clothes

Kevin Spak — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 10:14:00 CDT

Women are more likely to pick out sexy clothes when they’re ovulating, particularly if they think they have competition for potential partners, scientists say. A new study says women subconsciously lean toward the skimpy and seductive if they’re ovulating and see other attractive women nearby. “In order to entice a...

Calcium Pills Tied to Jump in Heart Attack Risk: Study

Nick McMaster — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:58:00 CDT

Calcium supplements may make heart attacks more likely in older patients, a new study suggests. Researchers looking to confirm calcium supplements' ability to prevent bone fractures instead found the patients taking the supplements were 30% more likely to suffer a heart attack, the BBC reports. And it turns out the...

Later School Start Time Means Happier Students

M. Morris — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 16:10:35 CDT

Starting high school classes just 30 minutes later leads to marked improvement in students' moods and even their overall health, CNN reports . Teens need 8½ to 9¼ hours of sleep a night, and biological changes associated with adolescence mean they naturally fall asleep later than younger kids. In a small...