Humans

Wildfire smoke filled the sky in Seeley Lake, Mont. on Aug. 7, 2017. Weather effects concentrated the accumulating smoke, chronically exposing residents to harmful substances in the air.

Montana Wildfires Provide A Wealth Of Data On Health Effects Of Smoke Exposure

8:08am February 24, 2018

by Nora Saks

Last summer's wildfires handed scientists a rare chance to study effects of smoke on residents. Most previous work had been on wood-burning stoves, urban air pollution and the effects on firefighters.

A scientist says pen refill reviews on Amazon are more informative that what the current peer review system offers on scientific work costing millions of dollars.

Scientists Aim To Pull Peer Review Out Of The 17th Century

8:08am February 24, 2018

by Richard Harris

Some scientists want to change the old-fashioned way scientific advancements are evaluated and communicated. But they have to overcome the power structure of the traditional journal vetting process.

Rosemary Grant is a registered nurse and helps coordinate sepsis care at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The center's goal, she says, is to get a patient who might be developing sepsis antibiotics within three hours.

Synergy Between Nurses And Automation Could Be Key To Finding Sepsis Early

6:45pm February 22, 2018

by Richard Harris

A bedside computer loaded with software that tracks vital signs in the ICU can pick up early warning patterns, specialists say. But it takes a human care provider to sort the signal from the noise.

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New data show that some dogs may match their owner's movements, says Barbara J. King.

Science

Keeping A Close Eye: Dogs, Social Referencing, And Evolution

1:40pm February 22, 2018

by Barbara J. King

Does your dog watch you closely? A new experiment shows how dogs may match our movements and, in some breeds more than others, gaze at us for information, writes anthropologist Barbara J. King.

Kristopher Kelly near his home in Concrete, Wash., in February. He broke his pelvis and all his ribs in a work accident last year. The resulting infection he developed in the hospital almost killed him.

Did An IV Cocktail Of Vitamins And Drugs Save This Lumberjack From Sepsis?

5:42pm February 21, 2018

by Richard Harris

A 51-year-old man nearly died from septic shock, when a crushing injury led to overwhelming infection. After getting an experimental treatment, he's recovering well, but some doctors want more proof.

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At the level of quantum particles, there is evidence that actions in the present can influence the past, says Marcelo Gleiser.

Science

Can We Change The Past?

2:02pm February 21, 2018

by Marcelo Gleiser

Putting humans and consciousness aside, at the level of quantum particles, Wheeler's delayed-choice experiments show that actions in the present can influence the past, says physicist Marcelo Gleiser.

The image of a normal upper arm (top) shows the delicate network of healthy lymph vessels. In the lower image of a patient with lymphedema, a collection of lymph fluid, in white, has made the arm swell.

She Survived Breast Cancer, But Says A Treatment Side Effect 'Almost Killed' Her

12:19pm February 19, 2018

by Patti Neighmond

When many lymph nodes are removed along with a tumor, some patients develop painful and debilitating swelling — lymphedema. More doctors should recognize and help prevent the problem, surgeons say.

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Abraham Vidaurre, 12, checks his arm after receiving an HPV vaccination at Amistad Community Health Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 2016. Though gender differences in vaccine rates have narrowed, more girls than boys tend to get immunized against HPV.

This Vaccine Can Prevent Cancer, But Many Teenagers Still Don't Get It

9:33am February 19, 2018

by Allison Aubrey

The HPV vaccine can prevent cervical cancer in women and some cancers in men. It's most effective when given early in adolescence. But a new analysis finds only 29 percent of teens get it by age 13.

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This light micrograph of a part of a brain affected by Alzheimer's disease shows an accumulation of darkened plaques, which have molecules called amyloid-beta at their core. Once dismissed as all bad, amyloid-beta might actually be a useful part of the im

Scientists Explore Ties Between Alzheimer's And Brain's Ancient Immune System

5:00am February 18, 2018

by Jon Hamilton

Their first epiphanies came during musings over beer, and evolved into a decade of teamwork. Two Harvard researchers explain why they think Alzheimer's disease may be traced to an immunity glitch.

Smallpox virus, colorized and magnified in this micrograph 42,000 times, is the real concern for biologists working on a cousin virus — horsepox. They're hoping to develop a better vaccine against smallpox, should that human scourge ever be used as a bi

Did Pox Virus Research Put Potential Profits Ahead of Public Safety?

1:05pm February 17, 2018

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Privately funded scientists made a virus related to smallpox from scratch, hoping their version might lead to a better smallpox vaccine. But critics question the need — and worry about repercussions.

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