How Will 'Cut And Paste' Technology Rewrite Our DNA?
Biochemist Sam Sternberg describes how recent developments in gene editing technology may help end many diseases and even control our own evolution.
Medical Treatments
Early Bedtime For Preschoolers Might Help Reduce Obesity Risk Later
Little kids who hit the sack early may be less likely to get overtired and fussy in a way that messes with their sleep cycle, researchers say.
Opioid Bill Reframes Addiction As A Health Problem, Not A Crime
The Senate bill, an amalgam of more than a dozen proposals, will expand access to medication-assisted treatment. It also will encourage police to send drug users to treatment rather than to jail.
Parents Can Help Reduce Pain And Anxiety From Vaccinations
There are plenty of proven techniques that can help parents soothe the sting of the needle. And guess what? A parent's attitude can matter more than the actual pain of the shot.
Hope Still Races Ahead Of Evidence In Magnet Treatment For Autism
A few people with high-functioning autism say they've been briefly helped by exposure to transcranial magnetic stimulation. But there's a cost, one mother found, to getting ahead of the science.
What An Hour Of Emotion Makes Visible
Kim was an accomplished doctor with plenty of friends. But a few pulses from an electromagnet to her brain at age 54 made her reconsider how she sees herself — and the world.
Synthetic Stingray May Lead To A Better Artificial Heart
Using gold, silicone and heart cells from a rat, scientists have made a tiny artificial stingray. The engineering involved in propelling it could help make a heart that's more than a mechanical pump.
'Unbroken Brain' Explains Why 'Tough' Treatment Doesn't Help Drug Addicts
"We have this idea that if we are just cruel enough and mean enough ... to people with addiction, that they will suddenly wake up and stop, and that is not the case," journalist Maia Szalavitz says.
After Medical Marijuana Legalized, Medicare Prescriptions Drop For Many Drugs
Researchers found that in states with medical marijuana laws on the books, the number of prescriptions dropped for drugs to treat anxiety, depression, nausea, pain, seizures and sleep disorders.
Episiotomies Still Common During Childbirth Despite Advice To Do Fewer
Overall rates of the surgical snip have declined nationally in the past decade. But, despite advice, some hospitals and certain doctors still routinely cut the vagina to ease a baby's birth.