Archives for Medicine

New Discovery: Enzymes Capable of Quantum Tunneling

Drug discovery meets quantum mechanics in this article about recent evidence for quantum tunneling in enzymes:

SYDNEY, 25 August 2006: British scientists have found that enzymes
cheat time and space by quantum tunnelling – a much faster way of
travelling than the classical way – but whether or not perplexing
quantum theories can be applied to the biological world is still hotly
debated.

Read More “New Discovery: Enzymes Capable of Quantum Tunneling”

Study: Blackberry Addiction Similar to Drugs


Blackberry email devices can be so addictive that owners may need to be
weaned off them with treatment similar to that given to drug users,
experts warned today.

They said the palmtop gadgets, which have been nicknamed
‘crackberries’ because users quickly become hooked on them, could be
seriously damaging to mental health.… Read More “Study: Blackberry Addiction Similar to Drugs”

Electric Currents Heal Wounds

150 years ago, German physiologist Emil Du Bois-Reymond discovered that electric currents could speed up the healing of flesh wounds. But his research has been ignored ever since. Until now…

Now Josef Penninger of the Austrian Institute of Molecular
Biotechnology in Vienna and Min Zhao of the University of Aberdeen, UK,
have demonstrated that natural electric fields and currents in tissue
play a vital role in orchestrating the wound-healing process by
attracting repair cells to damaged areas
.

Read More “Electric Currents Heal Wounds”

Fatherhood Boosts Male Brains

New research has shown that fatherhood brings about dramatic enhancements in male brains. Although the researchers don’t suggest it, this effect may be nature’s way of counteracting the dramatic decrease in male brain function that occurs in proportion to the number of times they get laid in a given week (Note: this particular malady was brought to national attention on the popular TV show Seinfeld).

New Level of Order Discovered in DNA

A major new discovery about the structure of DNA molecules has been announced. Researchers have found there is a pattern to the organization of nucleosomes in DNA, which may explain why certain parts of the molecule are accessible or inaccessible to transcription.… Read More “New Level of Order Discovered in DNA”

Detecting Disease by Measuring the Breath

The next generation of the breathalyzer won’t just measure blood alchohol content, it will detect many types of disease as well. A laser-based technology for measuring the breath is being proposed as a viable alternative to blood tests.

Anti-Aging Molecule Discovered

South Korean researchers have synthesized a molecule that seems to not only stop, but also reverse, the built-in aging functions of cells.

A team of South Korean scientists on Sunday
claimed to have created a “cellular fountain of youth,’’ or a small
molecule, which enables human cells to avoid aging and dying.

Read More “Anti-Aging Molecule Discovered”

Breakthrough in Finding Patterns in Complex Data Such as Sound

A new mathematical technique provides a dramatically better way to
analyze data, such as audio data, radar, sonar, or any other form of
time-frequency data
.

Humans have 200 million light receptors in their eyes,
10 to 20 million receptors devoted to smell, but only 8,000 dedicated
to sound.

Read More “Breakthrough in Finding Patterns in Complex Data Such as Sound”

Fighting Infection with Phages

I’ve been interested in bacteriophages for a few years, ever since I first heard about them. This article goes into more detail about why they may present a new and better alternative to antibiotics in the treatment of resistant bacterial infections.… Read More “Fighting Infection with Phages”

Electronic Smog

Are you living in a cloud of electronic smog? New research has shown that fields from electrical wiring and devices in the home and office should be considered to be a form of pollution. Recent studies are finding that many cancers and other diseases may be directly related to exposure to these electrical fields.

Moderate Drinking Turns out to Not be So Healthy After All

A new study has found a fatal flaw in past studies that claimed moderated drinking is good for your health. It seems the past studies compared moderate drinkers to abstainers, and found the moderate drinkers were more healthy. Unfortunately what they neglected to consider was the fact that many of their abstainers were abstaining because they had other health problems or were frail and elderly and on medications that interacted with alchohol.… Read More “Moderate Drinking Turns out to Not be So Healthy After All”

Widely Used Food Packaging Material Related to Surge in Prostate Cancers

More evidence that many synthetic food and beverage packaging materials are unsafe:

A CHEMICAL used to make food wrapping and line tin cans could be the
cause of surging prostate cancer rates in men, says a study.

Bisphenol A is widely used in the food industry to make
polycarbonate drinks bottles and the resins used to line tin cans, even
though it is known to leach into food and has long been suspected of
disrupting human sex hormones.

Read More “Widely Used Food Packaging Material Related to Surge in Prostate Cancers”

Internet Game Provides Breakthrough in Predicting Epidemics

Where’s George, an internet game in which people track the spread of dollar bills as they move around, has yielded an unexpected breakthrough in the science of predicting the spread of epidemics.

Scientists Solve Flu Virus Replication Mystery

In a big step for medicine, scientists have figured out how the flu virus replicates — including the bird flu —  inside cells. This opens up new pathways for developing drugs to fight all strains of the flu.

Quantum Evolution — A Radical Theory

The theory of quantum evolution is a radical new take on how mutations
in DNA occur. Basically the theory postulates that DNA molecules are in
fact macroscopic quantum objects that undergo quantum interference. It
is spearheaded by Johnjoe McFadden, a professor in the UK and makes for an interesting read.… Read More “Quantum Evolution — A Radical Theory”

Brains Scans Show Unexpected Effects of Accupuncture

Recent brain scans have shown that accupuncture can actualy deactivate the brain’s pain centers. One more bit of evidence for alternative medicine.

New Text-Mining Project Aims to Help Scientists

A new project applies text-mining to help scientists in the UK discover knowledge in large collections of research articles and data (Found in: KurzweilAI):


Julie Nightingale

Tuesday   January   10, 2006
The Guardian

 
 Scientific
research is being added to at an alarming rate: the Human Genome
Project alone is generating enough documentation to "sink battleships".

Read More “New Text-Mining Project Aims to Help Scientists”

Big Thinkers' Most Dangerous Ideas

The Edge has published mini-essays by 119 "big thinkers" on their "most dangerous ideas" — fun reading.

The history of science is replete with discoveries
that were considered socially, morally, or emotionally
dangerous in their time; the Copernican and
Darwinian revolutions are the most obvious.

Read More “Big Thinkers' Most Dangerous Ideas”

Aspartame Even More Toxic When Mixed with Food Coloring

More news about aspartame ("Nutrasweet"), which is being found to be far more toxic than anyone imagined…  (from: this article)

Combining food additives may be harmful, say researchers
   

  · Aspartame and artificial colourings investigated
  · Mice nerve cells stopped growing in experiments


Felicity Lawrence, consumer affairs correspondent

  Wednesday December  21, 2005
  The Guardian

   
New
research on common food additives, including the controversial
sweetener aspartame and food colourings, suggests they may interact to
interfere with the development of the nervous system.

Read More “Aspartame Even More Toxic When Mixed with Food Coloring”

Aspartame (Nutrasweet) Proved to Cause Cancer at Human Levels of Ingestion

A recent study has found that human-level dosages of aspartame (the artificial sweetener formerly known as Nutrasweet and now cleverly disguised by new, obscure trade-names) causes stastitically significant increases in the occurrance of multiple forms of cancer. In other words, don’t drink diet colas that include aspartame, don’t chew sugar-free gum, and when you see "sugar-free" on food, beware.… Read More “Aspartame (Nutrasweet) Proved to Cause Cancer at Human Levels of Ingestion”

New Bird-Flu Remedy… Sauerkraut?

Yuck. I hate sauerkraut. But even I will eat the stuff if it turns out to help fight bird-flu, as this article reports. Anyway, the good news is that kimchee may be equally effective; kimchi is delicious.

New Study: Human Hands, Feet and Foreheads Emit Light

Now this is really interesting! New research has found that certain parts of the body emit measurable numbers of photons. This may open up new diagnostic techniques. But that’s just the beginning. Spiritual healers from many different faiths have long said that they experience light coming from their hands, and can feel (and even see) energy from the hands, feet and heads of other people.… Read More “New Study: Human Hands, Feet and Foreheads Emit Light”

20% of Your Genes Belong to Them

From Boing Boing today:

Xeni Jardin: A report in this week’s issue of Science
says 20 percent of human genes have been patented in the United States:

The study (…) is the first time that a detailed map has been
created to match patents to specific physical locations on the human genome.

Read More “20% of Your Genes Belong to Them”

Blood Tests for Psychological Illnesses

A new blood test was just announced for quickly diagnosing anxiety. Next, the makers plan to release a blood test for diagnosing depression. This is an interesting new trend: blood tests for psychological illnesses. And it’s just the tip of the iceberg.… Read More “Blood Tests for Psychological Illnesses”

Immune Cells Capable of Long-Distance Communication

Breakthrough research has found that human immune cells communicate over long distances via microtubulin pathways. This proves that neurons are not the only cells in the body capable of long-distance messaging. It establishes the immune system runs on another, previously unknown, communications network in the body.… Read More “Immune Cells Capable of Long-Distance Communication”

You do what you eat?

This article presents some fascinating evidence that nutrition has a direct relationship on behavior, particularly antisocial behavior.

Idea for Safer Submarines

I’ve been following the drama of the stranded Russian mini-sub. One of the main problems is that they have limited oxygen, which doesn’t give the rescue team much time to retrieve the sub. This got me thinking and I came up with a simple idea that could make all submarines safer: Every submarine should have an external valve hookup so that pressurized air can be pumped into the cabin from an external source.… Read More “Idea for Safer Submarines”

Human-Brained Monkeys Pose Ethical Challenge

A cutting-edge research program is injecting human brain cells into monkey brains, to investigate whether this causes their brains to become more "human." This poses a potential ethical challenge: If the monkeys do become more human, would they be considered "human subjects" and be protected by ethical guidelines governing research onto humans?… Read More “Human-Brained Monkeys Pose Ethical Challenge”

Cloning in the Animal Kingdom

Several recent articles discuss the discovery of insects that clone themselves:

The ant Wasmannia Auropunctata, which is native to Central and South
America but has spread into the US and beyond, has opted for a unique
stand-off in the battle of the sexes.

Read More “Cloning in the Animal Kingdom”

Fascinating Article — Surviving a Nuclear Attack on Washington DC

This article is very interesting not only because it provides an unusually detailed scenario of what would happen if a nuke was detonated in the Washington DC area, but also because it provides counter-intuitive guidance for how to survive such a situation, as well as information about new medical treatments for helping both first-responders and victims to combat radiation sickness.… Read More “Fascinating Article — Surviving a Nuclear Attack on Washington DC”