Archives

New evidence that the brain regions responsible for vision are capable of adapting in adults offers new hope for those with an untreated condition commonly known as lazy eye. Also called amblyopia, the condition is the most prevalent cause of visual impairment in a single eye, affecting about six million people in the United States alone.

Researchers have unlocked the mystery of a gene with the potential to both regulate and block ovulation. The findings could lead to the development of pharmaceuticals that activate the Lrh1 gene, which may prove critical in giving infertile couples hope in producing children.

Every year, more than 115 million patients enter emergency rooms at hospitals around the nation. And more than three-quarters of them leave with an impression of what happened -- or what should happen next -- that doesn't match what their emergency care team would want.

The outlook for air quality in Beijing during the Olympics is borderline, and there's little that the Chinese government can do to improve it. That's the conclusion drawn by atmospheric chemists who analyzed pollution data collected regularly for the last five years by Chinese scientists.

A potential new drug that "opens the taps" for the release of useful hormones could stimulate new bone growth -- and may eventually bring relief to osteoporosis sufferers.

What is there to see inside a magnet that's smaller than the head of a pin? Quite a lot, say physicists who've invented a new kind of MRI technique to do just that. The technique may eventually enable the development of extremely small computers, and even give doctors a new tool for studying the plaques in blood vessels that play a role in diseases such as heart disease.

The key to good health is to be physically active. The key to being active is... to be born that way? In two genetic analyses performed on mouse hybrids descended from strains known for their high and low levels of physical activity, researchers have located six single and several interacting sets of genes that have a large effect on the animals' predisposition to engage in physical activity. The research points to the profound influence of genes governing dopamine regulation in the brain and suggests that active or inactive behavior may be inherited in mammals.

A genetic variation which evolved to protect people of African descent against malaria has now been shown to increase their susceptibility to HIV infection by up to 40 percent, according to new research. Conversely, the same variation also appears to prolong survival of those infected with HIV by approximately two years.

Prehypertension during young adulthood is common and is associated with coronary atherosclerosis, according to a new study. The findings suggest that young adults should try to keep their blood pressure below 120/80 mmHg.

Researchers are reporting an advance in the quest for a fast, sensitive test to detect flu viruses -- one that requires no refrigeration and can be used in remote areas of the world where new flu viruses often emerge. Their new method is the first to use sugar molecules rather than antibodies.