Short Look at the Long View

Diagnosing cancer requires a pathologist's expertise to analyze a biopsy sample. But a team of scientists has now developed a quick and simple method of analyzing biopsy samples for cancer that might make pathologists a thing of the past.

When it comes to keeping mosquitoes from spreading malaria, some approaches involve killing the insects, or stopping them from acquiring malaria parasites. A new method, however, stunts the growth of the parasites once they're in the mosquito's gut.

Your kitchen sponge is a better incubator for diverse bacterial communities than a laboratory Petri dish, researchers report.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed an electronic nose that may be able to sniff out signs of cancer from blood plasma samples. In tests, the device was able to detect a range of cancer types with over 90 percent accuracy.

Quadriplegic Robert Chmielewski fed himself dessert using two prosthetic arms he manipulated with his brain. "It's pretty cool," he says.

Scientists have found fecal transplants from old mice to young mice result in the younger animals displaying learning and memory impairments. The findings build on a growing body of research linking age-related cognitive decline with gut microbiome changes.

New research has found diabetic patients using a drug called metformin experience slower rates of cognitive decline and dementia compared to those not using the drug. The findings build on a body of evidence suggesting this drug generates anti-aging effects.

Boston Dynamics’ dog-like robot has now been turned into a tiny mobile doctor, able to remotely measure patients’ vital signs from a distance of over six feet. Dr Spot is being touted as a way to safely triage potentially contagious COVID-19 patients.

If there's one place where you don't want viruses or harmful bacteria to be present, it's in hospitals, where people are already vulnerable. A new process could help, by allowing aluminum surfaces in such buildings to kill the bugs.

Health workers could get some more protection against droplets as they fight against the COVID-19 pandemic with a clear barrier box.

New research could help boost production of proteins for medical applications, food, agriculture, and other industries.

A new bioprinting technique clears a major hurdle on path to 3D printing replacement organs.

If you needed more motivation to brush your teeth, this could do the trick. Scientists have discovered that cavity-causing bacteria and fungi in saliva can team up to form “superorganisms” that can sprout limbs to crawl and even leap across teeth.

After developing a system that could detect 17 different contaminants in a drop of water, researchers have now added "molecular brains" to that setup so the hand-held device not only confirms contamination but also indicates concentration levels.

A groundbreaking new imaging technique, utilizing X-rays 100 billion times brighter than a hospital X-ray machine, is offering 3D images in unprecedented detail, allowing whole organs to be imaged down to a resolution of 1 micron.

Dealing with health insurance companies costs the US economy billions in wasted work time and lost productivity, according to a new study.

DEET may be an effective mosquito repellent, but it can cause irritation, and has to be reapplied every few hours. Scientists are now working on a more innocuous, longer-laster alternative, that involves introducing genetically engineered bacteria onto the skin.

One of the ways physicians can gain some forewarning of impending heart failure is through the detection of excess fluid in the lungs, and MIT researchers have developed a new machine learning tool that could offer them a helping hand.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are emerging as a serious public health threat. Now, researchers have developed a system using nanoparticles wrapped in graphene oxide to kill both the superbugs and their free-floating resistance genes in wastewater.

Continuously active disinfectants could be a new, longer-lasting weapon in the fight against viruses like the novel coronavirus.

A new polymer composite may offer a lighter, non-toxic radiation shielding to replace lead, researchers report.

"We need to get to a stage where we can anticipate how these pathogens will become resistant to antibiotics so we can stay one step ahead of them."...