When you take aspirin for a headache, how does the aspirin know how to get to your head and relieve the pain? The short answer is that it doesn’t: molecules can’t transport themselves through the body, and they have no control over where they end up. But researchers can chemically modify drug molecules to ensure … Read more
Organ transplants can literally save lives, but they also come with strings attached – often including a lifetime of immunosuppressive drug treatments needed to control the immune system lest it reject the transplanted organ as a foreign invader. . Today, scientists report three successful kidney organ transplants, performed on children in California, without the need … Read more
According to a new study of 47 volunteers who experienced depressive episodes, probiotics — the “good bacteria” often thought to lead to positive health responses — may have a role to play in treating depression. Research participants who took probiotic supplements in addition to antidepressants showed greater improvement in their depressive symptoms than those who … Read more
For many members of the feline family, perennial catnip (Nepeta cataria) is an irresistible psychoactive treat that induces short bursts of drooling, pawing, and writhing pleasure. Not satisfied with simply rolling among its foliage, many catkins will tear and wrinkle the leaves, prompting researchers to investigate the purpose of this wanton destruction. What appears to … Read more
From your car’s engine to your laptop’s components, mechanical systems tend to heat up when they’re working harder. Now, new research has revealed that the same can be said of the brain – and it gets hotter than previously thought. According to a new study, parts of the deep brain can reach up to 40°C … Read more
A devastating and life-threatening eating disorder, anorexia nervosa exerts its effects on the body. However, a new study also highlights the impact that a lack of sufficient nutrition can have on the brain, dramatically reducing critical measures of brain structure and health. Based on a total of 1,648 female brain scans (685 with anorexia nervosa) … Read more