Stories by Brendan Borrell

Could Bacteria-Fighting Viruses Replace Overused Antibiotics?

Long ignored by mainstream researchers, the viruses that infect bacteria have a role to play in modern medicine, Vincent Fischetti says

Weight-Loss Drug Wins U.S. Approval

The obesity treatment shows promise for patients with diabetes despite concerns that it could cause heart complications

Anticlotting Compounds Shown to Protect Mice from Radiation Poisoning

Two compounds already approved for use in humans increased the survival of lab mice even after they were exposed to radiation

HIV Researcher Probes Vulnerabilities in the Virus for Clues to a Vaccine

Thumbi Ndung'u has moved from Africa to Massachusetts and back in a quest to halt the AIDS epidemic

The Most Exciting Moment of My Scientific Career

Thumbi Ndung'u left Kenya 1995 to study medicine at Harvard. He later returned to Africa on a mission to exploit HIV's vulnerabilities. Now the head of the HIV Pathogenesis Program at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, Ndung'u spoke with Scientific American contributor Brendan Borrell about a research breakthrough early in his career that helped set the pace for the Kenyan's ongoing study of genes in the immune system that may help to fight AIDS and lead to a vaccine...

A Crust of Dust: Degradation of Desert Topsoil by Human Activities May Wreak Havoc with the Environment

Endangered Desert Microbes Protect against Coughs, Sneezes and Red Eye

Biologist Jayne Belnap warns of the consequences for the American West if we don't preserve a home for the minute organisms that live in desert topsoil

Speaking Out on the "Quiet Crisis"

Strengthening science education is the key to securing our energy future, says Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's president

He's No Gregory House--Which Is a Good Thing

As a disease detective at the NIH, William A. Gahl unravels the cause of illnesses that have stumped other doctors

Forget Organic Farming: Agricultural Technology Is the Way to Go

U.S. Department of Agriculture's Roger Beachy advocates increasing the use of advanced agricultural technologies, both in the U.S. and the developing world, despite having grown up on a bucolic Amish farm...

Food Fight: The Case for Genetically Modified Food

Genetically modified crops, says agro-research czar Roger Beachy, receive an unjustified shellacking from environmentalists

A Friend to Aliens: Are Invasive Species Really a Big Threat?

Buckthorn, garlic mustard and many other invasive species do not pose as big a threat as some scientists think, says ecologist Mark Davis

Alien Invasion? An Ecologist Doubts the Impact of Exotic Species

Many conservationists have dedicated their lives to eradicating invasive plant and animal species, but Mark Davis wants them to reassess their missions

Alien Invasion? An Ecologist Doubts the Impact of Exotic Species

Many conservationists have dedicated their lives to eradicating invasive plant and animal species, but Mark Davis wants them to reassess their missions

What Are Bedbugs? Are They Dangerous? [Re-post]

The blood-sucking insects are the bane of most city dwellers, but one entomologist proudly keeps a colony at the American Museum of Natural History. Is there any way for the rest of us to steer clear of them?...

Before Mickey Mouse

The inspiration for today's animated pictures began long ago with dreams and toys

Is Sex Really Necessary?

Most living things do it, but nobody knows why

Zero

How nothing became something

The First Humvee

Wheeled vehicles may have first arisen as a tool of war

Gravity's Tug

The first black holes are almost as old as the universe itself