Congress Seeks to Quash Patent Trolls
Legislation revised from last year would spare universities from being penalized in the same way as unscrupulous companies
Stories by Heidi Ledford
![Foodies Embrace 3-D–Printed Cuisine [Slide Show]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/AD3448B8-239A-43C1-AB72EC3860AEB43C_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
Foodies Embrace 3-D–Printed Cuisine [Slide Show]
Printers now can unleash creative cookery, with such technology set to become available to consumers later this year
Foodies Embrace 3-D–Printed Cuisine
Printers now can unleash creative cookery, with such technology set to become available to consumers later this year
New Discovery Moves Gene Editing Closer to Use in Humans
The gene editing method called CRISPR is already used in the lab to insert and remove genome defects in animal embryos
Promising Antibiotic Discovered in Microbial "Dark Matter"
Potential drug kills pathogens such as MRSA—and was discovered by mining "unculturable" bacteria
End of cancer-genome project prompts rethink
Geneticists debate whether focus should shift from sequencing genomes to analyzing function
Controversial Cholesterol Drug Reduces Risk of Heart Disease
The ability of ezetimibe to combat heart disease previously was in dispute
Depression Could Finally Get as Much Biomedical Attention as Cancer
Research into depression has struggled whereas studies of cancer have thrived. The balance could be shifting
Cancer Cells Can "Infect" Normal Neighbors
Genetic material shed by tumors can get dumped into healthy cells and transform them
U.S. Prescription-Drug Safety Program Expands
The FDA will continue to monitor safety from health records
Hacked Photosynthesis Could Boost Crop Yields
An algal enzyme is found to speed up the rate at which plants make food
Journal Retracts Paper Linking "Swine Flu" Vaccine and Narcolepsy
The retraction represents a setback for those trying to explain a puzzling cluster of sudden-onset narcolepsy reported in 2010 in Europe
FDA Debates Secrecy Surrounding Experimental Drugs
Drug regulators are weighting the merits of disclosing preliminary results from experiments to justify a drug's federal approval and then monitor its safety
Sunflowers Move to Internal Rhythm [Video]
A biological clock choreographs the plants' daily pursuit of sunlight
Life Span Boosted in Worms via Dietary Supplement Compound
It's premature to call the compound, alpha-ketoglutarate, an antiaging drug, but it has been found to extend the longevity of C. elegans by 50 percent
Inflammation Reduced with Behavioral Training
Subjects were taught to suppress their immune responses using physical conditioning
Vitamin C Injections Ease Ovarian Cancer Treatments
High doses of vitamin C have been found to reduce chemotherapy side effects in humans and to fight tumors in mice
Stem Cell Company in Crisis
Financial woes are threatening Advanced Cell Technology, running the only FDA-approved clinical trials of embryonic stem cell therapies
Plant-Killing Fungi Found to Preserve Rainforest Diversity
The fungi help prevent any one species from dominating an ecosystem
A Call for Urgent Talks on Mutant Flu-Strain Research
The benefits and risks of "gain-of-function" research into highly pathogenic microbes with pandemic potential must be evaluated, scientists say
