Stories by Heidi Ledford

Research into depression has struggled whereas studies of cancer have thrived. The balance could be shifting

Genetic material shed by tumors can get dumped into healthy cells and transform them

The FDA will continue to monitor safety from health records

An algal enzyme is found to speed up the rate at which plants make food

The retraction represents a setback for those trying to explain a puzzling cluster of sudden-onset narcolepsy reported in 2010 in Europe

Drug regulators are weighting the merits of disclosing preliminary results from experiments to justify a drug's federal approval and then monitor its safety

A biological clock choreographs the plants' daily pursuit of sunlight

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

Subjects were taught to suppress their immune responses using physical conditioning

High doses of vitamin C have been found to reduce chemotherapy side effects in humans and to fight tumors in mice

Financial woes are threatening Advanced Cell Technology, running the only FDA-approved clinical trials of embryonic stem cell therapies

The fungi help prevent any one species from dominating an ecosystem

The benefits and risks of "gain-of-function" research into highly pathogenic microbes with pandemic potential must be evaluated, scientists say

"Breakthrough therapy" status is much sought after, but there is confusion about its definition and impact

Cells can be regenerated in their natural environment, without making a pit stop in a Petri dish

Warmer temperatures mean varieties such as Fuji apples are softer and sweeter than they were 40 years ago

Diabetic rats were found to control blood glucose better after undergoing the weight-loss surgery

Dense arrangements of nerves in and around tumors seems to make the cancer more aggressive in mice

Arithmetic division guides plants' use of energy at night

As the justices prepare to hear arguments in the Myriad Genetics case, observers are debating the impact of the outcome on personalized medicine and whole-genome sequencing

The new therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a swift-growing cancer that tends to kill more than 60 percent of those afflicted, involves extracting T cells and modifying them to home in on and destroy B cells in healthy and cancerous tissue

New evidence suggests the mechanism of action for a red wine compound that some say is linked to a longer life span. Resveratrol acts directly on a protein that has been linked to cell metabolism and inflammatory diseases

Revised guidelines for heart health are set to move away from target-based approach

The agency's approval of the first seasonal flu vaccine made of recombinant proteins rather than inactivated or weakened virus comes as emergency rooms are clogged with victims of an early and severe flu season