Medicine
Experimental Autism Drugs Aim to Improve Social Communication Skills
Experts caution that addressing lingering questions will require more research.
Stories by Nicholette Zeliadt
Neurology
Study Ties Autism to Maternal High Blood Pressure, Diabetes
Children born to women who had diabetes or high blood pressure while pregnant are at an increased risk of autism, two new studies suggest
Neurology
Some Mutations Tied to Autism May Be Passed Down from Fathers
The findings go against previous studies that suggest mutations are inherited from mothers
Neurology
Autism Shares Brain Signature with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder
Gene expression patterns in the brains of people with these conditions, new research finds
Biotech
Scientists Use Light to Turn Off Autism Symptoms in Mice
The findings hint at treatments that could restore the balance of brain activity
Neuroscience
Brain Scans May Forecast Autism in Babies
Checks on 6-month-old infants accurately predict which children will be diagnosed at age 2
Mental Health
Autism in Motion: Could Motor Problems Trigger Social Ones?
Kids battling physical awkwardness may miss crucial opportunities to learn about interaction
Biology
Trash Is Her Treasure: A Profile of a Sanitation Anthropologist
A New York University anthropologist discusses why she has spent the past four years working alongside New York City's garbage men and women
The Sciences
Wee ants protect African savanna trees from elephants
It's a David versus Goliath kind of story, with an ecological twist: In African savannas (regions with both trees and grass), acacia-dwelling ants can repel voracious, tree-eating elephants, according to new research by published online September 2 in Current Biology ...
Biology
Rabbit Rest: Can Lab-grown Human Skin Replace Animals in Toxicity Testing?
New experimental models based on three-dimensional reconstructions of human skin are helping to reduce chemical testing on live animals, but cannot yet replace animals altogether
Biology
Pox Swap: 30 Years After the End of Smallpox, Monkeypox Cases Are on the Rise
The vaccinal eradication of smallpox was a watershed achievement. But with the cessation of regular vaccinations, infection rates from a related poxvirus are increasing in central Africa...
Biology
Stem Cells from Reprogrammed Adult Cells Found to Bring Along Genetic Defects of Their Donors
Although liver cells created from induced pluripotent stem cells reflect the defects of their source, they may offer a new tool to study inherited disorders
Biology
Plucked hairs can keep track of circadian rhythms
Our sleep patterns, eating habits, body temperature and hormone levels are driven by the rhythmic activity of body's circadian clock. Travel across time zones or shift work can knock those rhythms out of whack, possibly leading to sleep problems, bipolar disorder, metabolic syndrome and even cancer...
Health
Arresting Development: Blood Biomarker Patterns May Aid Early Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer
Metabolic profiles based on certain molecules in the blood could enable earlier detection of this asymptomatic malignancy
Biology
Hot and heavy: Insects sense the breath of approaching herbivores and flee plants
Plant-dwelling insects are in perpetual danger of being accidentally munched on by plant-eating animals. One such insect, the sap-sucking aphid (a common pest in gardens), has an effective escape plan, though: the bugs detect an approaching herbivore's breath and simply drop off the plant before it's eaten.Researchers at the University of Haifa at Oranim, Israel first noticed this phenomenon when they allowed a goat to feed on aphid-infested alfalfa plants—65 percent of the plant pests simultaneously dropped to the ground just before the vegetation was devoured.The team suspected that several cues might have motivated the mass dropping, including the sudden shadow cast by the goat, plant-shaking triggered by the munching marauder and/or the herbivore's exhalations...
Environment
Silver Beware: Antimicrobial Nanoparticles in Soil May Harm Plant Life
A new study finds that the popular microbicidal silver nanomaterial negatively impacts the growth of plants as well as kills the soil microbes that sustain them
Biology
Gaming the System: Video Gamers Help Researchers Untangle Protein Folding Problem
The combined effort of more than 50,000 online video game players may help scientists better understand how proteins fold, solving one of biochemistry's greatest conundrums
Biology
All (Submerged) Creatures Big and Small: A Census Catalogues the World's Marine Species [Slide Show]
Scientists are creating a massive global database of marine creatures, revealing tremendous biodiversity ranging from the ocean's shallows to its cold, dark depths
Environment
Weather or Not?: Last Winter's Record Snow Driven by Short-Term Meteorologic Patterns, Not Long-Term Climate Change
A new study helps to explain how extraordinary snowfalls occur despite global warming
Health
Talking trash during the dog days: A brief history of sanitation in New York City
Without modern sanitation, life would be nightmarish—human and animal waste would fester on the streets along with garbage and food scraps, producing a stench so foul that you'd want to keep your windows closed even in the sweltering heat of summer (for the moment, envision lacking the luxury of air conditioning)...
