Ed Cara

ScienceHealth

Coca-Cola Can Terminate Health Research It Funds, Investigation Finds

The bounty of research funding provided by companies such as Coca-Cola to universities and elsewhere may come with some major strings attached, according to an investigation out Tuesday. The paper’s authors describe evidence of Coca-Cola crafting research agreements with universities in the U.S. and Canada that allowed the company to end studies at its whim, … Continued

Tech News

Is Science Broken? Major New Report Outlines Problems in Research

A new report released this week by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is weighing in on a contentious debate within the science world: the idea that scientific research is fundamentally flawed, rife with published findings that often can’t be reproduced or replicated by other scientists, otherwise known as the replication and reproducibility … Continued

ScienceHealth

FDA Study Finds that Sunscreen Chemicals Reach Our Bloodstream, but the Health Risks Are Unclear

Researchers at the Food and Drug Administration have found that people who regularly use certain sunscreens may be absorbing higher-than-safe levels of active ingredients into their bodies. But the scientists caution that it’s still unclear whether these products could be posing any health risks. And importantly, they recommend that people continue to use sunscreen. Sunscreens … Continued

ScienceHealth

Using Neurostimulation to Treat ADHD Isn’t as Scary as It Sounds

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration cleared the Monarch external Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (eTNS) system, a medical device that provides mild brain stimulation to treatment attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children ages 7 to 12. Judging by the comments and reader emails Gizmodo got about our article on the device, it’s clear there are … Continued

ScienceHealth

These Scientists Want to Redefine Alzheimer’s as a ‘Double-Prion’ Disease

Researchers this week say their work should upturn the conventional narrative of how Alzheimer’s disease happens. They argue the progression of Alzheimer’s is driven by a very specific form of two proteins that play a crucial role in the disease, and these forms should be considered prions—potentially infectious proteins that self-replicate by turning their brethren … Continued

ScienceBiology

Narwhal Genome Reveals Another Way That Narwhals Are Weird

One of the most recognizable animals of the sea, the narwhal, is even more unique than their looks would suggest, according to a new study of their genetics released this week. It found that the genetic diversity of these horned whales is astonishingly low compared to similar animals living in the arctic waters. Yet, despite … Continued

ScienceHealth

Intriguing New Drug Therapies May Boost Social Skills in People with Autism

New research seems to show encouraging progress in helping treat the complex neurodevelopmental disorder autism. Two unrelated clinical trials, involving men and children with autism, suggest that using drugs to interact with a hormone called vasopressin could improve the social functioning of people living with the disorder, though one approach may be better than the … Continued

ScienceHealth

Sleep Drugs Like Ambien Will Get a New FDA Warning About Potentially Fatal Side Effects

The Food and Drug Administration is forcing certain sleep drugs to carry a deadly serious warning about the rare, frightening side effects they can cause. The side effects, which have reportedly caused serious injuries and even deaths, include sleepwalking and other intricate behaviors done while a person is sleeping or not fully awake, like driving … Continued

ScienceHealth

Researchers Say They’ve Created a Blood Test for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Researchers at Stanford University and elsewhere say they’ve taken an important step in potentially helping people with a barely understood ailment that’s long been viewed skeptically by the public and even some doctors. They claim to have created a blood test that may be able to readily identify people who have myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known … Continued

ScienceHealth

Peanut Immunotherapy May Actually Increase Your Risk of Serious Allergic Reactions

A promising therapy for certain food allergies may be riskier than hoped, according to a new review. It found that patients with a peanut allergy given oral immunotherapy—a treatment that exposes them to small doses of the food over time—were more likely to experience life-threatening allergic reactions like becoming unable to breathe and other serious … Continued

ScienceHealth

How Much Worse Could This Measles Outbreak Get?

As of this week, there have been 695 cases of measles in the U.S. across more than 20 states this year—the highest annual toll seen since the disease was declared extinguished in the U.S. in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Given that it’s only April and we’ve already broken a … Continued

ScienceHealth

No Screen Time for Kids Under 2, WHO Says

The World Health Organization is coming out strong against letting young kids watch TV or play with smartphones, and is pushing parents to help their kids stay active and get enough sleep. This week, the global public health agency released its recommendations on the amount of physical activity and sleep children under the age of five … Continued

ScienceHealth

People Born Before 1989 May Need Another Measles Vaccine

The U.S. is in the middle of the worst outbreak of measles since the disease was eradicated from the country in 2000. But while the majority of victims are children whose parents decided not to vaccinate them or people who have chosen to go unvaccinated, even some people who got the measles vaccine as children … Continued

ScienceHealth

Scientists Had Volunteers Get High to See How CBD and THC Affect the Brain Differently

Cannabidiol—the ingredient of cannabis that doesn’t make you high, commonly called CBD—might be the angel to THC’s devil, a new study of people’s brains suggests. The research found that 17 people who smoked cannabis with mostly THC had worse brain function in certain regions than those who smoked cannabis with roughly equal levels of THC … Continued

ScienceHealth

A Common Preservative in Cheese and Bread Could Negatively Affect Our Metabolism, Study Finds

In recent years, scientists have started cautiously warning about the subtle harms that certain food additives might be causing in people. A new study out Wednesday suggests that the common food preservative propionate could be one of these additives to be worried about. In experiments in both mice and people, it found eating propionate could … Continued

ScienceHealth

E-Cigarettes May Be Contaminated With Microbial Toxins, Study Finds

E-cigarette fans at this point might be getting used to bad news about the chemicals found in their products. A new study out Wednesday adds another potential, if still very unclear, risk to the list. It suggests that many e-cigarette cartridges and refilling e-liquids are contaminated with toxins spewed out by bacteria and fungi. Smoke … Continued

ScienceHealth

One in Five U.S. Kids Don’t Drink Water—but They Do Drink a Lot of Sugar

That kids (and adults) in America love their sugary drinks is no secret. But a new study out this Monday suggests that sodas and sports drinks are fully replacing water for some kids. It found that one in every five children are not drinking water at all, and that these children end up getting more … Continued

ScienceHealth

A Treatment That Uses Mild Shocks to Treat ADHD in Children Now Has the FDA’s Blessing

Families of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) will now have a new, non-drug treatment available to manage the condition: a medical device attached to the forehead that sends mild shocks to the nervous system. Over the weekend, the Food and Drug Administration announced it granted clearance of NeuroSigma’s Monarch external Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation … Continued

ScienceHealth

Blind People Really Do Have More Sensitive Hearing, MRI Study Finds

A new study out Monday suggests that losing your sight early in life can lead to subtle alterations in the brain circuitry primarily responsible for hearing. It’s commonly believed that being born blind or losing your sight early in life can make hearing more sensitive. But while studies have consistently shown that blind people do … Continued

ScienceHealth

A Generic Version of Opioid Overdose Antidote Naloxone Just Landed FDA Approval

One of the most important tools for managing the opioid crisis may soon be a lot more available. On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration announced it had granted approval for a generic version of the naloxone nasal spray, a drug used to rapidly reverse potentially fatal opioid overdoses. The new generic is by Teva … Continued