Ed Cara

ScienceHealth

Big Pharma Money Really Does Influence What Doctors Prescribe, Report Finds

A new ProPublica report out Friday confirms what many people already suspect about Big Pharma’s influence on health care: Doctors who get money from a pharmaceutical company related to a specific brand name drug are more likely to prescribe that same, often expensive drug to their patients. It’s no secret that pharmaceutical companies spend plenty … Continued

ScienceHealth

A Superbug STD Is on the Loose in Australia

Researchers in Australia are sounding the alarm over a foodborne and sexually transmitted disease that’s become resistant to every common antibiotic used to treat it. The disease is called shigellosis, named after the Shigella bacteria that cause it. It’s one of the most common bacterial culprits of diarrhea and stomach flu worldwide, affecting some 500,000 … Continued

ScienceHealth

Your Genes Suck at Predicting Your Health, Study Finds

A new study this month is the latest to suggest that our genes really don’t do much to predict our health, at least most of the time. The study, published in PLOS One, is a review of the science surrounding genome-wide association studies (GWASs). These are studies that look at the genes of thousands, even … Continued

ScienceHealth

Scientists Find Evidence That Sheep Can Cause Mad Cow Disease

Researchers think they’ve solved one of the most enduring mysteries of a strange, always-fatal disease that turns both people and cows mad. In experiments with genetically manipulated mice, they found direct evidence that mad cow disease—a condition caused by a zombie-like, brain-destroying protein called a prion—can be caused by contact with sheep infected with a … Continued

ScienceHealth

Pet Store Puppies Are Giving People Bloody Diarrhea

Dog lovers beware: Federal health officials are warning that puppies, particularly those found in pet stores, are once again behind an outbreak of a nasty stomach bug that can cause bloody diarrhea. The yucky culprit is a bacteria called Campylobacter jejuni. It’s one of the most common bacterial causes of diarrhea worldwide, often accompanied by … Continued

ScienceHealth

Here Are the Drugs the Teens Are Into These Days

The teens are smoking nicotine, drinking alcohol, and using illegal drugs less than ever before, according to U.S. government data released Wednesday. Yet a new report highlights that they’re also increasingly vaping cannabis and nicotine. The report, published in JAMA, is based on data from the annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey, which polls a … Continued

Reviews

The Weirdest Medical Cases of 2019

2019 has truly been the year of too much. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the bizarre medical cases that made the news this year. So let’s go ahead and take a trip down memory lane, just in case you were hoping to get a good night’s sleep ever again. Sperm shot Self-medicating is … Continued

ScienceHealth

New Study Links Vaping to Chronic Lung Illness in Humans

The potential dangers of long-term vaping have largely been hypothetical, but a new study out Monday provides the first real evidence that it can increase the risk of chronic lung disease in humans. And while the risk may be much higher for those who smoke traditional tobacco cigarettes, it’s amplified in people who both vape … Continued

ScienceBiology

Zoo Chimps Doing a ‘Conga Line’ Could Teach Us How Humans Evolved to Dance

A seemingly spontaneous conga line by a pair of captive chimpanzees might tell us something about how humans first learned to dance, scientists behind a new study say. For years, visitors to the Saint Louis Zoo occasionally spotted and filmed a perplexing display from two closely bonded female chimpanzees named Holly and Bahkahri: They would … Continued

ScienceHealth

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year to Get a Flu Shot

With just a few weeks left until the end of the decade, there’s still time to get the best gift possible for your health and the health of everyone around you: a flu vaccine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, our annual bout of phelgmy misery is well underway. As of the … Continued

ScienceHealth

Sick Americans Are Desperate Enough to Buy Fish Antibiotics

In today’s “the U.S. healthcare system is utterly broken” news, a study has found evidence that some people are buying fish antibiotics online to use on themselves—presumably because they’re cheaper than visiting the doctor to get a proper prescription. Researchers from the University of South Carolina examined online reviews from 24 websites selling nine kinds of … Continued

ScienceHealth

Cannabis Is Getting More Popular, Especially Among People With Depression

Cannabis has become more popular across the U.S. in recent years, but new research this month shows that one group has especially gravitated to it: people living with depression. And it’s not clear whether that’s a good thing. The study, published in the journal Addiction, looked at over 10 years of data from a nationally … Continued

ScienceBiology

A Controversial DNA Database Used to Solve Crimes Has Gone Commercial

A third-party DNA database that began as a passion project and later became embroiled in an ongoing debate over genetic privacy has now gone commercial. This week, the San Diego-based forensics company Verogen announced its acquisition of the genealogy website GEDmatch. But it’s anyone’s guess as to how the shift in ownership will affect its … Continued

ScienceHealth

Yet More Research Links Even Light Drinking to a Higher Cancer Risk

In a new study this week, researchers in Japan have found a link between lifetime drinking to an increased risk of cancer—only the latest bit of research to suggest that even light drinking over a lifetime can be bad for us. The study, published Monday in the journal Cancer, relies on data from a decades-long … Continued

ScienceHealth

Antarctic Explorers’ Brains Shrunk During a 14-Month Polar Expedition

Spending over a year in the bleak desolation that is Antarctica might change your brain for the worse, according to new research out this month. It seems to show that polar explorers who lived for 14 months at an Antarctica research station experienced brain shrinkage, likely as a result of their isolation and boredom. But … Continued

ScienceHealth

Reducing Air Pollution Saves Lives in Just Weeks, Report Finds

Cleaner air can go a long way in saving lives, according to a new report out Friday. It found that policies and laws aimed at curbing emissions are often linked to reductions in hospitalizations, premature births, and deaths in just a few weeks after their enactment. The review looked at past studies that evaluated major … Continued

ScienceHealth

Study of So-Called ‘Abortion Reversal’ Stopped Early After Women Went to ER With Serious Bleeding

New research out Thursday starkly highlights the dangers of so-called “abortion reversals,” an unproven practice condemned by most medical experts. Scientists were forced to prematurely end a trial of pregnant women testing out the procedure after three volunteers experienced severe hemorrhaging that sent them to the emergency room. “Abortion reversals” are alleged by anti-choice advocates and … Continued

ScienceHealth

We Have Dramatically Underestimated Our Exposure to Nasty Plastic Chemical BPA, Study Finds

Our BPA problem might be even worse than we think, according to a new study out Thursday. Researchers say they’ve devised a new test to measure levels of the common industrial chemical in our bodies—levels that might be far higher than tests endorsed by the U.S. government and others suggest they are. BPA, or bisphenol … Continued

ScienceHealth

Hair Dyes and Straighteners Might Be a Breast Cancer Risk, Especially for Black Women, Study Finds

If you’re a woman, regularly coloring or straightening your hair might come with a hidden risk, according to new government-led research. The study found a link between using permanent hair dye and straightening products and an increased risk of breast cancer in women, especially for black women. Researchers from the National Institutes of Health looked … Continued

ScienceHealth

New Study Links Birth Control Pill to Brain Differences, but Don’t Panic

Scientists this week say they’ve found preliminary evidence that women who use birth control pills have differences in their brain structure compared to women who don’t. But it’s still too way early to know whether these differences are genuine or could have a meaningful impact on someone’s health. The study’s authors enlisted the help of … Continued