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ScienceBiologyBlue Light from LEDs Can Rot the Brains of Fruit Flies, Study Finds
The blue light that emanates from every smartphone and fluorescent bulb isn’t thought to be great for our health, particularly the health of our eyes. But a new study in fruit flies suggests that blue light can even be harmful to brains and speed up aging—again, in fruit flies. There’s a very long way to … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech NewsPoliticsDemocrat and Republican Voters Agree: Schools Need to Teach Sex Ed
Americans can apparently agree on at least one thing: Kids in school deserve good sex education. According to a study published in the journal Sex Education in September, the researchers looked at the online responses of nearly 1,000 people from across the U.S. who said they regularly voted in elections. The respondents—recruited by the polling … Continued
By Ed Cara -
EartherClimate ChangeToxic Algae Blooms Really Have Become More Intense, Study Finds
A new study out Monday seems to confirm an unpleasant reality: Potentially toxic algae blooms in the world’s freshwater lakes have become more intense over the last 30 years. And while climate change may not be the only reason why blooms have gotten worse, rising temperatures are likely making it harder for lakes to recover … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceBiologyA Study That Linked Shorter Lifespans to CRISPR Baby Mutation Has Been Retracted
An alarming study that added fuel to the fire over a recent controversial genetic experiment in China has now been invalidated. The study, which suggested that a mutation induced by Chinese scientist He Jiankui in human babies could shorten their lives, was retracted late last week, after other scientists failed to find similar results and the … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech NewsNurses at New Jersey Hospital Fed Patients Benadryl to Avoid Work, Whistleblower Lawsuit Alleges
In an explosive new lawsuit this week, nurses at a New Jersey hospital have been accused by one of their own of drugging patients with the drowsy medication Benadryl to avoid work. The plaintiff, Patricia Moran, is suing her employer, the Monmouth Medical Center, for having allegedly punished her after she spoke out about the … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthViagra Might Someday Enhance Bone Marrow Transplants
The long story of sildenafil citrate, best known by the brand name Viagra, may have another chapter to it. Researchers at the University of California Santa Cruz think the drug can improve how we perform bone marrow transplants, as part of a combination therapy that allows doctors to harvest stem cells from patients quicker and … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceBiologyOver 150,000 Americans Have Rare DNA Fluke and Don’t Know It, Study of 23andMe Data Finds
A supposedly rare genetic quirk might be more common than we think, according to new research out Thursday. The study, based largely on 23andMe data, suggests that one in every 2,000 people are born with two copies of a gene from only a single parent, often with no serious health consequences. Ordinarily, a person’s egg … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthScientists Invent LED Device to Quickly Treat Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, Though It’s Not Ready for Humans Yet
Doctors at Harvard think they’ve found a new way to stop a silent killer by literally shining a light on it. In experiments with rats, their light-based device was able to quickly clear away carbon monoxide stuck to blood cells. The nifty invention may someday help doctors and EMTs treat life-threatening cases of carbon monoxide … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthSTDs in America Hit Another Record High in 2018
It’s been a banner half-decade for sexually transmitted diseases in the U.S., according to a new report out Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2018 saw yet another record high for STDs in the country, with reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis climbing for the fifth straight year. The report’s findings, … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthE-Cigarette Vapor Linked to Lung Cancer in Mice
A new study out Monday is yet more evidence that vaping isn’t the completely safe alternative to smoking it was once thought to be. The researchers claim to have found evidence, in mice, that e-cigarette vapor is capable of causing certain kinds of cancer. But there’s still a long way to go before we can … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth2019 Nobel Prize in Medicine Goes to Researchers Who Unraveled How Cells Sense Oxygen
A trio of researchers from the U.S. and the UK has won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Medicine, the first of five prizes to be announced this week. On Monday in Sweden, the Nobel committee announced that Americans William Kaelin Jr. and Gregg Semenza, along with Peter Ratcliffe, would split the nearly million-dollar prize for … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthState Fair Hot Tubs Probably Spread Deadly Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak in North Carolina
State fairs are a mixed bag in the best of times. But for a hundred or so people who attended the North Carolina Mountain State Fair this past September, it was a nightmare. State health officials have traced an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease to the fair, with the most likely source of infection being contaminated … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthThe U.S. Is Officially Free of Measles—for Now
It looks like we can breathe a sigh of relief. Despite two new cases of measles being reported late last week in New York, federal and state health officials are confident the country’s measles-free status will stay in place. But the new cases highlight just how much a challenge lies ahead in controlling the spread … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthAspirin, Strangely Enough, Might Protect Our Lungs From Air Pollution
A dose of aspirin can do more than just soothe your headache, a new study suggests—it might also protect your lungs from air pollution. Air pollution harms our bodies in all sorts of ways, both short-term and long-term. One of these ways is through irritating and inflaming lung cells. So it makes sense that aspirin … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthProspective Fathers Should Avoid Binge Drinking, Study Finds
Prospective parents—but especially dads—might be wise to avoid too much alcohol, according to a new study out this week. It suggests that women and men who binge drink in the months before conception are more likely to have children with congenital heart defects, with the father’s alcohol consumption surprisingly having a greater impact on the … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthJudge Rules That Supervised Injection Site Planned in Philly Is Legal
On Wednesday, a federal judge struck down the U.S. government’s attempt to stop the development of the country’s first supervised injection site in Philadelphia—a move heralded by many public health experts worried about the opioid and drug overdose crisis. Supervised, or safe, injection sites are public spaces where people are given the opportunity to use … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthBrexit Sparked a UK Man’s Psychotic Episode, Doctors Say
For one British man, the controversial vote that led to Brexit in 2016 might have literally driven him around the bend, causing a temporary bout of psychosis. The strange tale was detailed by the man’s physicians this week in BMJ Case Reports. According to the paper, the man—only described to be in his 40s—had been … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthHuman Fetuses Develop Lizard-Like Body Parts That Disappear Before Birth
New research this week seems to show that human fetuses develop several muscles in their legs and arms that disappear by the time they’re born. And some of these muscles were last seen in our adult ancestors over 250 million years ago. The evolutionary journey of any species is littered with detours and dead-ends. Humans, … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthA 1964 Earthquake Might Have Unleashed a Deadly Fungus on the Pacific Northwest
Two decades ago, a rare but deadly fungal infection began killing animals and people in the U.S. and Canada. To this day, no one has figured out how it arrived there in the first place. Now a pair of scientists have put forth their own theory: Tsunamis, sparked by a massive earthquake in 1964, soaked … Continued
By Ed Cara
Ed Cara
Ed Cara is a Brooklyn-based writer and pug enthusiast. He spent his early twenties performing theater at various stages across the tri-state area, including off-Broadway. But he eventually caught the reporting bug and transitioned into science journalism, publishing his first feature article at the magazine Pacific Standard (RIP) in 2014. Ed has since written for the Atlantic, Newsweek, Undark Magazine, and Vice, before landing at Gizmodo in 2017. Ed enjoys digging into the latest health advances, the weirdest medical cases, and the occasional animal news. He also still performs regularly in the city as a sketch and improv comedian.
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