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io9Did hot dogs save us from colon cancer?
After 1978, two strangely related things happened: a new set of regulations for processed meat limited the amount of nitrite used in hot dogs, forcing manufacturers to add ascorbate or erythorbate instead. And the following that year, there was a major dropoff in colon cancer deaths. Now, researchers are questioning the link between the two. … Continued
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Tech News
Egyptian Mummy Had Prostate Cancer; Lots More Ancient Peeps Probably Did Too
A mummy preserved about 2,250 years ago in Egypt suffered from prostate cancer. The mummy tumors were detected using a technology that only recently became available, so it might mean lots more ancient cancer cases will be revealed. Scientists report in a paper soon to appear in the International Journal of Paleopathology that the mummy, … Continued
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Tech News
Doctors Devise Brain Tumor Removal That Saves Face—Specifically, Yours
Removing tumors at the base of the skull have traditionally required going in through the facial area—sometimes with disfiguring results. However, a doctor at John Hopkins University has figured out how to reach the back of your head using the skulls natural openings. “I looked at the ‘window’ that already exists in the skull, above … Continued
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Tech NewsA Good Day for Vices: Coffee Is Healthy and Hot Dogs Aren’t As Bad As You Thought
Nitrates in hot dogs have had a menacing reputation since the ’70s, and doctors are constantly telling us to drink coffee in moderation. But I have excellent news to report today: hot dogs don’t seem to cause cancer and coffee can actually protect you from it. Let’s start with hot dogs, which are near and … Continued
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io9
Good news, everyone: here’s a study that says your phone isn’t giving you brain cancer
It’s being described as the largest study of cell phone use ever conducted. The investigation, led by the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Copenhagen, followed upwards of 350,000 cell phone users for close to two decades. When all was said and done, the team found no link between mobile phone ownership and tumors of either … Continued
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Tech News
Why Steve Jobs Refused a Potentially Life-Saving Surgery
Walter Isaacson, the author of the upcoming official Steve Jobs biography, told 60 minutes that Steve Jobs refused what could have potentially been a life-saving surgery. Remember, though Jobs had pancreatic cancer, he also had a very rare form that was treatable through surgery. Jobs didn’t want that surgery. Jobs’ reasoning was that he “didn’t … Continued
By Casey Chan -
io9
A random bacterium could help defeat colon cancer
Colon cancer is the second deadliest form of the disease in the United States, killing an estimated 50,000 people each year. Now scientists might have found help from a completely unexpected area: a little microbe known as Fusobacterium. Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute discovered this particular bacterium is present in … Continued
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io9
The same gene promotes prostate cancer and prevents breast cancer
More and more members of the general public are becoming familiar with the idea that “cancer” is not one disease, but rather a word used to describe numerous diseases with countless underlying causes. Now, researchers have discovered a single gene that promotes one form of cancer when it’s turned on, and another when it’s turned … Continued
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io9
A sobering reminder on what breast cancer is (and isn’t)
It’s national breast cancer awareness month, which means you’ll be hearing plenty of reminders about the importance of early detection, and what you can do to catch the disease before it takes your life. And while regular breast exams are obviously valuable, it’s important to remember that the facts behind breast cancer don’t always gel … Continued
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io9
Oral sex might cause more throat cancer than smoking
A study published in yesterday’s Journal of Clinical Oncology reveals that as many as 72 percent of throat tumors in men may be linked to the human papillomavirus, commonly known as HPV. The researchers hypothesize that the virus spreads predominately via oral sex, and that it may already account for more cases of throat cancer … Continued
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io9
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded posthumously for the first time in history
Earlier today, the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Bruce A. Beutler and Jules A. Hoffmann (pictured left and center, respectively) “for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity;” and to Ralph M. Steinman “for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity.” Steinman, who passed … Continued
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Tech News
Patients Are Dying Because of U.S. Drug Shortages
A massive shortage of drugs is threatening the lives of patients across the United States. This year, 213 drugs are in short supply and doctors are forced to ration them. Drug rationing? Sounds like something a developing country might struggle with. But here in the United States it’s not even a new thing. Last year … Continued
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Tech News
The Secret Tobacco Companies Don’t Want You to Know: There’s Radiation Inside Cigarettes
Rat poison. Lighter fluid. Battery acid. Pesticides. And now…radiation. What do they all have in common? They’re all rolled into one cancer causing cigarette. What’s worse, tobacco companies have known that radiation was inside cigarettes but hid evidence of it for 4 decades. The radioactive substance found in cigarettes is polonium-210, a radioactive material that … Continued
By Casey Chan -
ScienceHealth
Biker’s Lung: The Newest Excuse to Avoid Exercise
A British study has concluded that people who ride their bikes to work may be inhaling 2.3 times more black carbon than those who walk. And you thought riding your bike was healthier. These black carbon particles, which are a biproduct of burning fuel, enter your lungs and then stay there causing a ton of … Continued
By Brent Rose -
Tech News
This Badass Virus Kills Breast Cancer Cells
Penn State researchers have identified a virus that’s benign to humans but deadly to cancer. The virus is called adeno-associated virus type 2, and the scientists showed in the lab that it kills breast cancer in three stages. That’s a big deal because different stages of cancer now require different types of treatment, and it’s … Continued
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Tech NewsWatch Surgeons Remove Glowing Cancer Cells From a Patient’s Ovary
The surgeons in this (somewhat gory, you’ve been warned!) video followed a lighted path to the cancer cells they needed to remove. Purdue researchers made the cancer cells glow using a dye that stained only the bad cells in the ovaries of 10 women in a small study published on Sunday in Nature Medicine. Ovarian … Continued
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io9
Add wasabi to your broccoli for a cancer-fighting boost
If you’re a spicy food fan, take heart as combining certain piquant foods with broccoli may give the vegetable a much more powerful cancer-fighting kick. In its raw form, broccoli has a substance called myrosinase inside it, which converts to sulforaphane when eaten. But if it’s cooked for more than a four minute steam, it … Continued
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Tech NewsThis Is the Highest Resolution Image Ever of a Killer Cell In Action
That white blob on the left is one of the ninjas living inside your body, a Natural Killer blood cell. This photograph shows it attacking a cancerous cell (on the right) in unprecedented detail. The image was captured in 3D by an Imperial College London research team lead by Professor Daniel Davis. They used a … Continued
By Jesus Diaz -
ScienceHealth
Cuba’s Lung Cancer Vaccine Could Save Your Life
Cuba, famed maker of delicious (and cancery) cigars, may just have an anti-lung cancer vaccine that’s worth getting excited about. CimaVax-EGF isn’t preventative, but it may make this horrible deadly disease just a plain old horrible disease. The newly available CimaVax-EGF is the product of 25 years of cancer research by Cuban medical authorities. While … Continued
By Brent Rose -
Tech News
Too Many Antibiotics Are Making You Fat
By age 18, most Americans have had up to 20 doses of antibiotics. And that might be making us fat. According to a commentary published in Thursday’s issue of Nature, over-killing bacteria might be causing obesity, diabetes, allergies and asthma. That’s because the human “microbiome” contains good bacteria along with the bad. The theory is … Continued