Medical Research

Kids exposed to marijuana and tobacco smoke prone to illness

New US research suggests that exposing children to a combination of secondhand tobacco and marijuana smoke could increase their risk of otitis media (an infection in the middle ear that causes inflammation and a buildup of fluid behind the eardrum) and increase the number of visits to the emergency department (ED).
‘People who hear colour may have overactive brain connectivity’

Synesthesia is a rare and non-pathological condition wherein the stimulation of a certain sense provokes a secondary perception in another. In short, it makes a person hear sounds upon seeing images, see colors upon hearing music or experience taste when certain words and phrases are spoken.
Human eggs grown to maturity in lab: Researchers

Scientists announce to have grown human egg cells to full maturity in the lab in a potential breakthrough for fertility treatment.
Non-smokers more attractive: Study

If you are a smoker then people will find you less attractive, that’s what a study says. Non-smokers are proved to be more attractive than smokers as proofs of negative impact of smoking on facial appearances, say researchers at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom.
Flies can help in public health surveillance: Study

Science could soon unleash a most incongruous army in the war against disease - one composed of filthy flies.
‘Fungus used in traditional medicine can fight cancer’

Chinese scientists have found evidence that a fungus used in traditional Chinese medicine widely sought by the public for its healing powers, also carries anti-cancer benefits.
New robotic drill performs skull surgery 50 times faster

Researchers from the University of Utah create an automated machine that can do a complicated cranial surgery 50 times faster than standard procedures.
Salty food stirs hunger more than thirst: Study

By simulating a space mission to Mars, an international team of researchers notes that eating salty food led to greater hunger than thirst, at least in the long term. The reason seems to be a protective mechanism that conserves water in the kidneys.
Bangladeshi made UN Polio study member

The World Health Organization selects Dr K Zaman, a Bangladeshi scientist, as a member of the United Nations Polio Research Committee (PRC).
Vegetarians don’t have better heart health than meat-eaters: Study

A recent American study concludes that cutting out meat does not reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in the next decade.
Study reveals fatal sleeping positions for babies

It is a tragedy that happens 3,500 times a year -- a parent puts an infant to sleep, and the child never wakes up, reports CBS news.
Lab-grown sperm makes healthy offspring

Sperm have been made in the laboratory and used to father healthy baby mice in a pioneering move that could lead to infertility treatments.
Do fishes have feelings?

Recently a group of scientists from Univesity of Stirling carried out research that looks at one way of answering the question, 'how do we figure out if animals or plants feel?', and found that fish appear more likely to experience emotions that we previously thought.
Study quantifies faulty gene's role in ovary cancer risk

Women who carry an inherited fault in the BRIP1 gene are three times more likely to develop ovarian cancer than those without it, researchers say.
‘DNA diet’ against obesity

Here’s good news for big eaters who want to stay slim and healthy— the “DNA diet’’ is on the way.
Getting closer to implanting new memories into the brain

A memory prosthesis being trialled next year could not only restore long-term recall but may eventually be used to upload new skills directly to the brain – just like in the film The Matrix.
'Suicide' gene therapy kills prostate cancer cells

US scientists discover a new gene therapy technique that is able to modify prostate cancer cells so that a patient's body attacks and kills them.
Parents hope 'frozen' child will live again (video)

A two-year-old Thai girl became the youngest person to be cryogenically frozen, preserving her brain moments after death in the hope that she will one day be brought back to life.
Secrets of long life unveiled!

Science may have finally unlocked the key to the fountain of youth, 500 years after Juan Ponce de Leon’s death, from the mysteries that were revealed from testing the blood of world’s oldest woman.
Coffee has secret trick to stop sleep

A cup of coffee in the evening may be keeping you awake for more reasons than you realise, scientists say.
Turning cancer into healthy tissues

Scientists believe to have found a way to turn cancerous cells back into healthy tissue.
Baby from ovary frozen in childhood

A woman in Belgium is the first in the world to give birth to a baby using transplanted ovarian tissue frozen when she was still a child, doctors say.
Robotic tentacle targets keyhole surgery

Italian engineers have built a robotic arm, aimed at improving surgical operations and inspired by the octopus.
3 babies saved by 3D windpipe

Three babies are saved from a life-threatening condition by using 3D printed windpipe splints to help them breathe, a pilot study reveals.
Plucking hairs 'can make more grow'

Plucking hairs in a precise pattern can make even more pop up in their place, a US study suggests.
Blood test for Down’s syndrome hailed

Testing pregnant women's blood for disorders in unborn children promises dramatic advances in medicine
Modifying human eggs to remove filial disease

American scientists are attempting to modify the DNA of human egg cells using a new gene-editing technique that could eliminate inherited diseases from subsequent generations of affected families
Second Life: A Miracle of advanced Medical Science

It was on the second night that Shahana's husband thought he was signing the death warrant of his wife when he was asked to sign a form granting permission to try a drug, a last resort to bring her back.